Christian Ethics a guide for the perplexed [Paperback]

Christian ethics is a most perplexing subject. This Guide takes the reader through the most fundamental issues surrounding the question of Ethics from a Christian perspective: Is ethics a meaningful topic of discourse and can there be such a thing as an ethical argument or ethical persuasion? What is the meaning of the adjective in Christian Ethics ?Could right behavior be different for Christians than it is for others? Can we turn to the Bible for help? Does the Bible tell us what to do, or give us insight into the good we should aim to achieve, or give us a narrative by which to live? Is it best to think of ethics as a matter of duty, or good, or excellence? If we take the virtue line and say that ethics is about human excellence, doing well as a human being or succeeding at being a good human being then what will we say about humans who cannot achieve excellence? The virtue approach leads us to place friendship as the goal of ethics.

The Reverend Victor Lee Austin, Ph.D., is Theologian-in-residence at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City. He is the author of scholarly articles in political theology, ecclesiology, and social ethics, as well as a book of theological meditations on everyday life, A Priest's Journal.

The book aims to answer key questions that students and the general reader may have about Christian ethics.

Provides a fine approach to Christian ethics and reviews the Christian moral life, using many biblical references to chart the evolution and meaning of Christian thoughts on justice, how to succeed as a human being, and more. Philosophy and theology blend in a fine story packed with insights and perfect for collections strong in scholarly assessments of Christian belief based on a blend of analysis and Biblical passages. James A. Cox

Introduction: I'm Perplexed; Aren't You? / Chapter 1: Can We Talk? / Chapter 2: What's Christian about Christian Ethics? / Chapter 3: Three Approaches to Being Fully Human / Chapterl#g