Christianity and the Laws of Conscience: An Introduction [Hardcover]

This book explores the Christian theological, legal, constitutional, historical, and philosophical meanings of conscience for both scholarly and educated general audiences.This book explores Christian theological, legal, constitutional, historical, and philosophical meanings of conscience. In doing so, it surveys how conscience has been deployed in the New Testament text, across Christian history, and in various contemporary applications, including rights to sexual expression and constitutional law.This book explores Christian theological, legal, constitutional, historical, and philosophical meanings of conscience. In doing so, it surveys how conscience has been deployed in the New Testament text, across Christian history, and in various contemporary applications, including rights to sexual expression and constitutional law.Conscience has long been a foundational theme in Christian ethics, but it is a notoriously slippery and contested term. This volume works to define conscience and reveal the similarities and differences between different Christian traditions' thinking on the subject. In a thorough and scholarly manner, the authors explore Christian theological, legal, constitutional, historical, and philosophical meanings of conscience. Covering a range of historical periods, major figures in the development of conscience, and contemporary applications, this book is a vital source for scholars from a wide variety of disciplines seeking to understand conscience from a range of perspectives.Part I. Themes in Understandings of Conscience in Christianity: 1. New Testament on conscience Wendell Willis; 2. Conscience and natural law in scripture David VanDrunen; 3. Conscience in early Christian thought John Anthony McGuckin; 4. Sensus Fidei, the magisterium, and the formation of conscience E. Christian Brugger; Part II. Conscience According to Major Figures and Traditions: 5. Conscience in the early church fathers Alexis Torrance; 6. St Thomas Aquinas on conscience Cajli