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Despite the growing interest among philosophers and theologians in virtue ethics, its proponents have done little to suggest why Christians in particular find virtue ethics attractive. Joseph J. Kotva, Jr., addresses this question in The Christian Case for Virtue Ethics, showing that virtue theory offers an ethical framework that is highly compatible with Christian morality. Kotva defines virtue ethics and demonstrates its ability to voice Christian convictions about how to live the moral life. He evaluates virtue theory in light of systematic theology and Scripture, arguing that Christian ethics could be profitably linked with neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics. Ecumenical in tone, this book provides a thorough but accessible introduction to recent philosophical accounts of virtue and offers an original, explicitly Christian adaptation of these ideas. It will be of value to students and scholars of philosophy, theology, and religion, as well as to those interested in the debates surrounding virtue ethics.
Calling for accountability, Practice What You Preach discusses ethical questions that arise in congregations and pastoral leadership. Formation of pastors, empowering leaders, resolving power struggles between clergy and laity-these and other critical pastoral issues are addressed by an ecumenical group of contributors. Divided into four parts: the way the churches train their pastors; the way their pastors live; the way communities worship; and the way communities behave, this collection identifies and offers positive solutions to areas where churches are often slow to change. Each essay begins with a case describing a typical problem-from wages to in-fighting-and then discusses what virtues or character traits might be developed to resolve the problem effectively.
Classic theories of Aristotle, Kant, and Mill have influenced Christian thought in morality and ethics for centuries. But they can go only so far, Wyndy Corbin Reuschling writes in Reviving Evangelical Ethics. While the philosophers' approach to three key elements--virtue, duty, and utility--have been used widely in forming ethical and moral practices, Corbin Reuschling sees spiritual danger in their limitations. She probes deeply to deconstruct each philosophy, then reconstructs a broader, biblically based framework for personal and group ethics. This introductory text provides helpful biblical and theological reflection for students of Christian ethics.
A quick scan of any newsstand is enough to confirm the widespread preoccupation with technological change. As a myriad of articles and advertisements demonstrate, not only are we preoccupied with technology, but we are bombarded with numerous reminders that the cutting edge is in constant motion. Most often the underlying assumption of Christians is that we have no choice but to find ways to cope with the latest and greatest. Indeed, it is often assumed that the church has no choice but to find ways to cope with its new technological context. This book does not make the same assumptions. Building on the work of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder, it argues that the practices of the churc...
The topics examined in this book include the development of 'virtue morality' and its practice in today's Catholic Church; tensions between local churches and the universal church; and the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments.
The Catholic tradition has always tried to explain its theology in a coherent and systematic way, but the great changes and tensions existing within Catholic moral theology today have made it difficult to develop systematic approaches to what was once called fundamental moral theology. Now a leading scholar active in this field for forty years offers a synthesis of Catholic moral theology set in the context of the broader Catholic tradition and the significant developments that have occurred since the Second Vatican Council. Charles E. Curran’s succinct, coherent account of his wide-ranging work in Catholic moral theology points out agreements, disagreements, and changes in significant asp...
In this carefully argued book, T. Luke Post shows that "good works" occupy a central, though often overlooked, place in Pauline ethics. Surveying a wide terrain of exegetical territory, Post makes a compelling case that believers "doing good" is a primary aim of Paul’s theological, social, and ethical agenda.
This book explores the intersection of faith, ethics, and public health by examining the Namatete Congregation of the Zambezi Evangelical Church's response to the COVID-19 vaccine in Malawi. It investigates how religious beliefs shape vaccine perceptions and decisions, providing a nuanced analysis of the church's role in navigating public health crises. Grounded in Christian virtue ethics, the study offers insights into how faith communities can balance theological principles with public health imperatives, highlighting the potential for religious institutions to contribute positively to pandemic response efforts and ethical decision-making.
For those who undergo it, infertility treatment is costly, time-consuming, invasive, and emotionally and physically arduous, yet technology remains the focus of most public discussion of the topic. Drawing on concepts from medical ethics, feminist theory, and Roman Catholic social teaching, Maura A. Ryan analyzes the economic, ethical, theological, and political dimensions of assisted reproduction. Taking seriously the experience of infertility as a crisis of the self, the spirit, and the body, Ryan argues for the place of reproductive technologies within a temperate, affordable, sustainable, and just health care system. She contends that only by ceasing to treat assisted reproduction as a c...
Eight story-reflections, each based on a different Beatitude, offer accounts of immigrant children who fled Central America on their own to escape violence and poverty. Artwork created by immigrant youth and meditations written by Jesuit Father Leo O'Donovan accompany the stories.