Ethics
This module explores and critically assesses concepts and issues in Christian ethics with a biblical and theological focus. It introduces the subject of ethics more broadly before examining the particular task of Christian ethics as an academic discipline enabling .Christians to live lives worthy of their calling in faithful discipleship and witness as part of Christian mission.
The concepts and issues will be explored through the lens of the biblical drama and a
biblical theology in which Christians are called to live as creatures made in God’s image and preserved by God in the face of sin, as a chosen people called to bless the nations, as followers of Jesus, as a people indwelt by the Spirit and as those destined for and witnessing to God’s new creation.
This framework will enable exploration – in dialogue with Christian tradition and contemporary moral theologians – of a range of ethical concepts such as natural law, conscience, law, wisdom, love, virtue and character and debates such as the place of reason in Christian ethics, the distinctiveness of Christian ethics and its dialogue with non–Christian ethics, the role of moral rules, the practices of Christian moral formation.
The module will then turn to examine a range of specific ethical issues and debates.
These include ethics in relation to human life (eg bioethics such as artificial reproductive technologies, abortion, the embryo, assisted dying), human sexuality (eg marriage, cohabitation, divorce, LGBTI experience), human society and government (eg politics, economic life, justice, just war) and humanity and the rest of creation (environmental ethics).
In each of these areas attention will be given to a theological and canonical
reading of the biblical witness, the wisdom of Christian tradition and the different
perspectives among contemporary theorists and how these relate to wider society’s
ethical understandings and the church’s witness in society. Case studies will also be used to open up the moral questions from lived experience.
Illustrative syllabus:
1. Introduction to Ethics & Christian Ethics
2. The Bible and Christian Ethics: Performing the Biblical Drama
3. Creation & Preservation: Living as God’s ImageBearers:
Natural Law, Conscience & Sin
4. Israel: Living as God’s Chosen People: Law, Wisdom, Prophecy & Worship
5. Jesus: Living as Followers of Christ: Love & Imitation of Christ
6. Spirit & Church: Living as God’s Temple: Virtue & Character, Moral Formation
in the Church
7. New Creation: Living God’s Future: Consequences, Now & Not Yet, Divine
Judgment
8. Bioethics: Biblical Witness on Human Life
9. Bioethics: Artificial Reproduction
10. Bioethics: Life prebirth: The Embryo & Abortion
11. Bioethics: Death: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide & Care for the Dying
12. Sexual ethics: Biblical Witness on Human Sexuality
13. Sexual ethics: Marriage & Singleness, Divorce & Remarriage
14. Sexual ethics: LGBTI experience
15. Social & Political ethics: Biblical Witness on Politics & Government
16. Social & Political ethics: The Quest for Justice
17. Social & Political ethics: Just war?
18. Social & Political ethics: Economic justice
19. Environmental ethics: Biblical Witness on nonHuman Creation
20. Environmental ethics: Global Warming
10. Aims
1. To enable students to critically reflect along theological and biblical lines on
Christian ethics, including how Christians should live in relation to human life, sexuality and society as part of Christian witness.
2. To help students critically assess their own approach to living as a faithful
Christian disciple, and to understand and learn from different Christian approaches to ethics
3. To develop an understanding and appreciation of the resources in Christian
Scripture, tradition and contemporary theology and ethics and an ability to draw on these in addressing specific moral questions.
11. Methods of Learning and Teaching and Formative Assessment
Lectures, tutorled and student led seminars, group discussion, selfdirected
study and tutordirected study.
Formative assessment: Students do weekly readings and may be asked to: prepare
short presentations for seminars.
12. Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of biblical material pertaining to ethics and
draw upon it critically and with theological rigour in dialogue with Christian tradition and contemporary moral theologians in articulating a Christian ethical perspective.
2. Describe and critically evaluate a range of Christian understandings of moral
concepts and issues and their place in Christian discipleship and witness.
3. Reflect critically upon their own methods and conclusions in Christian moral
reasoning.
