CHRISTIAN MORALITY

Ethics are the values and principles that distinguish right from wrong.

Estimations show there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and a
staggering 45,000 globally,

On a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues ( si-ne gags), and a woman was there who
had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your
infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are
six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him,
“You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it
out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound
for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” Luke 13:10–16 (NIV)

Generally , any consideration of Christian ethics naturally led to an inclusion of a theological perspective.

The subject matter of morality is a normative property. Something is normative if it deals with ideals
(norms), and normativity is often expressed with shoulds or oughts. Morality deals with the normative
properties of rightness and wrongness. When someone says morality, they may be discussing any
number of things related to these properties (rightness and wrongness). They may be discussing the
nature of the property, the actions that have that property, the types of people who act according to
those properties, or theories, systems, and rules for guiding people according to those properties.

The terms morality and ethics are often used interchangeably when discussing these properties. Some
scholars insist on a strict distinction between ethics and morality. But common usage of the terms does
not follow any particular distinction. In fact, some contemporary ethics texts explicitly and implicitly use
the terms interchangeably.

In certain contexts, one term can be more common than the other. For instance, in the context of a
discipline of study it is common to hear, “She’s studying ethics.” It would be strange, though not
meaningless, to hear, “She’s studying morality.” In my report, we are not concerned with settling a
debate over word choice. We desire to produce a clear and easily understandable work on Christian
morality.

When reading the Bible, it is more common to see the word immorality rather than unethical.
Therefore, we chose to use the words moral or morality to refer to right and wrong conduct.

What, then, is Christian Morality? In Western cultures, the professions publish codes of ethics that they
expect their members to honor. As such, you might hear someone talk about business ethics. It so
happens that many of the rules of conduct are part of a religion. A theologian or philosopher might write
about Christian ethics and refer to broad principles. Many Christians, regardless of profession, look to
the Bible as the primary authority regarding matters of right or wrong, we chose to use the phrase
Christian morality to identify principles about right and wrong conduct that have some basis in Scripture,
or are implied by commitments to Scripture.

Foundations of Christian Morality

Philosophical Foundations of Christian Morality

Brandon Schmidly sets a foundation for Christian Morality by providing the philosophical context for
discussions of ethics and morality. By providing this foundation, he aims to prepare readers for analyzing
and constructing moral arguments. First, he reviews logical principles important to understanding and
forming moral arguments. Second, he discusses philosophical claims relevant to objective versus We
expect Christians to refer to Scripture when deciding on a moral course of action. In fact, on major social
issues, Christian leaders often create documents that provide moral guidance. For example, Christian
leaders have prepared statements on marriage and divorce, abortion, and gambling. The guidance will
usually refer to several scriptures and provide reasons why Christians ought to follow a particular course
of action. We hope that after reading Schmidly’s chapter you are better able to analyze the arguments
presented by others as well as think more clearly about what Christians ought to do in a particular
situation subjective perspective on morality. Third, he summarizes leading philosophical theories about
what is right and wrong.

Psychological Foundations of Christian Morality

Geoffrey Sutton aims to explain two major ways that psychological science can help us think about
morality. First, he discusses a multidimensional model of human behavior that helps Christians keep in
mind that there are internal and external forces that have the potential to influence behavioral actions
we judge as moral or immoral. Clues to understanding why people act in certain ways come from
recognizing that a person’s spiritual state interacts with thoughts, feelings, habitual ways of acting,
health, and social factors to influence our moral actions. Second, he summarizes research conducted by
moral psychologists who study how people decide that some conduct is right and some is wrong. He
presents a six-dimensional model that will help you analyze the kinds of reasons people offer when
justifying moral conduct. You will see that different groups of Christians give greater weight to the six
moral dimensions of care, fairness, loyalty, respect for authority, purity, and liberty.

We hope that after considering the complexities of human nature and the actual ways people argue
about morality you will be in a better position to discern factors that influence how Christian leaders
arrive at different conclusions about a moral course of action. In other words, arriving at a Christian
moral judgment is not just about thinking clearly about what to do. Moral judgments are heavily
influenced by human nature and many reasons people give for a moral position are influenced by
emotion and culture rather than clear thinking from a Christian perspective.

Sociological Foundations of Christian Morality

In this the book, sociologist Joel Thiessen explores four aspects of the relationship between sociology,
Christianity, and morality. First, he provides a background for understanding the sociological
perspective. Second, he examines different ways sociology and Christianity inform thinking about
morality. Third, he considers how a knowledge of sociology can strengthen a Christian response to social
issues. Finally, he shows how to think carefully and critically about sociology, Christianity, and morality
by examining power and oppression.

Theological Foundations of Christian Morality

Peter Althouse provides us with a bridge to the practical considerations discussed in Part 2 by rooting
Christian morality in the dignity of all persons created in the image of God. This God-given dignity is the
foundation upon which we affirm that all people have fundamental human rights. Althouse links the
notion of Christians as bearers of God’s image to Jesus’ summary of the law, which mandates love for
our neighbors linked to love for God. Christian morality, then, does not just focus on personal conduct
but it also requires an active engagement with others in the pursuit of justice for all. Thus grounded in
God-given human rights and dignity, Althouse offers us a look at how moral theology will help us discern
the application of Christian morality to unjust incarceration practices.

Applying Principles of Christian Morality

We selected three topics to illustrate how Christians from different academic backgrounds view
contemporary moral issues. Brandon Schmidly will discuss philosophical approaches to abortion.
Geoffrey Sutton will illustrate how moral psychology can account for different views on same-sex
marriage beyond that accounted for by differences in the interpretation of biblical texts. And Paul Lewis
offers examples of considering cultural perspectives without slipping into moral relativism.

Using Philosophy to Think about Abortion

Brandon Schmidly engages the abortion conversation by providing clarity on the relevant concepts when
considering the moral issues of abortion. He discusses the nature of personhood and evaluates
arguments for when the rights of persons begin. He then presents and evaluates arguments based on
the rights of the mother, potentiality, and our responsibilities to help those in need.

There are many moral issues that involve an understanding of human rights and human life. Closely
related to the abortion issue is the matter of birth control. Thinking about human rights and life is also
important to decisions about ending lives sustained by medical technology, capital punishment, and
taking the lives of others in self-defense.

Same-Sex Marriage and Christian Morality

Geoffrey Sutton explains the ways that people talk about sexuality. He then applies the SCOPES model
to clarify moral issues related specifically to sexual identity and same-sex relationships. He also explains
how different Christians view these issues. Sutton then considers several biblical passages relevant to
the topic, and he closes with suggestions for Christians making moral judgments on related issues, such
as same-sex marriage.

We hope the analysis of same-sex marriage provides Christians with an example of how to think about a
topic that often involves arguments presented with strong emotions. First, Christians are encouraged to
understand the biblical texts they are using to support a Christian perspective. Second, readers need to
understand facts about human nature before offering unsupported opinions about sexuality. Third, it is
vital to understand the basis for a particular argument. That is, are Christians providing carefully
reasoned moral arguments consistent with Scripture, or are their reasons more related to emotional
factors, such as those derived from research on the emotion of disgust?

Intercultural Studies in Morality

Paul Lewis, former foreign missionary, presents the moral challenges that arise in crosscultural contexts.
He presents three prominent cultural perspectives on religious experiences and biblical interpretation.
Lewis then makes a case for the need of Christians to be cross-culturally, transculturally, and counter-
culturally aware. Lewis’s offers us an example of thinking clearly about our understanding of morality
when we judge the behavior of other Christians to be immoral. In his presentation, we learn that large
groups of Christians in one nation can have a different view of right conduct than do Christians from
another national culture. Lewis is not arguing for moral relativism, but he does encourage us to think
carefully about the difference between Christian principles and the way those principles are expressed
in different cultures.