Ethics
Showing 51–100 of 237 results
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Loving Later Life
$22.99Add to cartNobody enjoys growing old. We normally fear our own aging and generally do not love old people — they remind us that death is inescapable, the body frail, and social status transitory. In “Loving Later Life” Frits de Lange shows how an ethics of love can acknowledge and overcome the fear of aging and change our attitude toward the elderly.De Lange reframes the biblical love command this way: We must care for the aging other as we care for our own aging selves. We can encourage positive self-love by embracing life as we age, taking good care of our own aging bodies, staying good friends with ourselves, and valuing the last season of life. When we cultivate this kind of self-love, we are released from our aversion to growing old and set free to care about others who are aging — our parents, our relatives, and others in their final season of life.”
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Together For The Common Good
$44.99Add to cartHow can we work together for the common good today? Thirteen contributors – Christian, Jewish, Muslim, non-religious – discuss the common good from a wide range of viewpoints. How have thinkers like Aristotle and Edmund Burke talked about the common good in the past? Catholic Social Teaching has a lot to say about the common good: what does the common good mean for the world’s great religious traditions today? How can we usefully talk about the common good in a plural society? What responsibility has the state for the common good? Can the market serve the common good? If we care about the common good, what should we think – and do – about immigration, education, the NHS, inequality, and freedom? This book starts from the example of David Sheppard and Derek Worlock, the Anglican Bishop and Roman Catholic Archbishop, who famously worked together for the good of the city of Liverpool in the 1980s. The contributors call for a national conversation about how, despite our differences, we can work together – locally, nationally, internationally – for the common good.
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Environment Economy And Christian Ethics
$39.00Add to cartWhat is to be done about the damaging impact of economic activity on the environment? In recent years, there has been growing debate over this question. This book, by an economist, urges Christians to support strong governmental and intergovernmental action to improve the workings of existing global economic systems so as to provide adequate environmental protection. As such, it draws on the tradition of mainstream environmental economics and on recent developments in “ecological economics.” But it acknowledges that environmental policy raises important ethical and theological issues often briefly or inadequately covered within economic literature: ethically responsible attitudes to uncertainty, inequality within and between generations, the rights of traditional communities, and the obligation to respect nonhuman elements within creation. To such issues, theologians of various persuasions have in the past paid more attention than economists. At the same time, theologians have not always shown awareness of the likely economic consequences of their own proposals. In particular, some have been reluctant to acknowledge the role of market failure in causing environmental problems, while others are too eager to get rid of markets altogether. This book tries to develop sound ethical foundations for environmental policy, while providing concrete perspective on economic realities.
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Preservation And Protest
$49.00Add to cartContents:
Preface
Introduction
Part I: A New Taxonomy Of Nonhuman Theological Ethics
1. Current Taxonomies Of Nonhuman Theological Ethics
2. Three Theological Loci For A New Taxonomy
3. A New Taxonomy
4. Anthropocentric Conservation
5. Cosmocentric Conservation
6. Anthropocentric Transfiguration
Part II: Cosmocentric Transfiguration In The Theologies Of Jurgen Moltmann And Andrew Linzey
7. Moltmann On God, Creation, And The Fall
8. Moltmann On Redemption And Mission
9. Moltmann’s Nonhuman Theological Ethics
10. Linzey On Creation, Fall, And Redemption
11. Linzey On Christ, The Spirit, And Anthropology
12. Linzey’s Cosmocentric Transfiguration
13. Moltmann And Linzey: Comparison And Analysis
Part III: Toward An Eco-Eschatological Ethics Of Preservation And Protest
14. Theological Foundations For Cosmocentric Transfiguration
15. Possible Critiques Of Cosmocentric Transfiguration
16. Cosmocentric Transfiguration: An Eco-Eschatological Ethics Of Preservation And Protest
Conclusion: Cosmocentric Transfiguration As The “Best Of Both Worlds”
Notes
Bibliography
IndexAdditional Info
Preservation and Protest proposes a novel taxonomy of four paradigms of nonhuman theological ethics by exploring the intersection of tensions between value terms and teleological terms. McLaughlin systematically develops the paradigm of cosmocentric transfiguration, arguing that the entire cosmos shares in the eschatological hope of a harmonious participation in God’s triune life. With this paradigm, McLaughlin offers an alternative to anthropocentric and conservationist paradigms within the Christian tradition, an alternative that affirms both scientific claims about natural history and the theological hope for eschatological redemption. -
Introduction To Biblical Ethics (Revised)
$65.00Add to cart34 Chapters
Additional Info
What should we do or not do? What attitudes, behavior and qualities are good? Can we be good without God? What is the highest good, the purpose of human existence? These are the questions the study of ethics seeks to answer. Unlike many approaches to ethics, this book foundationally turns to Scripture, going only as far as Scripture itself goes. The result is an overview of biblical ethics that not only addresses the life of love and wisdom to be lived out by Christians as virtuous individuals, but also as Christians in community, in society and in a world of God’s creation. Key preliminary considerations of love, law, sin and virtue are given their due in this thoroughly revised and updated text. The bulk of the work is then organized around the Ten Commandments and ethical themes springing from them-loving God (commandments 1-4) and loving others (commandments 6-10). This new edition includes added material on ethical alternatives such as relativism, social contract, utilitarianism and evolutionary ethicsthe seven deadly sins as well as the cardinal virtues vs. theological virtuesend-of-life ethics, stem-cell research, animal rights, sexuality, genetics and technology, and other bioethical issues such as plastic surgery and surrogate motherhood technology and its depersonalizing effects as well as helping the poorthe church’s engagement in society and how Christians can make a difference in the media. McQuilkin and Copan stay focused on how we are fulfilling the purposes of God for our lives-a will that is for our good and our well-being. This comprehensive study is the place to begin on the journey of living wisely, faithfully and obediently. -
Way We Work
$12.99Add to cartWhen you’re dragging yourself to work, do you ever get mad at Adam and Eve for making us have to toil for a living? If you’re on the clock, is it ok to mentally clock out – even for a little while?Are these things that really matter when it comes to working ‘as unto the Lord’? While many questions face us as we work each day, perhaps the most important is, ‘What difference does it make in my job if I’m a Christian?’ In The Way We Work, Boone offers much more help than simply saying ‘You need to do yourwork well because you are a Christian.’ The WayWe Work provides a thorough biblical examinationof all our labors exploring:. When work is a pain. Laziness on the job. The blessing of work. Work that will last. And much more.
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Political Vanity : Adam Ferguson On The Moral Tensions Of Early Capitalism
$35.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. Ferguson’s Political Theology
2. The Meaning Of History
3. Action And Human Nature
4. The Peril Of Commercial Society
5. Trappings Of Liberal Democratic CapitalismAdditional Info
Political Vanity aims to illuminate the central debates over the historical, moral, and political legitimacy of market capitalism by engaging central theorists of the Scottish Enlightenment, in particular the philosopher and sociologist Adam Ferguson. Ferguson was a contemporary of philosophers and economists David Hume and Adam Smith, and actively questioned many of the pillars of early capitalism on theological grounds. Namely:* conjectural histories used to justify economic liberalization
* reduction of human action to production and consumption
* the inevitable tendency of capitalist power to undermine political institutions
Ferguson argued that far from equalizing and liberating, the unfettered market left to its own devices takes the form of despot, enslaving civil society in bonds of its own making. His ideas continue to have theological, philosophical, and ethical relevance today.
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Depth Of The Human Person
$48.99Add to cartIlluminating perspectives on personhood from a worldwide array of interdisciplinary scholars
This volume brings together leading theologians, biblical scholars, scientists, philosophers, ethicists, and others to explore the multidimensionality and depth of the human person. Moving away from dualistic (mind-body, spirit-flesh, naturalmental) anthropologies, the book’s contributors examine human personhood in terms of a complex flesh-body-mindheart- soul-conscience-reason-spirit spectrum.
The Depth of the Human Person begins with a provocative essay on the question “Why is personhood conceptually difficult?” It then rises to the challenge of relating theological contributions on the subject to various scientific explorations. Finally, the book turns to contemporary theological-ethical challenges, discussing such subjects as human dignity, embodiment, gender stereotypes, and human personhood at the edges of life.
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Case For Character
$32.00Add to cartContents:
Introduction
1. Virtue Ethics And The Challenge Of Hauerwas
2. Contemporary Lutheran Voices
3. The Lutheran Confessions
4. The Search For A Paradigm-Some Lutheran Efforts
5. A Creedal Framework-A Proposal For The Reclamation Of Ethics Within Lutheranism
6. An Ethic For The Church-The Place Of Character FormationAdditional Info
Over the last several decades, perceptive observers of Western civilization have documented what virtually everyone has perceived: as the old foundations of society have toppled, morality and personal character have been set adrift and often vanished altogether. How can character be cultivated when it seems no one is willing or able to provide a definitive description of character to which humans should aspire?While the reasons for this are many and complicated, one of the more potent singular factors is actually theological, says Biermann. Contemporary Lutheranism, in particular, has struggled with the appropriate place of morality and character formation, as these pursuits often have been perceived as being at odds with the central Christian doctrine of justification.
A Case for Character explores this problem and argues that Christian doctrine, specifically as articulated within a Lutheran framework, is altogether capable of encouraging a robust pursuit of character formation while maintaining a faithful expression of justification by grace alone through faith alone.
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Divine Covenants And Moral Order
$48.99Add to cartThis book addresses the old question of natural law in its interesting contemporary context. David VanDrunen draws on both his Reformed theological heritage and the broader Christian natural law tradition to develop a constructive theology of natural law through a thorough study of Scripture.The biblical covenants organize VanDrunen’s study. Part 1 addresses the covenant of creation and the covenant with Noah, exploring how these covenants provide a foundation for understanding God’s governance of the whole world under the natural law. Part 2 treats the redemptive covenants that God established with such people as Abraham and Moses and explores the obligations of God’s people to natural law within these covenant relationships.In the concluding chapter of Divine Covenants and Moral Order VanDrunen reflects on the need for a solid theology of natural law and the importance of natural law for the Christian’s life in the public square.
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Through My Enemys Eyes
$29.99Add to cartThis book addresses the universal theological dimension of reconciliation in the context of the Israeli Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian divide. Palestinian Christians and Israeli Messianic Jews share a belief in Jesus as the son of God and Messiah. Often, though, that is all they have in common. This remarkable book, written in collaboration by a local Palestinian Christian and an Israeli Messianic Jew, seeks to bridge this gap by addressing head on, divisive theological issues (as well as their political implications) such as land, covenant, prophecy and eschatology which separate their two communities. The struggle for reconciliation is painful and often extremely difficult for all of us. This unique work seeks to show a way forward.
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Is Reality Secular
$27.00Add to cartWhat is the nature of reality? How do we best understand and explain the world around us? What does it mean to be human? And how do we account for ethics and morality? Mary Poplin argues that the ultimate test of a worldview, philosophy or ideology is whether it corresponds with reality. Since different perspectives conflict with each other, how do we make sense of the differences? And if a worldview system accurately reflects reality, what implications does that have for our thinking and living? In this wide-ranging and perceptive study, Poplin examines four major worldviews: naturalism, humanism, pantheism and Judeo-Christian theism. She explores the fundamental assumptions of each, pressing for limitations. Ultimately she puts each perspective to the test, asking, what if this worldview is true? And what does it matter? If reality is secular, that means something for how we orient our lives. But if reality is not best explained by secular perspectives, that would mean something quite different. Consider for yourself what best makes sense of reality.
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Flourishing : Health, Disease, And Bioethics In Theological Perspective
$38.99Add to cartA theologically satisfying discussion of health and disease that addresses key areas neglected by medical ethicists
We use such words as “health,” “disease,” and “illness” all the time without stopping to consider exactly what we understand by them. Yet their meanings are far from straightforward, and disagreements over them have important practical consequences in health care and bioethics.
In this book Neil Messer develops a distinctive and innovative theological account of these concepts. He engages in earnest with debates in the philosophy of medicine and disability studies and draws on a wide array of theological resources including Barth, Bonhoeffer, Aquinas, and recent disability theologies.
By enabling us to understand health in the wider perspective of the flourishing and ultimate destiny of human beings, Messer’s Flourishing sheds new light on a range of practical bioethical issues and dilemmas.
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Wall In Jerusalem
$21.99Add to cartMark Braverman reveals the true nature and shocking consequences of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, explaining why Zionism is not a true Christian response to the conflict and offering clear-cut solutions for peace at home and abroad.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is at the center of a firestorm of political controversy, religious zeal, and bloodshed in the Middle East. Many American Christians feel that they have a biblical obligation to “stand with Israel”–but do we really understand the conflict? And is Zionism really the path to peace?
An American Jew, Mark Braverman was transformed by witnessing firsthand the occupation of Palestine and the devastating consequences of the struggle of Israelis and Palestinians to bring justice to their land. In THE WALL IN JERUSALEM, Braverman:
*Clearly outlines the origins and major tenets of the conflict and of Zionism
*Demonstrates how Christian Zionism conflicts with Christian values of justice and compassion
*Gives Christians biblical and historical basis for supporting both the state of Israel and Palestine
*Offers a clear course of action both at home and abroad to bring peace
Illuminating and provocative, this book will challenge what Christians think they know about Israel and Palestine, and inspire them to help bring God’s peace to the Holy Land.Illuminating and provocative, this book will challenge what Christians think they know about Israel and Palestine, and inspire them to help bring God’s peace to the Holy Land.
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Divine Communion : A Eucharistic Theology Of Sexual Intimacy
$23.95Add to cartFirst text to place sexual ethics in a sacramental/liturgical context
* Designed to meet the General Convention mandate for “theological reflection”
around issues of sexuality and marriage* Appropriate for study regardless of gender or orientation
Before Christian communities try to address sexual ethics, the more fundamental
theological question demands attention: What can sexual intimacy tell us about God?
This book invites reflection on sexual relationships within a broad theological framework
marked by creation, fall, and redemption. These classical hallmarks of Christian faith are
proclaimed and enacted at every liturgical celebration of the Eucharist, which offers a
compelling way to engage the link between sexual intimacy and the longing for God, or
the hoped-for promise of “divine communion.” -
Liberation Theology For Armchair Theologians
$24.00Add to cartIn this helpful addition to the Armchair Theologians series, Miguel A. De La Torre provides a concise overview of the global religious movement known as liberation theology that focuses on defining the major themes of this movement, as well as dispelling some common misconceptions. Liberation theology attempts to reflect upon the divine as understood from the poor, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. The key figures, historical developments, and interfaith manifestations are all explored in this thorough introduction. Expertly written by De La Torre and accompanied by Ron Hill’s illustrations, this book will serve as a primary text for those who may have little knowledge of or have never heard of liberation theology.
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Christian Economic Ethics
$49.00Add to cartWhat does the history of Christian views of economic life mean for economic life in the twenty-first century? Here Daniel Finn reviews the insights provided by a large number of texts, from the Bible and the early church, to the Middle Ages and the Protestant Reformation, to treatments of the subject in the last century. Relying on both social science and theology, Finn then turns to the implications of this history for economic life today. Throughout, the book invites the reader to engage the sources and to develop an answer to the volume’s basic question.
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Virtuous Minds : Intellectual Character Development
$22.00Add to cartAcknowledgements
Foreword, Jason Baehr
Introduction
Part I: The Seven Intellectual Virtues
Intellectual Courage
Intellectual Carefulness
Intellectual Tenacity
Intellectual Fair-mindedness
Intellectual Curiosity
Intellectual Honesty
Intellectual HumilityPart II: The Fruits Of Intellectual Character
The Benefits Of Knowing More About More
The Benefits Of Better Thinking
Loving God
Loving Your NeighbourPart III: Becoming People Of Intellectual Character Developing
Virtuous Intellectual Character In Yourself
Seven Suggestions For Parents And Educators
ConclusionPart IV: Discussion Guide & Appendices
A Discussion Guide For University And Church Groups
Appendices A-IAdditional Info
What does it mean to love God with all of our minds? Our culture today is in a state of crisis where intellectual virtue is concerned. Dishonesty, cheating, arrogance, laziness, cowardice–such vices are rampant in society, even among the worlds most prominent leaders. We find ourselves in an ethical vacuum, as the daily headlines of our newspapers confirm again and again. Central to the problem is the state of education. We live in a technological world that has ever greater access to new information and yet no idea what to do with it all. In this wise and winsome book, Philip Dow presents a case for the recovery of intellectual character. He explores seven key virtues–courage, carefulness, tenacity, fair-mindedness, curiosity, honesty and humility–and discusses their many benefits. The recovery of virtue, Dow argues, is not about doing the right things, but about becoming the right kind of person. The formation of intellectual character produces a way of life that demonstrates love for both God and neighbor. Dow has written an eminently practical guide to a life of intellectual virtue designed especially for parents and educators. The book concludes with seven principles for a true education, a discussion guide for university and church groups, and nine appendices that provide examples from Dows experience as a teacher and administrator. Virtuous Minds is a timely and thoughtful work for parents and pastors, teachers and students–anyone who thinks education is more about the quality of character than about the quantity of facts. -
Christian Counseling Ethics (Revised)
$50.00Add to cart1. Embracing Our Ethical Mandate
2. Psychotherapy & Christian EthicsPart 1: The Christian Practitioner
3. Essential Elements For Ethical Counsel
4. Qualifications Of The Christian Mental Health Professional
5. Pastors Who Counsel
6. Sexual Misconduct & The Abuse Of PowerPart 2: Issues In Counseling Ethics
7. Christian Responses To The Unethical Healer
8. Ethics In Marital Therapy & Premarital Counseling
9. The Homosexual Client
10. The Child Client
11. Clients With Chronic Conditions
12. DeprogrammingPart 3: Counseling Contexts
13. Business Ethics In Mental Health Service
14. Lay Counselor Training
15. Ethical Issues In Special Settings
16. Forensic PsychologyPart 4: Current Trends In Ethics Education
17. Training Programs
18. A Model For Ethical Decision-Making
19. Christian Codes: Are They Better?Appendix A: The Ethical Behavior Of Christian Therapists
Appendix B: Ethical Codes & Guidelines
Appendix C: Sample Consent Forms
Contributors
IndexAdditional Info
A client raises spiritual questions. Can a Christian therapist working in a government agency talk with a client about faith? A young couple with two children asks a Christian counselor to help them negotiate an end to their marriage. What responsibility does the counselor have to try to repair the relationship? A youth group member confidentially reveals to the pastor that he is taking drugs. Should the pastor tell the boy’s parents? A counselor who teaches a college course has a client show up for class. What should she do? These are just a few of the complex dilemmas that therapists, counselors and pastors face nearly every day. Handling these situations appropriately is critical for both the client’s progress and the professional’s personal credibility and protection from liability. State and federal codes, professional association statements and denominational guidelines have been drawn up to address ethical issues like competence, confidentiality, multiple relationships, public statements, third parties and documentation. In this book you’ll find them all compiled and interpreted in light of Christian faith and practice. Written by qualified professional counselors and respected academic instructors, this book is an indispensable resource for understanding and applying ethics in Christian counseling today. -
Comparative Religious Ethics
$49.00Add to cart1. Ethics And Spirituality In Religion
2. Religions On Food, Fasting, And Feasting
3. Religions On Making Work Human
4. Religions On Body Covering, Appearance, And Identity
5. Religions On Sexuality And Marriage
6. Religions On Making And Keeping Families
7. Religions On Anger And Violence
8. Religions On Charity And BeggarsAdditional Info
The study of comparative religious ethics is at a critical juncture, given the growing awareness of non-Christian ethical beliefs and practices and their bearing on social change. Christine Gudorf is at the forefront of rendering comparative-and competing-religious beliefs meaningful for students, especially in the area of ethics.Unlike other texts, Gudorf’s work focuses on common, everyday issues-including food and diet, work, sex and marriage, proper dress, anger and violence, charity, family, and infirmity and the elderly-while drawing out ethical implications of each and demonstrating how different religious traditions prescribe rules for action. An introductory chapter reviews standard ethical theory and core elements of comparative religious analysis. Each chapter opens with a riveting real-life case and shows how religious ethics can shed light on how to handle the larger issues, without determining for the reader what a proper ethical response might be.
Helpful pedagogy, including summaries, questions, and list of readings, along with special chapter features, charts and photographs and a glossary, combine to make this new text most suitable for the wide array of courses in comparative religious ethics.
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Ethics : A Liberative Approach
$39.00Add to cart12 Chapters
Additional Info
This survey text for religious ethics and theological ethics courses explores how ethical concepts defined as liberationist, which initially was a Latin American Catholic phenomenon, is presently manifest around the globe and within the United States across different racial, ethnic, and gender groups. Authored by several contributors, this book elucidates how the powerless and disenfranchised within marginalized communities employ their religious beliefs to articulate a liberationist/liberative religious ethical perspective. Students will thus comprehend the diversity existing within the liberative ethical discourse and know which scholars and texts to read and will encounter practical ways to further social justice. -
Ethics Matters
$20.99Add to cartEthics Matters introduces students and general readers to the business of making moral decisions, engaging them in meaningful dialogue and inspiring them to find out more. Beginning with a discussion of the question of truth in Ethics, Peter and Charlotte Vardy outline and evaluate major approaches to doing ethics from Natural Law and Virtue Ethics to Situation Ethics and Postmodernism, considering how these might inform decision making in today’s world.
Ethics Matters places the latest scholarship in context, clarifying how it relates to today’s biggest challenges, without in any sense ‘dumbing down’. The style is engaging and accessible; good use is made of examples from film, literature and current affairs to shine a light on the fundamental philosophic questions which underpin practical dilemmas.
A new web site, www.what-matters.org provides recommendations for further reading, a rich anthology of primary texts, questions for discussion and related activities.
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Moral Disciple : An Introduction To Christian Ethics
$21.99Add to cartThe ability to judge good from bad, right from wrong, is a uniquely human characteristic. However, given the complexity of life, it is often difficult to discern which choice to make, where our responsibilities lie, or what the consequences of an action (or of a nonaction) will be. In The Moral Disciple Kent Van Til surveys the skills and dispositions that we need to address moral issues responsibly. This basic introduction to Christian ethics – the systematic evaluation of morality – highlights the centrality of Christ and the Christian faith in moral formation, and it offers an ethical framework to guide Christians as they engage a host of moral dilemmas, including those surrounding wealth, sexuality, and the end of life. Using easy-to-read prose and defining terms carefully, Van Til provides an accessible introduction to this crucial and practical subject.
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Early Church On Killing
$31.00Add to cartWhat did the early church believe about killing? What was its view on abortion? How did it approach capital punishment and war? Noted theologian and bestselling author Ron Sider lets the testimony of the early church speak in the first of a three-volume series on biblical peacemaking.
This book provides in English translation all extant data directly relevant to the witness of the early church until Constantine on killing. Primarily, it draws data from early church writings, but other evidence, such as archaeological finds and Roman writings, is included.
Sider taps into current evangelical interest in how the early church informs contemporary life while presenting a thorough, comprehensive treatment on topics of perennial concern. The book includes brief introductions to every Christian writer cited and explanatory notes on many specific texts.
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Ethics In The New Testament
$25.00Add to cartThis book puts forward a controversial argument which has not been countered in the decade since it first appeared. Underlying its approach la the view that the New Testament may be of less relevance to the modem world than is commonly supposed. The ethical perspective of Jesus, Professor Sanders argues, is so Inescapably linked to his expectation of the imminent coming of the kingdom of God that the two cannot be separated. Paul shares Jesus’ expectation of an imminent end, and consequently makes frequent use of arbitrary divine pronouncements, and so on. Professor Sanders makes it quite clear that the years have not made him change his mind over essentials. Of course, scholarship has moved on. but, ‘If I were revising the present work I would still continue to hold that Jesus provides no guide for ethics today, that Paul’s ethics are equally eschatotogically orientated, except for his brief glimpse of the transcendence of love; and also that John’s simple ethics are intended to be valid only in the church, not generally. I would also still maintain that James offers more promise for providing a continuing Christian ethical base than do the other New Testament writers, for it is James who best points beyond the disappointment of eschatological hopes to the real world and to everyday problems.’ Controversial this thesis may be, but there is much to be said for it and it cannot be pushed aside. Jack T. Sanders was Professor of Religious Studies In the University of Oregon,
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6 Deadly Sins Of Preaching
$17.99Add to cartThis ethics of preaching text identifies vices of irresponsible preaching practices. Preachers who fail to develop deep respect for their listeners or drift into a lack faithfulness to the Gospel can end up becoming:
* The Pretender (The Problem of In-authenticity)
* The Egoist (The Problem of Self-absorption)
* The Manipulator (The Problem of Greediness)
* The Panderer (The Problem of Trendiness)
* The Crusader (The Problem of Exploitation)
* The Demagogue (The Problem of Self-righteousness)Just as the church historically derived its Seven Holy Virtues (chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, & humility) by naming Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, & pride), Reid and Hogan call preachers to turn away from pulpit vices and strive to realize the homiletic virtues of becoming:
* Authentic (The Call to Be Genuine)
* Altruistic (The Call to Be Selfless)
* Careful (The Call to Exercise Self-Control)
* Passionate (The Call to Be Honest to God)
* Courteous (The Call to Woo a Reasoned Reception)
* A ‘Namer’ of God (The Call to Reveal an Ineffable God)The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching explores the difference between the irresponsible practices, unfortunate missteps, and mere unthinking mistakes in preaching. A chapter is devoted to Preaching Missteps (problems that do not rise to the level of being irresponsible) that includes:
* Short Changing the Process
* Waving a Red Flag
* Thou Shall Not Bore the Congregation
* Through the Looking Glass Darkly
* The Mumbler
* TMI-Too Much Information
* Your Cup Do Runneth Over
* Where’s This Sermon Going, Anyway? -
On Moral Medicine
$133.99Add to cartIn print for more than two decades, On Moral Medicine remains the definitive anthology for Christian theological reflection on medical ethics. This third edition updates and expands the earlier award-winning volumes, providing classrooms and individuals alike with one of the finest available resources for ethics-engaged modern medicine.
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Friends Of The Law
$41.99Add to cartCharges of forgery, heresy, legalism, and immorality turn on the question of whether Martin Luther taught a third use of the Law for the Christian life. For the past sixty years, well-meaning scholars believed they settled the question-with dire consequences.
Friends of the Law sets forth a completely new body of evidence that shows how little Luther’s teaching was understood. This new book looks at the doctrine of the Law and invites a new consensus that could change the way Christians view the Reformation and even their daily walk with God.
Contains
*data tables
*translations of passages not available in English
*appendices
*bibliography on Law and Gospel -
Old Testament Ethics For The People Of God
$45.00Add to cartOld Testament ethics are often confusing to Christians. Some struggle to understand how it is that they must obey its moral laws but may disregard its ceremonial and civil laws. Others struggle with what they perceive to be contradictions. Others abandon its teaching altogether in favor of a strictly New Testament ethic. None of these, argues Chris Wright, gives the Old Testament its proper due.
Old Testament Ethics for the people of God addresses these issues and in doing so provides an innovative but faithful approach to Old Testament ethics. First appearing in 1983, it has been fully revised fully revised and now includes material from Walking in the Ways of the Lord. Wright examines the theological, social, and economic framework for Old Testament ethics by exploring a variety of themes in relation to contemporary issues such as economics, the land, the poor, politics, law and justice, society and culture, and individual morality.
*This fresh, illuminating study provides a clear basis for a biblical ethic that is faithful to the God of both Testaments.
*A theological, social and economic framework for exploring Old Testament ethics
*Provides the basis for an ethic faithful to both Old and New Testaments
*Thoroughly revised
*Expanded with 100 more pages!
*Updated to include more consideration of contemporary issues: ecology, poverty, hermeneutics -
Introduction To Christian Ethics
$34.99Add to cartA few years ago, the first distinction that ethicists drew was the line between Christian ethics and philosophical ethics. However, in our global context, Christian ethicists must now, in addition, compare and contrast various ethics. Christian ethics has become increasingly multivocal not only because of a plurality of faiths but also because of a plurality of Christianities.
In light of these new realities, this book will introduce Christian ethics. It will lay out history, methods, and basic principles every student must know. The author also will include case studies for further explanation and application.
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Addiction And Virtue
$35.00Add to cartPreface
1. Addiction And Disease
2. Addiction And Incontinence
3. Addiction And Habit
4. Addiction And Intemperance
5. Addiction And Modernity
6. Addiction And Sin
7. Addiction And Worship
8. Addiction And The ChurchAdditional Info
What is the nature of addiction? Neither of the two dominant models (disease or choice) adequately accounts for the experience of those who are addicted or of those who are seeking to help them. In this interdisciplinary work, Kent Dunnington brings the neglected resources of philosophical and theological analysis to bear on the problem of addiction. Drawing on the insights of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, he formulates an alternative to the usual reductionistic models. Going further, Dunnington maintains that addiction is not just a problem facing individuals. Its pervasiveness sheds prophetic light on our cultural moment. Moving beyond issues of individual treatment, this groundbreaking study also outlines significant implications for ministry within the local church context. -
Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics (Expanded)
$26.00Add to cartPreface And Acknowledgments
1. Bumper Stickers And Ethical Systems
2. When In Rome, Do As The Romans Do: Cultural Relativism
3. Look Out For Number One: Ethical Egoism
4. I Couldn’t Help Myself: Behaviorism
5. Survival Of The (Ethical) Fittest: Evolutionary Ethics
6. The Greatest Happiness: Utilitarianism
7. It’s Your Duty: Kantian Ethics
8. Be Good: Virtue Ethics
9. The Moral Of The Story Is . . . : Narrative Ethics
10. All You Need Is Love: Situation Ethics
11. Doing What Comes Naturally: Natural Law Ethics
12. God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It: Divine Command Theory
13. Unraveling The Options
NotesAdditional Info
Ideas have consequences. And sometimes those ideas can be squeezed in to slogans, slapped on bumper stickers and tweeted into cyberspace. These compact messages coming at us from all directions often compress in a few words entire ethical systems. It turns out that there’s a lot more to the ideas behind these slogans–ideas that need to be sorted out before we make important moral decisions as individuals or as societies.In this revised and expanded edition of Steve Wilkens’s widely-used text, the author has updated his introductions to basic ethical systems:
cultural relativism
ethical egoism
utilitarianism
behaviorism
situation ethics
Kantian ethics
virtue ethics
natural law ethics
divine command theoryHe has also added two new chapters:
evolutionary ethics
narrative ethicsWith clarity and wit Wilkens unpacks the complicated ideas behind the slogans and offers Christian evaluations of each.
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Theological Ethics
$44.99Add to cart“The SCM Core Text “”Theological Ethics”” is intended for those studying Christian ethics at upper undergraduate level. The book offers a discussion of Christian moral thought in a variety of key areas. Many discussions of ethics start by considering particular issues. By contrast, this book gives a presentation of the patterns and traditions of thought that lie behind some of these discussions, in the hope that this will enable particular issues to be fully understood. The book begins by asking ‘What is Theological Ethics?’ and proceeds to introducing different approaches to Ethics, Ethics in the Catholic and Protestant traditions and subjects such as Sin, Grace and Free Will (Augustine), Natural Law and the Human Good (Thomas Aquinas), Virtue, Conscience and Love. Everyone studying theology, whether in a ministerial or a university context, has to study Ethics and this is an accessible and student-friendly textbook on the subject.”
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Slavery As Moral Problem
$14.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. Jesus And Slavery
2. The First Christian Slaveholders
3. Slaves In The Household Of God
4. Slavery In A Christian EmpireEpilogue
Further Reading
NotesAdditional Info
Recent US and UN reports document the startling incidence of human trafficking in the world today. Yet the situation is hardly new.The fact that some early Christians were slaves does not present a moral problem for Christians today. The fact that some early Christians were slaveholders does. Jennifer Glancy tackles questions that continue to haunt contemporary men and women, inside and outside of the churches: Why didn’t Jesus speak out forcefully against slavery? Why didn’t the early church see slavery as fundamentally incompatible with the gospel? Were there any bright moments when some Christians in fact drew that conclusion, and why don’t we know more about them? Why didn’t Christianity have more of an impact on slaveholding in the Roman Empire? And what lessons can we learn as we face moral catastrophes in our own day?
Though chapters discuss slavery in the first centuries of the church, Glancy’s focus is on the question of moral imagination: What does it take for people to take a clear stand against entrenched and accepted wrong? In an age when debt bondage, child labor, sex slavery, and human trafficking are increasing and increasingly integrated into economic globalization, what should our response be? And do early Christian writings provide any help at all?
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Bible In Politics (Revised)
$35.00Add to cartThis second edition of Bauckham’s wonderful work is essential reading for understanding the relationship between the Bible and politics. The enduring value of The Bible in Politics is that it teaches the reader how to read the Bible politically and to gain an understanding of the social relevance of the Bible that is more disciplined, more informed, more imaginative, and more politically fruitful than many interpreters–past and present–have achieved.
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Demanding Our Attention
$33.99Add to cartEthical lessons drawn from a challenging ancient narrative
What can we possibly learn about our relationships to others from reading a story about an ancient father who raised a knife to slaughter his beloved only son?
Contemporary Christian ethicists, faced with such dilemmas, are often tempted to treat the Hebrew Bible in a limited, distanced, and even dismissive way. Yet Emily Arndt here argues that those ancient scriptures can be a vital resource for Christian ethical studies. She focuses on a close analysis of the akedah – the story of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac – to demonstrate the power of even the most troubling and uncomfortable Old Testament narratives to teach valuable lessons and develop in us the disposition and skills we need to relate authentically and ethically to others.
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Nature And Altering It
$21.99Add to cartIt is true – and troubling – that we humans are increasingly able to control and manipulate nature in many ways. In this book ethicist Allen Verhey addresses that reality and shows why we need to bring a fresh Christian voice into today’s ecological debate.
Verhey identifies and describes the significant cultural “myths” or “narratives” that have shaped Western perspectives on nature and on altering it. In the biblical narrative he finds an alternative story that challenges the dominant myths of Western culture. Acknowledging that Christian Scripture has often been accused of nurturing arrogance toward nature, Verhey looks anew at the biblical narrative in a way that moves beyond those accusations.
The genius of this little book is how it deftly unpacks underlying human narratives and shows the relevance of the Christian narrative for contemporary ecological ethics.
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Changing Human Nature
$29.99Add to cartHow would God have us respond to the brave new world of genetic engineering? In Changing Human Nature James Peterson offers an informed Christian defense of genetic intervention.
Given that the material world and human beings are constantly changing, says Peterson, the question is not if there will be change but whether we will be conscious and conscientious about its direction. Part of our God-given calling, he maintains, is to positively shape our environment and ourselves, including our genes.
While carefully addressing legitimate religious concerns, Peterson’s theologically grounded yet jargon-free discussion puts forth clear and specific guidelines for proper genetic intervention. Distinctive for its integrated, nuanced approach, Changing Human Nature will fill the need for a thoughtful, positive Christian perspective on this timely topic.
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Sexuality And The Sacred (Expanded)
$55.00Add to cartChristian discourse on sexuality, spirituality, and ethics has continued to evolve since this book’s first edition was published in 1994. This updated and expanded anthology featuring more than thirty contemporary essays includes more theologians and ethicists of color and addresses issues such as the intersection of race/racism and sexuality, transgender identity, same-sex marriage, and reproductive health and justice.
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Life Indeed Yes
$22.99Add to cartThe nativity story as told by the angel Gabriel gives the prophetic account of the life and ministry of Jesus before His birth. It came to bring fulfillment the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah rendered 750 years earlier.
The story has a very strident anti-abortion message since at the time of the annunciation Mary had not yet said yes to the angel Gabriel and God. All the events in the life of Jesus were already spelled out and so it was for John the Baptist, Jeremiah and for all of us.
It is from that encounter and other texts, we know that life begins when God speaks it forth because His Word is spirit and life and not the prerogative of anyone not the least the Pro-lifers or those of Pro-choice.
This work looks at the politics of choice; discuses when life begins and chronicles the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, in 1973 that ushered in the current law of the land, which has led to the legalization of abortion as the law of the land in America.
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Commanding Grace : Studies In Karl Barths Ethics
$33.99Add to cartIn this seminal volume, contemporary theologians revisit the theological ethics of Karl Barth as it bears on such topics as the moral significance of Jesus Christ, the Christian as ethical agent, the just war theory, the relationship between doctrines of the atonement and modern penal justice systems, the virtues and limits of democracy, and the difference between an economy of competition and possession and an economy of grace.
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Matrix Of Christian Ethics
$32.00Add to cartIn today’s world, many Christians don’t know how to live ethically, let alone know what ethics is. Christian ethics probes our deepest sensibilities as humans and how we seek the good for others as well as for ourselves as followers of Christ. This book begins to delve into this relevant and contemporary subject through methodological reflection on the commands, purposes, values, and virtues of Christian life in today’s context.
To address these factors, an integrative approach to ethics is proposed, borrowing from classical ethical models such as consequential ethics, principle ethics, virtue ethics, and value ethics. This is what the authors call a matrix of Christian ethics. This matrix will be played out in a variety of ways throughout the book, from the discussion of the postmodern situation of ethics and values to current proposals for the ongoing development of Christian ethics today. It concludes with some practically oriented guidelines to help the reader consider contemporary ethical questions and conflicts within a framework of biblical wisdom, in view of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of followers of Christ.
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Paradox Of Disability
$24.99Add to cartThe village of Trosly-Breuil in northern France is home to one of the world’s thirty-four L’Arche communities, where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together. In 2007 an impressive assortment of social scientists and theologians gathered there to offer responses to a question posed by the worldwide community’s cofounder, Jean Vanier: “What have people with disabilities taught me?” Their answers are here presented in a diverse collection of essays.
Editor Hans Reinders emphasizes that these analyses and reflections – like the L’Arche communities that inspired them – are not meant to set apart those with disabilities. Rather, they encourage people of all abilities humbly to acknowledge that to be human is to live with brokenness and limitation – and that to experience true community we must first learn to receive other people as God’s gift.
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1 Mans Thougths
$13.49Add to cartHave you ever wondered what happened to the African American society, why are we so different from long ago and then again why haven’t we changed.
One Man’s Thoughts is a thought provoking piece that reflect the thoughts of one Black man whose words of inspiration and encouragement may very well be just what the African American society needs to read.
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Christology And Ethics
$31.99Add to cartThis book brings together leading theologians and ethicists to explore the neglected relationship between Christology and ethics. The contributors to this volume work to overcome the tendency toward disciplinary xenophobia, considering such questions as these:
What is the relation between faithful teaching about the reality of Christ and teaching faithfulness to the way of Christ?
How is christological doctrine related to theological judgments about normative human agency?
With renewed attention and creative reformulation, they argue, we can discover fresh ways of tending to these perennial questions. -
Better Life : A Need To Know
$22.99Add to cartAnyone who wants to have loving and fulfilling relationships can learn some key principles by reading this book. Relationships can become anything you desire. Your thoughts, actions, and words will affect those around you. This can be for the positive or the negative. We all have a choice. Gain insight into these key factors and enjoy your future relationships.
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Georgia Harkness : The Remaking Of A Liberal Theologian
$40.00Add to cartGeorgia Harkness (1891-1974) was a Methodist theologian and the first American woman to teach theology at the seminary level. A leader in the ecumenical movement, Harkness strove to make theology accessible to the laity.
This book is a compilation of writing from early in her career that appeared in publications such as The Christian Century, Religion in Life, and Christendom. Although her theology shifted somewhat during these years, Harkness held fast to her belief that liberal theology would remain “the basic American theology,” a prediction that was out of step in the 1930s but is growing more credible today. -
Natural Law And The Two Kingdoms
$44.99Add to cartConventional wisdom holds that the theology and social ethics of the Reformed tradition stand at odds with concepts of natural law and the two kingdoms. This volume challenges that conventional wisdom through a study of Reformed social thought from the Reformation to the present.
David VanDrunen begins by exploring the early development of Reformed thought in its first few centuries on the continent, in Britain, and in America. He argues that natural law and the two kingdoms were common themes in this early theology. In fact, he says, these ideas were embedded in crucial anthropological, christological, and ecclesiological doctrines, shaping convictions about the state, civil rebellion, and the role of the church in broader social life.VanDrunen then turns to more recent thinkers of the Reformed tradition – Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, Herman Dooyeweerd, and Cornelius Van Til – tracing how each contributed in his own way to the decline of these doctrines in Reformed theology and social ethics. Finally, he reflects on recent signs of renewed interest in natural law and the two kingdoms, suggesting how their recovery is a hopeful sign for the Reformed tradition.
“The strength of this book is the overwhelming amount of historical evidence, judiciously analyzed and assessed, that positions the Reformed tradition clearly in the natural law, two kingdoms camp. This valuable contribution to our understanding of the Christian life cannot and should not be ignored or overlooked. The growing acceptance of the social gospel among evangelicals puts us in jeopardy of losing the gospel itself; the hostility to natural law and concomitant love affair with messianic ethics opens us up to tyranny. This is a much needed and indispensable ally in the battle for the life of the Christian community in North America.” / – John Bolt / Calvin Theological Seminary
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Climate Justice : Ethics Energy And Public Policy
$20.00Add to cartEnergy issues and climate change have loomed up from issues at the horizon to confront humanity directly and vitally. They are now pressing public-policy challenges of monumental scale and import. James Martin-Schramm draws on decades of involvement with ethics, public policy, and environmental ethics to provide this lucid and astute analysis of the problems and options for addressing energy and climate change.
Schramm argues that reliance on fossil fuels has produced grave threats to justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. Addressing these threats requires of Christians not simply new individual sensitivities and sacrifices but a new way of living in harmony with the earth and an earnest search for policy that fosters sustainability, reflects values of equity and fairness, and operates on a scale commensurate with the problems. Martin-Schramm proposes a full analysis of the problems and causes of our situation and real principles for an ethic of ecojustice. He also provides specific assessment of norms, policy options, and recommendations in the areas of energy and climate change and a glimpse of what a workable alternative might look like, globally and locally.