Christian moral principles

• what is meant by heteronomous?

  Ethics are governed by several sources of authority or law.

  Heteros = Several

  Numos = Law/rule
• what is meant by theonomous?

  Ethics are governed by Gods law or commands.

  Theos = God

  Numos = Law/rule
• what is meant by autonomous?


  Ethics are self-governed.

  Autos = self

  Numos = Law/rule
• “All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”

  2 Timothy 3:16
• what does st paul and st augustine state?

  All humans are by nature sinful and ignorant

  We are incapable of living good lives based on our own powers of reason.

  The only source we can use to help us live a good life must have been revealed by God.
• what is theonomous ethics?


  The only source for God’s moral commands is the Bible.
• what is biblicism>


  The Bible is the revealed word of God. The writers of the Bible were directly inspired by God.
• how would a theonomous use the bible?

  Bible alone is the source of moral authority because God is its author. He spoke to the prophets and writers, inspiring them to write it. The Bible is infallible and if we have problems with understanding – the problem lies with us and not the text.
• how are moral laws illustrated through stories?

  King David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba in which he not only makes her pregnant but also misuses his kingly powers and causes the death of her husband. This powerfully illustrates what it means, or rather does not mean, to live a moral life.The prophets also focused heavily on examples of social justice and the treatment of the poor providing examples of the proper response to God’s covenant.They provide examples of how to live as a law-abiding, loyal, faithful and honest member of God’s Kingdom.
• how does the new testament illustrate moral laws?

  The New Testament does the same thing especially in the Sermon on the Mount. This provides the focal point of most of Jesus’ moral teachings. In this he teaches that the old laws must be kept alongside keeping an inner law of love, righteousness, peace and faith.
• Christians are to be ‘perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ Matthew 5:48
• ‘If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away’ Matthew 5:29
• what did karl barth argue?

  He gave high status to the Bible as a source of morality but warned against the dangers of literalism because it falsely gives the Bible a divine status which may only be attributed to God. God’s word is a revelation to the world, and God has worked through the different writers over a long period of time. Therefore, the Bible’s words are a witness to the Word, but NOT the word itself.
• what did karl barth say about the bible?

  The Bible should be a supreme source of Christian moral truth but it is NOT the truth.
• what does Christian Theonomous ethics have to take into account?

  the place of human reason to decide

  1.What kind of literature a text belongs to,2.How it fits into the larger biblical themes such as covenant and justice,3.Whether it is symbolic, metaphorical or literal.
• How should we deal with biblical contradictions?

  Some argue that Jesus’ teachings are focused on a future ideal – a perfect Kingdom of God. Meanwhile in this imperfect world war and violence is a necessary evil.

  This works for Biblicists such as Augustine and Martin Luther but it does not work for non Biblicists like Martin Luther King who argued that Christians have a duty to follow the pacifist non-violence biblical vision which is at the heart of Jesus’ teachings of love.
• What is the general outline of Roman Catholic: Heteronomous ethics

  NATURAL LAW: REVELATION AND REASON- ‘LAW WRITTEN ON THEIR HEARTS’ Roman 2:15.
• God as creator gives purpose.

  Our purpose must be good.

  The eternal law/plan of the universe is for us to flourish.
• St Thomas Aquinas  - Natural Law.

  We have an ability to understand and know God’s eternal law through reason.

  The human experience of God’s external law is natural law – Synderesis rule = human flourishing.
• THE MAGISTERIUM

  Morality is informed by wisdom of the Church and practices of its leaders.

  This wisdom is collected together in Papal encyclicals on contemporary moral issues.

  The Magisterium (the teachings of the Church) has authority.
• what is liberation theology?

  1960s onwards

  Places the Bible at the centre of ethics

  Questioned the ‘top down’ structure of the Church.

  Inspired by biblical themes:

  Liberation from Moses escape.

  Jesus’ role as liberator.

  Considered ‘ethics from below’ it focuses on tackling the economic, social and political conditions of those who are marginalised.
• what do the liberation theology argue?

  Argues for a Marxist outlook to economic change. – Good at questioning  who has power and whether they are abusing it.

  However – aspects of the Church are very critical of the movement. 
• what do protestant heteronomous ethics believe?

  Use the Bible, reason, conscience and church tradition.- Some like Hugo Grotius promote Natural Law however most believe that the Bible is the primary source of authority.
• what do Modern Anglicans argue?

  Bible is not a single document but has developed out of the reflections and needs of Christian communities –

  Ethics should continue to develop in the worshipping communities guided by REASON, CONSCIENCE and CHURCH TRADITION.

  Similar to Roman Catholic but without this over arching Magisterium.
• what did Stanley Hauerwas argue?

  ALL CHRISTIANS should follow the moral values provided in the Sermon on the mount because it is an example of the kind of values a Christian must develop in their own community: Christians should adopt the God given virtues provided in the Sermon.
• what did Stanley Hauerwas argue?

  Although these stories/values have meaning outside Christianity they are not the same as the ones Christians understand as expressed in the life and example of Christ and the life of the Church.

  Christian communities should question values  by living and practicing these values in society
• Autonomous Christian ethics and practices


  This view argues that there is no separate Christian ethics but simply ethics as done by those who have Christian beliefs about the world.
• what do autonomous Christian view the bible as?

  its a source of study and inspiration.
• what do autonomous christians follow?

  situation ethics
• Love as the only Christian ethical principle that governs Christian practices

  agape- Love is the MOTIVATING factor which human reason has to decide how best to apply to other moral principles and situations.
• ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love that this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’

  John 15:12-13
• what is agape?


  Sacrificial and generous love for others
• what did hans kung reject?

  Liberal Catholic priest, author, rejects Papal encyclicals as being infallible. Lost his Church licence to teach.
• what did hans kung promote?

  Promotes greater autonomy in ethical decision-making.

  There is nothing in the content of Christian ethics that is unique – all of it can be found elsewhere by any person of good will.

  He promotes the need for what he calls a ‘global ethic’ – which is needed to tackle global environmental issues and save humanity from destroying itself.
• what is global ethics?

  The ‘minimal consensus concerning binding values’  or ‘irrevocable standards’
• why is global ethics a concern?

  the global ethic is a Christian concern because it is motivated by the concept of loving one’s neighbour as someone who was created in the image of God and loving everyone as part of the global community. 
• hangs kung in practice?

  1. Euthanasia is Contrary to official Catholic moral teaching

  2. It is not contrary to the principles of Catholic reasoning and conscience to conclude that keeping someone alive at all costs cannot be morally right. 

  The question of euthanasia is not whether its use is respectful of a person’s life.
• The model of autonomous moral reasoning is that Jesus specifically challenged rule based ethics and encouraged his disciples to make their own judgements and take on personal responsibility for their actions.
• how does protestant ethical autonomy look like?

  Protestants such as a Joseph Fletcher argue that goodness is not revealed by God not is it intrinsic and part of natural law - it is simply a condition of being human. Christianity highlights that goodness is the principle of love (agape).
• what is key for protestant ethical autonomy?

  Agape is absolute – everything else is teleological and fully autonomous – ethics aims to do what is the most loving in a situation