DESCRIPTION:

A systematic and comparative analysis of essential ingredients in an ethical method adequate for developing Christian character and grappling with concrete issues. An analytical model of essential ingredients will be used to compare representative methods in Christian ethics.

Authentic Christian ministry helps persons become faithful disciples, which requires growing character and calling forth faithful deeds or practices. But persons and practices are shaped powerfully by perceptions, loyalties, beliefs, and styles of reasoning that we are often unaware of. The seminar identifies key variables that shape our ethics, and compares how they interact.

Seminar discussions, in which we help each other map different methods in Christian ethics as they relate to a concrete issue. The seminar will meet Monday evenings for three-hour sessions. Please note: the course will not meet January 20 (Martin Luther King Day), but will meet on February 17 (Presidents' Day).

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Ethics. Macmillan.

Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Love Your Enemies. Augsburg/Fortress.

Harrison, Beverly. Making the Connections. Beacon.

Hauerwas, Stanley. Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped and the Church. University of Notre Dame Press, 1986. OR

_________. A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic. University of Notre Dame Press, 1981.

Lebacqz, Karen. Six Theories of Justice. Augsburg/Fortress.

McClendon, James. Ethics: Systematic Theology, Vol. I. Abingdon.

Mouw, Richard. The God Who Commands. University of Notre Dame.

Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture. Harper and Row.

Smedes, Lewis. Mere Morality. Eerdmans.

Stassen, Glen. "Critical Variables in Christian Ethics," photocopied from Paul Simmons, ed. Issues in Christian Ethics. Broadman.

Yoder, John Howard. The Priestly Kingdom. University of Notre Dame Press.

Class reader.

Read the Niebuhr and Stassen readings prior to the first session. Attend all seminar sessions prepared to analyze the readings of the day. Choose a concrete ethical issue; write a paper comparing two or more ethical arguments on the issue and seeking to develop your own method. Reduced assignment to be negotiated for 500 level students.

One prior course in Christian ethics and one in theology, and written permission of instructor.

Elective.

None. At the time of the exam, we shall meet to discuss students' papers.