no easy answers

Making good decisions in an anything goes world

Patricia L. Nederveld | Bob Rozema | Daniel R. Vanderark

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no easy answers
Making good decisions in an anything goes world

Patricia L. Nederveld | Bob Rozema | Daniel R. Vanderark

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Cover art: iStockphoto

We are grateful to Dan VanderArk for writing the case studies for this course. Dan is
a former high school principal and retired director of Christian Schools International,
Grand Rapids, Michigan. We also thank Bob Rozema for writing this leader’s guide.
Bob is a (mostly) retired editor for Faith Alive; he lives in Spring Lake, Michigan.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in this publication are from the HOLY
BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,
Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations from The Message copyright © 1973, 1994, 1995, used by
permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

No Easy Answers: Making Good Decisions in an Anything-Goes World. Online church

school material for high school students, © 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Faith Alive
Christian Resources, 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560. All rights
reserved.

We welcome your comments. Call us at 1-800-333-8300 or email us at editors@

faithaliveresources.org.

ISBN 978-1-59255-470-6
contents

How to Use This Course. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Tips on Teaching Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Session 1 The Way We Decide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Session 2 The Ought of Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Session 3 The First Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Session 4 The Second Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Session 5 The Third Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Session 6 The Fourth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Session 7 The Fifth Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Session 8 The Sixth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Session 9 The Seventh Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Session 10 The Eighth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Session 11 The Ninth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Session 12 The Tenth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Session 13 Pressing on Toward the Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

how to use this course

Welcome to No Easy Answers: Making Good Decisions in an Anything-Goes World. This

revised, online edition includes new case studies. If this brief overview doesn’t answer
all your questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-333-8300 or email us at
[email protected].

No Easy Answers is a practical, hands-on course on how to make Christian moral

decisions. Aimed at high school students, especially juniors and seniors and recent
graduates, No Easy Answers features the use of case studies—true accounts of persons
who have struggled with some kind of moral dilemma or problem. Such cases are
effective because they involve students in interesting real-life issues, allow freedom of
expression, and require supporting opinion with facts from the case and principles from
God’s Word.

In this course, you’ll be teaching your students how to make moral choices according
to Christian ethical principles in concrete life situations. You’ll be helping them to form
for themselves a Christian pattern of moral living, making decisions, and taking actions
that seek the glory of God, the good of neighbors, and personal well-being. These are
ambitious and absolutely crucial goals, especially in the “anything goes” world teens
encounter every day—in the sitcoms and movies they view, in the music they listen to,
on the Web, among their classmates, on the job, and just about everywhere else.

In such a world, your teens need all the help they can get in making good choices and
living as followers of Jesus Christ. This course aims to get them started on the road to
making sound, Christian choices.

Organization
Two introductory sessions are followed by ten others that are modeled after the
Ten Commandments—the basic, biblical imperatives that express God’s will for our
moral choices and actions. When seen in the light of Christ’s fulfillment and obeyed
in the freedom of the Spirit, these commandments become a useful catalog of basic
ethical principles.

A concluding session encourages students to practice the ethical principles they’ve

been studying. Leaders who want to stretch the course to more than thirteen sessions
may use some of the alternate case studies provided for each commandment (in
addition to the main case for each commandment).

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Student Materials
For sessions 3-12 on the Ten Commandments, you’ll need to print out either the main
case or the alternate case or an archived case for each session. Use the alternate
case or an archived case if you prefer it to the main case or if you wish to expand the
course to more than thirteen sessions.

It may seem obvious, but be sure to give students only one case study at a time.
This prevents students from reading ahead, which robs the cases of their freshness
and effectiveness.

Actual outcomes of each case are provided in this leader’s guide and are meant to be
shared with students only after the case has been thoroughly discussed.

Included with the cases are a number of archived cases retained from previous editions
of this course to give you still more choice in selecting a case. Directions for using these
cases are included with the case itself, not in this leader’s guide (see archived cases file).

In addition to the case studies, students will use resource pages that you will need to
print out for each session. These include a variety of resources you’ll need to teach the
sessions, including Bible passages, excerpts from the Heidelberg Catechism, and more.

Leader Materials
This leader’s guide gives you detailed suggestions for teaching each session. Each
session features

JJ Focus: Briefly describes the main idea or theme of the session.

JJ Scripture: Lists the passages used in the session.
JJ Goals: Summarizes what you and the students want to accomplish in the session.
JJ Background: Provides helpful insights into the content of the session. Written by
the late Harvey A. Smit, these backgrounds have been updated with references to
the cases and with other material written by Dr. Smit.
JJ Session at a Glance: Outlines each step of the session, the materials you’ll need, and
the approximate time each step requires (sessions are designed for 50-60 minutes).
JJ Leading the Session: Gives detailed directions for each step, including (for
sessions 3-12) directions for teaching both the main case and the alternate case.
Includes a number of options, activity adaptations, and tips.

We encourage you to modify the suggestions for leading the sessions to suit your own
time frame, teaching style, and the needs of your students.

In addition to the leader’s guide and case studies, you’ll need Bibles, newsprint
(preferably with an easel), markers, and notecards. Check the materials section for
occasional additions to this list.

Feedback
Your comments on these sessions and case studies are always welcome. Call us at
1-800-333-8300 or e-mail us at [email protected].

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tips on teaching cases

Case studies are a great way to learn, as your students will soon discover. But it can
take a little practice to get used to this method. Since many of the cases do not have a
definite right or wrong answer, your role will be mainly that of helping students examine
the question or issue.

What Are Case Studies?

Case studies are true accounts of persons who have struggled with some kind of moral
dilemma or problem. Cases always call for a decision (from the students) that will end
the dilemma or resolve the problem. For example, a Christian must decide if, in good
conscience, she may participate in a non-Christian religious ritual. A teen must decide
what to do with damaging information she has about a popular praise team leader.
A young man must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of working on Sunday.
A governor must decide whether or not to pardon a prisoner on death row who has
become a Christian. A young office assistant must decide whether to blow the whistle
on a principal’s illegal activities. All these cases involve a problem that Christians could
resolve in different ways.

You will notice that some of the case studies have a stronger dilemma or problem
than others. A few cases have a clear moral “ought”—we call these “teaching cases”
because, while the solution may be more obvious than in other cases, they are
nevertheless useful for teaching an important issue. For example, in the case “Looking
Buff,” a young woman is tempted to take steroids; few will argue that she should, but
talking about the case and its outcome will help students understand the consequences
of yielding to this increasingly common temptation. Also be aware that while the solution
of such cases may be very apparent to you, it may be less obvious to some of your
students.

In this course, all the case studies (except for the case “Stop or Not” found on the
resource page for session 1) are true. We have found from experience that these cases
have a down-to-earth realism that appeals to students far more than fictional cases.
After exploring a case, students decide what should be done to resolve the dilemma.
Once they’ve decided that, you can tell them what actually was done to resolve the
dilemma, for better or for worse.

6
Practical Tips
JJ Be a good listener. Case studies demand that you do more listening than talking. Try
not to be intimidated by times of silence. Any discomfort will wear off when students
realize you care enough about their responses to give them time to think.

JJ Encourage students to think through a case before jumping to a solution. The

approaches in this course will help students look at biblical evidence and con­se­
quences before they suggest a solution.

JJ Wait until students have thoroughly discussed a case before revealing how the case
actually turned out and before giving your own opinion. If and when you do offer
your opinion, present it as an option you believe is in keeping with God’s Word, not
as the only right answer to the dilemma.

JJ Ask questions that encourage thought. When a student says, “I think that so-and-so
should have done this or that,” ask, “Why do you say that?” or, “What Bible passage
or principle supports that view?” or, “Good, but what would be the consequences of
her doing that?” If a student gives an answer that is flat-out wrong, direct him or her
back to the case.

JJ Use a variety of approaches when discussing cases, as this leader’s guide

suggests throughout. At times you’ll want to lead the class through a case, explore
various options with them, list supporting rationale, and arrive at a recommended
solution. Other times, you’ll want to have students work in small groups, as is
often advocated by this leader’s guide. Small groups may act as a jury in one
case, perform a role play in another, or look at biblical principles and project
consequences in yet another. Working in small groups often helps build student
involvement and promotes freedom of expression. If you’re teaching a really
small class—say, three or four students—you’ll need to find ways to work around
procedures that require several groups of two to four students each. Often this
leader’s guide will give you ways to adapt a group procedure to a small class.

JJ Point students toward the truth. As the mature Christian in your classroom, you need
to hold up the standards of Christian ethics by which we judge our decisions and
actions. In other words, you need to point students toward the truth, to teach them
that some answers to moral issues are clearly more Christian than other answers.

Writing Your Own Case Studies

From time to time you may find yourself thinking, “I know a case that would really work
great for this commandment.” Great—write it up and use it!

Writing your own cases takes time, of course, but it’s not all that difficult.

Keep your eyes open for case study material in newspapers and magazines. If you stick
to the facts and quotations presented in the articles, formal permission to write a case
study just for your class (not for publication) should not be required. Of course, if you
write a case based on someone else’s unpublished experiences, obtaining permission to
use the case with your class is both necessary and ethical.

7
Here are a few tips for writing case studies:

JJ In the first paragraph, state the problem and indicate the need for a decision. In
the next couple of paragraphs, give the setting and introduce the characters. Next,
narrate past events, including dialogue (quotations, conversations) as much as
possible. In the final paragraph, restate the focus and call for a decision.

JJ Generally, use the past tense and third person. Avoid injecting your opinion by your
choice of words. Be as objective as possible.

JJ Conceal the identity of persons and places involved, except for well-known cases.
When inventing new names for places or persons, don’t try to be funny or cute.
Maintain the reality of the case by using ordinary names.

JJ Allow room for debate about what the decision-maker should do.

Your students may also enjoy writing their own cases. To facilitate that process, you may
want to allow fictional cases rather than insist the cases be true.

8
Session 1

the way we decide

Session Focus
The way we decide to act in a given situation is influenced by the moral principles (basic
ethical assumptions) we hold.

Scripture
Luke 6:43-45

Session Goals
JJ to give examples of tough decisions faced by teens

JJ to give examples of principles that influence people’s decisions and behavior

JJ to show how these principles influence the way we behave in a specific situation

JJ to think about why we decide and act as we do

Session at a Glance
Learning Activity Materials Time
1. Small Groups: “Don’t Know What to Do!” Small Newsprint, markers 10-15 minutes
groups list examples of “tough decisions” faced by
their age group.
2. Bible Study: Good Tree, Bad Tree. We discuss Bibles, notecards, pens 5-10 minutes
Luke 6:43-35, with its image of a tree and its fruit, to
pinpoint the link between our beliefs and our actions.
3. Case Study: Stop or Not? We read a case study, Pens, resource page: “Stop 20-25 minutes
then look at how twelve principles (or moral values) or Not?”
could affect our actions in a specific situation that
requires us to make a tough decision.
4. Closing: Guidance from God’s Word. We find and Bibles 5-10 minutes
read a verse or two from passages that guide or
comfort us when we’re faced with problems or tough
choices (alternate activity for students not familiar
with the Bible is a responsive reading of selected
passages).

9
Session Background
This is a course in Christian ethics. More precisely, it’s a course in how to make Christian
moral decisions.

In this course, you’ll be teaching your students to see the complex moral issues that
underlie quite ordinary acts. You’ll be pointing out the compass points of concern—for
God and neighbor, for family and self, for justice and mercy—between which swings the
needle of their decision-making. You’ll be teaching them how to make moral choices
according to Christian ethical principles in concrete life situations. You’ll be helping them
to form for themselves a Christian pattern of moral living.

This first session helps your students see that the decisions we repeatedly (and often
unthinkingly) make in specific situations really spring from moral principles. This holds
true even if our pattern of decision-making is impulsive and unconscious instead of
reasoned and deliberate. What I do and what I believe are linked together, although that
link is often not as clear and tight as it should be.

The Bible uses the image of a tree to illustrate this link between beliefs and actions.
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit” (Luke 6:43). Ethics
draws from the well of faith the standards and principles that give the water of life to
moral behavior. Our own particular moral pattern, our accustomed way of acting and
reacting, is largely formed by the principles we have drawn from our faith and our
faith community.

Say I stop and help a woman who has stumbled and fallen. So does John Smith. Our
actions are the same. Together we help her up, each supporting one arm. Together we
pick up the scattered packages. We’re both courteous and kind. Yet the why of our
actions, the reason for our decisions, the principle behind our kindness may be quite
different. I may help because my self-image requires it; John may act out of loving
concern. I may feel superior in serving; John may feel humble in helping. I may assist a
woman who falls but never a man; John may as readily help either. I may hesitate for fear
of legal complications; John may never consider such a thing. I may remember how my
mother fell and no one helped her; John may remember the good Samaritan.

In some cases differing moral principles cause different decisions; in other cases, for
differing reasons, people do the same thing. But in either case the moral dimension is
prominent. This session means to help your students see that the moral character of an
action comes partly from the act itself (some acts—like stealing, slander, or sexual abuse—
are intrinsically bad) and partly from the ethical motives, goals, and principles that the act
embodies. Such insight is a necessary first step to moral reflection and Christian decisions.

This session points your students toward the unique character of Christian ethics and
poses a question: In contrast to other patterns of moral decision-making, what makes
ours Christian? If our faith is truer, our hopes higher, and our love deeper than that
of other religions, does that make our morality, our daily living of that faith, better?
If Confucian Chinese have the Golden Rule, devout Muslims meticulously obey the
law, and animistic Inuit share the last crumb of food with hungry strangers, how are
we better?

10
The answer to this key question comes in the next session and is actually the theme of
the entire course. For what you will be teaching is not a better ethical or moral strategy,
but how we, who are Christ’s, must be Christlike “in all our living.”

Leading the Session

1
Small Groups:
“Don’t Know What to Do!”
Materials: newsprint, markers

Divide student into groups of two to four. Give each group a marker and sheet of TIP
newsprint. Tell them they have five minutes to list and briefly describe as many tough Don’t be concerned
decisions as they can—decisions they or others have had to make or might have to if some groups
make that could lead them to think, “I really don’t know what to do!” come up with silly
examples, such as
If groups need help getting started, here are a few suggestions to pass along: that huge decision
about what kind
JJ issues with parents of toppings to put
JJ friendship issues—choosing friends, clashes with friends over the rightness or on pizza. The point
wrongness of some activity is just to let kids
list the decisions
JJ peer pressure they see as difficult
JJ personal stuff—tough decisions you’ve made or might have to make in the not-so- and challenging.
distant future It’s OK if some are
just for fun or less
After five minutes, have someone from each group display the group’s sheet and present challenging than
the group’s examples of tough decisions. There’s no need to discuss the examples— others.
just get them out there. You may want to note examples that more than one group
mentioned.

Point to a couple of the more challenging decisions (on the newsprint sheets) and ask: TIP
Suppose you had to make this decision—how would you know what to do, what Save the newsprint
to decide? Welcome all suggestions but do not discuss details at this point. Instead, sheets of tough
explain that this course—No Easy Answers—will look at this very question and give us decisions kids
practical help and guidelines in making decisions like these, and many more. listed. You may be
able to use them
later in the course,
activity adaptation perhaps as starting
points for the group
If this is an opening session with a new class, consider asking kids to introduce
to write its own
themselves by giving an example of a tough choice they’ve recently made—or a
case study.
choice they might have to make soon. Examples could be serious or funny. Afterward,
ask how they will decide what to do in these (or other) situations.

Or have each group invent and dramatize one tough decision someone their age must
make—a situation in which he or she is not sure what to do.

11
 2
TIP Bible Study:
Of course you Good Tree, Bad Tree
don’t have to Materials: Bibles, notecards, pens
do the notecard
thing—you could Distribute Bibles and notecards, and ask someone to read Luke 6:43-45. Have everyone
just ask kids to say copy verse 43 on the notecard: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear
what they think the good fruit.” Then say something like this: Suppose you wanted to explain to a friend—
passage means. in plain English—what Jesus is saying here. What would you say? Have students
But writing out the write their responses under the verse they just copied.
verse and what it
means is worth the Invite each person to read aloud what he or she wrote. Emphasize the idea that what we
extra time it takes are on the inside determines what we are like on the outside—the way we talk, the way
because it gets we act. What’s in our hearts shapes what comes out of our mouths and what we do with
everyone (not just our hands. Ask, What does this have to do with making decisions and choices?
the talkers) involved
Listen to comments (there may not be any!), then summarize by saying something like
and encourages
this: Our decisions and actions are influenced by what’s in our heart, by the values
a more thoughtful
and principles we have about life. In a minute, we’re going to see how this works in
response.
a specific situation.

3
Case Study:
Stop or Not?
Materials: pens, resource page: “Stop or Not?”

TIP Distribute a printout of the resource page to each student. Read the case aloud to the
Go around the class. You may want to mention that while this is a fictional case, the remaining cases
circle for this used in the course actually happened.
activity, asking each
person to read a Work through the list of principles with the class. For each principle, ask students
principle aloud and to respond to the question on the handout: If I held this principle, would I stop or
to give an initial drive on? Why? Be flexible as you listen to responses. Remember that any one moral
response. principle could motivate different responses—see examples below.

1. Glandular principle: Drive on! Who wants to get soaked? Why ruin my good clothes!

2. Me-first principle: Why stop? Won’t do me a bit of good. Besides, the whole thing
could be a setup for robbery. If someone is in that car, he’ll have to take care of
himself. I’ve got more important things to do right now. Maybe I’ll call the cops later,
if I get a chance.

3. Universal principle: I hate to go out there, but it’s the logical thing to do. Suppose no
one in the world ever bothered to help someone in trouble? What a lousy world this
would be!

4. Golden Rule principle: Sure, I’ll stop. It’s the least I’d want someone to do for me.

5. Conscience principle: I’d feel awfully guilty if I didn’t stop. Something tells me it’s the
right thing to do.

12
 6. Pass-the-buck principle: Look, I’ve got to get to graduation. Other cars will come
along. Let someone else help. I wouldn’t know what to do anyway.

7. Good Samaritan principle: Someone could be injured in that car. If there is, I have an
obligation to help. I’ll take a look and see what I can do.

8. Legal principle: If I stop, I’d have to park partly on the highway and that’s against the
law. Too bad . . . better just go on. (Note: this principle doesn’t fit our case very well;
we mention it because it is a key principle for discussing the rest of the cases in this
course!)

9. Minimum risk principle: I’ll call the cops when I get to school. No sense taking any
chances.
10. Tradition principle: Helping people in trouble is what our family always does. I’ll stop.

11. Sanctity of life principle: Someone’s life could be in danger here. That life is more
important than my inconvenience.

12. WWJD: It’s pretty obvious what Jesus would do in this situation. Since he is my
example, I better stop.

After reviewing the list, discuss the questions in the handout.

JJ Do you have any other principles to add to this list—motives or attitudes that
would help determine what we should do? Students may mention Christian love
as a guiding principle set forth by Jesus himself. Other possibilities: putting God and
others before self, giving unselfishly, serving others, and so on.

JJ Give an example of how one moral principle could motivate different

responses. If students need help on this one, give them an example and let them
supply others. For instance, the “me-first” principle might motivate me to drive on
because I’m unwilling to take the risk or trouble of stopping; on the other hand, if
I have a great urge to see my name in print or my face on TV, that same principle
could influence me to stop and help. Similarly, the conscience principle could
influence me to stop and help, but if my conscience is callused, I’d probably drive
right on by. Even the good Samaritan principle may not, in these times of increasing
crime and litigation, make me stop. It may only direct me to the nearest phone to call
the police.

JJ Do our moral principles influence the way we decide and act (a) a little; (b)
some; (c) a lot; (d) not at all? Why? We hope, of course, that kids say “a lot,” since
that’s the key idea of this session and course! Whatever they say, it’s a good idea to
give your group a chance to react, now that they’ve seen how principles can affect
actions in a specific case. So use this opportunity to listen to your students. Some
may feel that most of our decisions are made on the spot, without much conscious
thought or moral reasoning. You may want to point out that moral principles often
function at almost a subconscious level, but we still base our actions on them.

JJ What do you think you might do if you were in that situation—stop, drive on,
or something else? Why would you do it? What principle would influence
you? (You may use a principle that’s not on the list, if you wish.) Give students
time to think this over, then invite responses. Because they are familiar with the

13
 parable, some students may mention the good Samaritan principle. If they do, use
this opportunity to point out that Christian principles are derived from the Word of
God. Ask students if they remember the question the parable addressed (Who is
my neighbor?). Also ask how the parable might help us if we were faced with the
decision of stopping or driving on (by reminding us that all people are our neighbors
and therefore deserving of our help and love).

Other Christian principles students might mention include: sanctity of life, the Golden
Rule, love for others, conscience, and WWJD. Obeying the law, while not very applicable
in this case, is also a key factor in Christian decision-making. Next week’s session will
focus on the principle of love within the law of God. The remainder of the course follows
the Ten Commandments.

activity adaptation
Instead of just reviewing the twelve principles with your class, ask students to pair
off and have each pair role-play how one or two principles would determine whether
they would stop or drive on. One of the two role players should be the person in the
ditched car, the other the driver of the car passing by. The latter sees the car in the
ditch, does his moral reasoning out loud, then either stops or drives on. Let kids have
fun doing this—piteous cries for help from the ditch, driver rolling down the window
and peering out into the rain, maybe looking at his watch or hunting for an umbrella,
and so on.

option: apply the principles

If you have extra time, have students work in small groups and apply the twelve
principles to one or more of the situations they listed at the beginning of today’s
session.

4
Closing:
Guidance from God’s Word
Materials: Bibles

Remind students that the decisions and actions of everyday life ought not to be
separated from the Word of God and prayer.

If your students are familiar with the Bible, ask them to find and read a verse or two from
a passage that gives them guidance or comforts them when faced with problems or
tough choices.

If your students are not familiar with the Bible, invite them to turn to Psalm 139 (or a
passage of your choosing). Divide into two groups and read verses 1-14 responsively as
your closing prayer.

14
option: alternate closing
Or close today’s session by returning to step 1 and the choices that students listed.
Have students pick one tough decision and then pray aloud for God’s help and
wisdom, should they ever have to make that decision.

15
Session 1

stop or not?

You’re driving alone on a lightly traveled highway, heading to your high school gradua-
tion. Your robe and cap are in the backseat of the car. You’re mentally rehearsing your
speech—as class president you’ve been asked to speak on behalf of the graduating
class. You are a little nervous since you want to make a good impression on the hun-
dreds of people who will be at the graduation ceremony in the school gym.

It’s a nasty night in early June. At times the rain comes so fast and heavy that your ­wipers
can hardly keep up. So you hold your speed down to a cautious 45 mph, despite the fact
that you’re running a bit late. Suddenly, off to the right, you see tail lights glowing upward
at an impossible angle. You slow down, realizing that a car has skidded off the road into
the ditch. From the road it’s impossible to see if there’s anyone inside.

Another driver passes you impatiently, laying on the horn. You wish you had taken your
cell phone, but in the rush of getting ready, you’ve forgotten it. Do you stop and investi-
gate? Do you risk ruining your clothes in the cold rain and missing your own graduation
and speech? Or do you drive on?

For each of the following moral principles, ask yourself: If I held this principle, would I
stop or drive on? Why?

1. Glandular principle: If it feels good, do it. If not, why do it?

2. Me-first principle: Looking out for number one. What’s in it for me?
3. Universal principle: Suppose everyone acted this way? What would our world be
like?
4. Golden Rule principle: How would I feel in that person’s place?
5. Conscience: An inner voice tells me what’s right or wrong.
6. Pass-the-buck principle: Let someone else do it.
7. Good Samaritan principle: Love for my neighbor is the highest good.
8. Legal principle: The law is always right. Do as you are told.
9. Minimum risk: How can I fulfill my obligation but at minimum risk to myself?
10. Tradition principle: We’ve always done it this way.
11. Sanctity of Life principle: Human life is sacred; it has top priority and claims.
12. WWJD: What would Jesus do in this situation?

No Easy Answers, © 2012, Faith Alive Christian Resources.

For Discussion
• Do you have any other principles to add to this list—motives or attitudes that would
help determine what you should do?

• Give an example of how one moral principle could motivate different responses.

• Do our moral principles influence the way we decide and act (a) a little; (b) some;
(c) a lot; (d) not at all? Why?

• What do you think you might do if you were actually in that situation—stop, drive on, or
something else? Why would you do it? What principle would influence you? (You may
use a principle that’s not on the list, if you wish.)

No Easy Answers, © 2012, Faith Alive Christian Resources.