Introduction to Christian Ethics

RELT 208
Chifumbe Kapenya (M.A)
Introductions

Students
Lecturer
Course outline
 Introductions

Chifumbe Kapenya
A licensed Minister of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
Holds a M.A in Ministry and a B.A in
Theology.
Currently, he is church pastor for Kitwe
Central congregation.
Married to Mary Chama and they have one
son, Machi Cembele Kapenya.
Definitions
 Definitions

“Ethics deals with what is

morally right and wrong.”
-Norman Geisler
 Definitions

“General ethics is the

science which treats of the
sources, principles and
practice of right and
wrong in the light of
nature and reason.”

-Leander S. Keyser
Definitions

“Ethics is the science of

conduct: it considers the
actions of human being in
reference to their right or
wrongness, their tendency to
good or evil”

-John S. Mackenzie
 Definitions

Course working definition:

Ethics is a systematic critical study concerned with the

evaluation of human conduct is oriented towards the
future.
 Definitions

What is
Christian Ethics?
 Definitions
“Christian Ethics is the
science which treats of
the sources, principles
and practice of right and
wrong in the light of the
Holy Scriptures, in
addition to the light of
nature and reason”

Leander S Keyser
 Definitions

“Christian Ethics ideals

with what is morally
right and wrong for a
Christian”

Norman L Geisler
 Definitions

“Christian Ethics maybe

defined as the science or
philosophy of Christian
morality”

Albert C. Knudson
 Definitions
Class working definition

“Christian Ethics evaluates

human conduct from
Christian perspective within
Christian faith and
assumption about human
nature, about the
relationship of the human
beings to one another, and
about their relationship to
God”
Departure of Ethics and Christian Ethic
 General Ethics considers conduct and actions of humans.
Ethics as a science is only limited to the sphere of ‘Conduct’
or actions’.
 On the other hand Christian Ethics deals with principles,
motives and character.
“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”
Proverbs 23: 7
“For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual
immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit,
debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All
these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”
Mark 7: 21-23
 Types of Laws
NATURAL LAWS Human Positive LAWS

Moral imperatives
Civil
Human reason
Traditional
Universal and unchanging
Ecclesiastical
Divine
Made by human power
No human power can alter

Romans 1
Three principles in deciding morality
1. Action must be intrinsically good and not evil
2. Circumstances can change an action which is
ordinarily not sinful into a sinful one
3. The purpose which the actor has in mind must be
good.

Note:
The Action is moral if all three conditions are met
but immoral if anyone of them is not me.
 ALTERNATIVES TO CHRISTIAN ETHICS

A. Humanism
B. Objectivism
C. Behaviorism
D. Self-realization
E. Marxism
 Alternatives to Christian Ethics

A. Humanism

Affirms that our basic obligation is

human race.
Emphasizes on centrality of persons and
possibilities of human achievement.
 Humanism
Morris B. Storer
Sets aside faith in revelation
and dogmatic authority
Settles for human
experience and reason as
grounds for belief/action
Puts human good as
supreme ultimate criterion
of right/wrong
 Humanism

Paul Kurtz

Based primarily on science

Committed to the use of
critical intelligence and
rational inquiry in
understanding the
worldview and solving
problems.
Ethical philosophy
 Humanism

Fundamental goals:

1. Happiness and self-

awareness
2. Pain and suffering
never desirable
 Alternatives to Christian Ethics

B. Objectivism

• Basis for decision is effect of action on oneself.

• A sub-conscious disposition to rational self –
interest.
• Altruism-the sacrifice of one person to another is
unsound
• Ethics is code of value to guide man’s choices and
actions
• Social responsibility is to live in such a way as not
to interfere with well being of others people.
• System is intrinsically evil and needs replacement
 Alternatives to Christian Ethics

C. Behaviorism

Conceives of human behavior not as a matter of free

choice but as one of conditioning.
 Behaviorism

B.F. Skinner

People do what they do

because of social cultural
and economic
circumstances, because of
history, environment,
genetic factors over which
the individual has no
control.
 Behaviorism

This way of thinking

eliminates any
consideration of morality

It sees human activity as

reaction more than
response
 Behaviorism

• Because no two persons have the same

repertoire of behavior, no two will behave in
precisely the same way.

• Each person’s actions are determined by

cumulative history.

• There is no individual responsibility or

achievement
 Behaviorism
Morality is action in
conformity with
patterns of conduct set
by the total
environment: society
reinforces good and
punished.

The autonomous
individual is non-
existent therefore no
ethic but psychology
 Alternatives to Christian Ethics

D. Self-realization

Conceives of the highest good in the life

and therefore of the right.
A self to be
 Self-realization

Charles M Patterson list five characteristics of self.

1. It is both mind and body which interacts with each

other.
2. It desires, and desire makes progress possible
3. It is social, needing interaction with other selves
4. It seeks to know, and what it learns becomes a part
of self
5. It moves by ideals
 Self-realization
Harold Titus and Morris Keeton summarize their
approach to decision making by four principles by
which persons might choose between conflicting
values:
1. Seek the greater of two alternative values.
2. Select a value that has worth in itself over one has
instrument worthy only, and present good over
future one that has no intrinsic worth.
3. Choose the more productive of the two otherwise
equivalent values.
4. Choose the more permanent or lasting value, other
things being equal.
 Alternatives to Christian Ethics
E. Marxism

Moral judgment is based solely on human society

not eternal values
All specific judgment are to be based on
commitment to communism
There are approved patterns of conduct but no
absolutes
Right conduct is conditioned by circumstances
Priority is not given to individual but community
Obligation to a group not individual
Community ethics is a class ethic reflecting interests
of ruling class.
The end