Abstract

These studies were specially commissioned to consider how far Christian ethics can and should change or develop - to be relevant today and to provide dependable guiding principles for the future. The authors examine the changes which have already taken place in ethical thinking since the time of Jesus. They point to the valuable contributions which, for example, the Church Fathers and the Reformation leaders have made. They examine how modern study of the bible can open up new ethical principles and new ways of approaching ethical difficulties. They challenge some current ideas about ethics as positively false or dangerous. They also evaluate Christian ethics in the light of current developments in, for example, Bhuddist and Muslim ethics. Topics given special attention include how do Christians actually arrive at ethical decisions?, the church, the person and the state, the individual and the organization, war, peace-keeping and terrorism, modern medical discoveries and ethical decisions, marriage and family life, ecology, and the unprivileged and the oppressed. Written by experts in their fields, the approach is practical and direct. The authors take full account of the many social, political, and theological changes of recent times, and show how basic Christian morality can and should be applied in fresh ways, but without abandoning its true character.