Download or read book Christian Ethics and Contemporary Philosophy written by Ian T. Ramsey and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a time when more and more people are discovering they can have a rational morality without an orthodox God, these twenty-four essays reappraise the whole character of Christian ethics and criticize the traditional underpinning of morality by religion.Edited by Ian T. Ramsey, professor of philosophy at Oxford University, the volume is a valuable sequel to the well-known New Essays in Philosophical Theology. The contributors include atheists, agnostics, and Christians. Among them are Ninian Smart, R. B. Braithwaite, Ronald Hepburn, and Iris Murdoch.The essays do not attempt to examine specific Christian questions in any sort of theological detail; rather, their primary concern is with problems that arise principally in a philosophical context. But they are concerned with issues that lie behind the present bewilderment in Christian morality.Stressing the diversity of moral situations, the papers show that these are far from being homogeneous and rule-determined. Moral decision demands personal involvement, activating the possibility of "good" and "bad" reasons for making such a decision. The essays point out the character of moral disagreements and also remind us that morality is not only of individual but also of social significance. The last section of the book examines the present concept of natural law; its possible erosion by developments in anthropology, psychology, and philosophy; and whether the possibility exists for a theory of morality that unites both natural-law theory and Christian ethics.
Download or read book Moral Discernment in the Christian Life written by James M. Gustafson and published by Presbyterian Publishing Corp. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: James M. Gustafson has been a leading and formative figure in the field of Christian ethics over the past fifty years. His many contributions to theological ethics have helped to define and shape ethical thinking by Christians who reflect on great moral issues. Gustafson's work must be dealt with by all students in this discipline, and his perceptive insights have given clarity and guidance to the process of moral discernment. The essays collected here are ones that have had a significant impact on discussions and debates over recent decades. The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.
Download or read book Assuming Responsibility written by Gilbert L Stark Professor of Christian Ethics Jennifer A Herdt and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-31 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent decades have witnessed an enthusiastic retrieval of eudaimonism, according to which the virtuous life is the happy life. But the critique launched by Kant - that eudaimonism is egoistic and distorts the character of duty or obligation - has persisted. Should I develop the virtues because these are the traits I need in order to flourish? Is it facts about my own happiness that determine my obligations to others? In this book, Jennifer Herdt deftly sifts through these debates, showing why we should embrace 'ecstatic' or 'goodness-prior' eudaimonism while rejecting 'welfare-prior' forms of eudaimonism. Grasping the character of ecstatic eudaimonism, she argues, has major implications, overcoming the common assumption of a sharp break between pagan and Christian eudaimonism, as well as of a late medieval or Protestant repudiation of eudaimonism in favor of divine command theory. Agents cannot rightly respond to the goods they encounter unless they respond to them precisely as good, and not merely as a means to promoting their own welfare; in responding well, their agency is thereby necessarily perfected. In conversation with vital strands of contemporary moral philosophy, Herdt goes on to articulate the distinctive character of obligation as a feature of accountability relations among agents. Assuming Responsibility offers a fresh point of departure for theological and philosophical approaches to virtue ethics, moral agency, and the contested relationship between the good and the right.
Download or read book Reenchantment without Supernaturalism written by David Ray Griffin and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-06 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne has made many distinctive contributions to the philosophy of religion. David Ray Griffin now offers the first full-scale philosophy of religion written from this perspective, discussing such topics as the relationship between science and religion, the validity of religious experience, the nature and existence of God, religious pluralism, creation and evolution, and the problem of evil. Griffin's clear and comprehensive book also serves as a valuable introduction to process philosophy itself.In his vigorous defense of a worldview that is fully naturalistic and fully religious, Griffin shows not only how this position reconciles naturalism with freedom, genuine religious experience, and even life after death, but also how its naturalistic theism "reenchants" the world in the sense of providing cosmic support for moral values.Highly original and sometimes controversial, Griffin's book develops its stance in conversation with influential proponents of other philosophical positions, including William P. Alston, Jürgen Habermas, John Hick, Colin McGinn, Alvin Plantinga, Hilary Putnam, Willard Quine, Ninian Smart, Jeffrey Stout, and Bernard Williams.
Download or read book Character and the Christian Life written by Stanley Hauerwas and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 1989-01-15 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some fourteen years after its initial publication, this important and influential book, with a new, substantial, and candid introduction by the author, is available in a reasonably priced paperback edition. In this volume Hauerwas assesses recent interest in the “ethics of character” and suggests areas in his own work that now call for some corrective and/or further work.
Download or read book The Order of Things written by Alister E. McGrath and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provocative and immensely well informed, The Order of Things represents a substantial and original contribution to the fields of systematic theology, historical theology, and the science and religion dialogue. Leading theologian, Alister E. McGrath explores how the working methods and assumptions of the natural sciences can be used to inform and stimulate systematic theology. Written by one of today's best-known Christian writers Explores how the working methods and assumptions of the natural sciences can be used to inform and stimulate systematic theology Continues McGrath’s acclaimed exploration of scientific theology, begun with his groundbreaking three-volume work, A Scientific Theology Includes a landmark extended analysis of whether doctrinal development can be explained using Darwinian evolutionary models, and exploration of how the transition from a “scientific theology” to a future “scientific dogmatics” might be made Supported by a published review of McGrath’s scientific theology project, which is currently the best brief introduction to his thought.
Download or read book Eschatology and Ethics written by Carl E. Braaten and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-12-28 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Carl Braaten has written an interesting book applying the eschatological perspective to different dimensions of the Christian faith, of the life of the church, and of Christian ethics. His extremely readable style leads to profound insight. I particularly like the chapter on the ministry and the wisdom of his reflections on ethical questions." Wolfhart Pannenberg, University of Munich "More than any other theologian today, Braaten successfully relates biblical faith and ethics to the whole spectrum of urgent current concerns." Richard H. Hiers, Dept. of Religion, University of Florida "Braaten rightly insists that the church has lost its eschatological 'bite,' and he does much toward recovering that loss." Gerhard O. Forde, Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota "This book continues Braaten's persistent effort to interpret vital human concerns by the promise that the Lord lives." Robert W. Jenson, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Download or read book Promising written by William Vitek and published by Temple University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-03 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Vitek enlarges our understanding by treating the act of promising as a social practice and complex human experience. Citing engaging examples of promises made in everyday life, in extraordinary circumstances, and in literary works, Vitek grapples with the central paradox of promising: that human beings can intend a future to which they are largely blind. Promising evaluates contemporary approaches to the topic by such philosophers as John Rawls, John Searle, Henry Sidgwick, P.S. Atiyah, and Michael Robbins but transcend their more limited focus on promissory obligation. Vitek's innovative approach moves beyond theories of language, ethics, and law to unveil a complex human activity subject to shifting interpretations and changes in nature.
Download or read book Christian Theism and Moral Philosophy written by Michael D. Beaty and published by Mercer University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These seminal essays will be of interest to scholars and students of religious ethics, but also of interest to those of "mainstream" moral philosophy who work from a Christian worldview as well as to non-Christians with an interest in the relation between Christian theism and moral philosophy.
Download or read book Ian T Ramsey written by William Bedford Williamson and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Human Perfection Transfiguration and Christian Ethics written by Robin Gill and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2024-05-16 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most people would agree that human perfection is unattainable. Indeed, theologians have typically expressed ambivalence about the possibility of human perfection. Yet, paradoxically, depictions of human perfection are widespread. In this volume, Robin Gill offers an interdisciplinary study of human perfection in contemporary secular culture. He demonstrates that the language of perfection is present in church memorials, popular depictions of sport, food, music and art, liturgy, and philosophy. He contrasts these examples with the socio-psychological concept of 'maladaptive perfectionism', using commercial cosmetic surgery as an example, as well as the 'adaptive perfectionism' suggested in the lives of Henry Holland, Paul Farmer, and, more ambivalently, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Gill then provides an in-depth analysis of New Testament and Septuagint usage of teleios and theological debates about the human perfection of Jesus. He argues that the Synoptic accounts of the Transfiguration offer a template for a Christian understanding of perfection that has important ecumenical implications within social ethics.
Download or read book Love s Grateful Striving written by M. Jamie Ferreira and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-06-07 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soren Kierkegaard's Works of Love (1847), a series of deliberations on the commandment to love one's neighbor, has often been condemned by critics. Here, Ferreira seeks to rehabilitate Works of Love as one of Kierkegaard's most important works. He shows that Kierkegaard's deliberations on love are highly relevant to some important themes in contemporary ethics, including impartiality, duty, equality, mutuality, reciprocity, self-love, sympathy, and sacrifice. Ferreira also argues that Works of Love bears on issues peculiar to a religious ethic, such as the role of God as "middle term," and the possibility of preserving the aesthetic dimensions of love in a religious ethic of relation.
Download or read book Captured by the Crucified written by Edward Hugh Henderson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2004-08-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British theologian and New Testament scholar Austin Farrer was a member of " the Oxford Christians," conversing frequently with C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers, and T. S. Eliot. A. N. Wilson has called Farrer "the one true genius of the Church of England in the 20th century." Farrer's theory about the Synoptic Problem remains one the most debated theories of Synoptic relationships in contemporary New Testament scholarship. The editors have put together a book that makes the practical, spiritual meaning of Farrer's thought available to those who desire to integrate serious thinking with faithful life. Contributors to the volume include Ann Loades (University of Durham), Diogenes Allen (Princeton Theological Seminary), Julian N. Hartt (University of Virginia), Charles Hefling (Boston College), and O.C. Edwards (Seabury-Western Theological Seminary). David Hein is Professor and Chair of Religion and Philosophy at Hood College and the author of Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century. Edward Hugh Henderson is Professor of Philosophy at Louisiana State University and co-editor with Brian Hebblethwaite of Divine Action: Studies Inspired by the Philosophical Theology of Austin Farrer.
Download or read book The Naturalness of Belief written by Paul Copan and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite its name, “naturalism” as a world-view turns out to be rather unnatural in its strict and more consistent form of materialism and determinism. This is why a number of naturalists opt for a broadened version that includes objective moral values, intrinsic human dignity, consciousness, beauty, personal agency, and the like. But in doing so, broad naturalism begins to look more like theism. As many strict naturalists recognize, broad naturalism must borrow from the metaphysical resources of a theistic world-view, in which such features are very natural, common sensical, and quite “at home” in a theistic framework. The Naturalness of Belief begins with a naturalistic philosopher’s own perspective of naturalism and naturalness. The remaining chapters take a multifaceted approach in showing theism’s naturalness and greater explanatory power. They examine not only rational reasons for theism’s ability to account for consciousness, intentionality, beauty, human dignity, free will, rationality, and knowledge; they also look at common sensical, existential, psychological, and cultural reasons—in addition to the insights of the cognitive science of religion.
Download or read book Ninian Smart on World Religions Traditions and the challenges of modernity I Individual traditions Buddhism Mysticism and scripture in Therav da Buddhism written by Ninian Smart and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2009 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ninian Smart came to public prominence as the founding Professor of the first British university Department of Religious Studies in the late 1960s. His pioneering views on education in religion proved hugely influential at all levels, from primary schools to academic teaching and research. An unending string of publications, many of them accessible to the general public, sustained a reputation that became worldwide.Here, for the first time, a selection of Ninian Smart's wide-ranging writings is organised systematically under a set of categories which both comprehend and also illuminate his varied output over a career spanning half a century. The editor, John Shepherd, was Principal Lecturer in Religion and Philosophy at the University of Cumbria. He first met Smart as a postgraduate student, and recently helped establish the Ninian Smart Archive at the University of Lancaster.
Download or read book Scepticism written by Kai Nielsen and published by Springer. This book was released on 1973-06-18 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Hastening that Waits written by Nigel Biggar and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1993 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a fresh and up-to-date account of the ethical thought of one of the twentieth century's greatest theologians: Karl Barth. The author seeks to recover Barth's ethics from some widespread misunderstandings, and also presents a picture of them as a whole. Drawing on recently published sources, Dr Biggar construes the ethics of the Church Dogmatics as it might have been had Barth lived to complete it - not only separately in each of its three constituent dimensions but also in its dynamic, coinherent integrity. However, The Hastening that Waits is more than apology and description. For it recommends to contemporary Christian ethics the theological rigour with which Barth expounds the good life in terms of the living presence of God-in-Christ to his creatures; his conception of right human action as that which is able to hasten in the service of humanity precisely by waiting prayerfully upon God; and his discriminate openness to moral wisdom outside of the Christian church. Among the particular topics treated are: the concepts of human freedom and of created moral order; moral norms and their relation to individual vocation; the relative ethical roles of the Bible, the Church, philosophy, and empirical science; moral character and its formation; and the problem of war.
