Introducing Christian Ethics

443 Pages·2017·3.25 MB·English

by  Samuel Wells et al.

INTRODUCING CHRISTIAN ETHICS
Now in its second edition, Introducing Christian Ethics offers a comprehensive
and engaging introduction to the field suitable for beginners as well as more
advanced readers. The field is divided into three distinct approaches: universal
(ethics for anyone), subversive (ethics for the excluded), and ecclesial (ethics for
the church). These three approaches present a fresh understanding of the field of
Christian ethics, whilst providing a structure for thoughtful insights into the com-
plex moral challenges facing people today. The text encompasses the field of
Christian ethics in its entirety, surveying its history, and mapping and exploring
the differences in all the major ethical approaches.
This new edition has been thoughtfully updated. It includes additional material
on Catholic perspectives, ethics and social media, further case studies and a
stronger pedagogical structure, including introductions and summaries. As well
as discussing ethical issues and key thinkers, Introducing Christian Ethics 2/e pro-
vides a significant foundation for students by setting them in a framework that
explores scripture, philosophy and church history. The text is structured so that it
can be used alongside a companion volume, Christian Ethics: An Introductory
Reader (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), which further illustrates and amplifies the diver-
sity of material and arguments explored here.
Samuel Wells is Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and a widely-known theologian,
preacher, pastor, writer, and broadcaster. He is also Visiting Professor of Christian
Ethics at King’s College, London. He has published 25 books, including
Improvisation, God’s Companions, and A Nazareth Manifesto. He edited the part-
ner book to this volume, Christian Ethics: An Introductory Reader (Oxford:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).
Ben Quash is Professor of Christianity and the Arts at King’s College London.
He is the author of Theology and the Drama of History (2005) and is former
Reviews Editor of Studies in Christian Ethics.
Rebekah Eklund is Assistant Professor of Theology at Loyola University
Maryland in Baltimore, where she teaches theology, ethics, and Christian Scripture.
She is the author of Jesus Wept: The Significance of Jesus’ Laments in the New
Testament (2015).

SAMUEL WELLS AND BEN QUASH WITH REBEKAH EKLUND
INTRODUCING
CHRISTIAN
ETHICS
SECOND EDITION
This second edition first published 2017
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Edition History: Wiley Blackwell (1e, 2010)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
except as permitted by law.Advice on how to obtain permision to reuse material from this title is available
at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
The right of Samuel Wells, Ben Quash, and Rebekah Eklund to be identified as the authors of this work
has been asserted in accordance with law.
Registered Offices
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
Editorial Office
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
For details of our global editorial offices, customer services, and more information about Wiley products
visit us at www.wiley.com.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. Some content
that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty
While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no rep-
resentations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and
specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold
on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither
the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other
expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
Names: Wells, Samuel, 1965– author. | Quash, Ben, 1968– author. |
Eklund, Rebekah, 1975– author.
Title: Introducing Christian ethics/Samuel Wells, Ben Quash, Rebekah Eklund.
Description: Second edition. | Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2017. |
Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016050483 (print) | LCCN 2016056613 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781119155720 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781119155737 (pdf) | ISBN 9781119155751 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Christian ethics.
Classification: LCC BJ1251 .W453 2017 (print) | LCC BJ1251 (ebook) |
DDC 241–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016050483
Cover Image: Peter Horree / Alamy Stock Photo
Cover Design: Wiley
Set in 10.5/13pt Galliard by SPi Global, Pondicherry, India
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Harry Geoghegan
For Kathryn Chambers
For Lucia Eklund

Contents
Preface viii
Introduction 1
Part One The Story of Christian Ethics 3
1 The Story of God 5
2 The Story of the Church 34
3 The Story of Ethics 64
4 The Story of Christian Ethics 90
Part Two The Questions Christian Ethics Asks 123
5 Universal Ethics 127
6 Subversive Ethics 159
7 Ecclesial Ethics 200
Part Three The Questions Asked of Christian Ethics 233
8 Good Order 235
9 Good Life 270
10 Good Relationships 303
11 Good Beginnings and Endings 343
12 Good Earth 369
Timeline 396
Glossary of Names 398
Glossary of Terms 409
Name Index 417
Subject Index 422
Preface
This is a textbook for entry‐level students in Christian ethics. It is designed for
undergraduates and seminarians, in some cases pre‐college students, and the
elusive but much‐coveted general reader. It is intended to be used in lay ministry
courses, and a variety of educational and training courses, at diploma and informal
levels. It sets out to do a number of things that are seldom done together.
It seeks to offer an overview of the whole field of Christian ethics. Some treat-
ments offer a sequence of great authors in the history of the discipline. Others try
to provide a taxonomy or typology or simply a list of the sometimes bewilderingly
diverse and complex assortment of theories quoted and employed in the dis-
course. Others again work their way through a grab‐bag of controversial issues
and endeavor to present both balance and wisdom. This book has the temerity to
attempt all three. Like any mapping exercise, it cannot pretend to be wholly
objective; the classification and selection of issues examined, approaches explored,
and authors extracted will be insightful and constructive to some, arbitrary and
partial to others. Nonetheless we hope that, for those many who may disagree on
some of the details, many more will enjoy and embrace the overall organization
and presentation of the field.
The book rests on a broad division of Christian ethics into three approaches:
universal (ethics for anyone), subversive (ethics for the excluded), and ecclesial
(ethics for the church). It needs to be said that this distinction is not by any
means generally accepted and adopted in the field, being simply the usage of one
of the authors of this volume. This book may therefore be read as an extended
road‐test for the durability and comprehensiveness of this threefold distinction.
But newcomers to the field who expect all subsequent interlocutors to recognize
these approaches are likely to be disappointed.
The threefold distinction is designed to achieve a number of things. It is a tool
for getting a handle on a huge subject, treating protagonists sympathetically but
not uncritically. It is a means of distinguishing between the loudest voices in the