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1. THE NATURE OF
CHRISTIAN ETHICS
CLCADAO

2. Introduction:
Christian ministers and
church leaders should
study and seek to
understand the ethical and
moral teachings of the
Bible.

3. REASONS: (James Giles)
 A general decline in the practice of
ethics and morals exists today.
 People openly commit shameful
acts.
 Even Christian make no excuse for
immoral behavior,
 Even bible verse was use to justify
nearly any kind of behavior.
RESULTS: It is difficult to distinguish
Christians from the world.

4. Professor Matson (Reason for Moral
Breakdown)
 Separation of Faith from daily
living.
 Separation of theology from ethics.
 Failure in the part of many ministers
and Christians…to understand the
significant place of the ethical
values in the biblical revelation.
 Failure to apply and live the biblical
revelation though they knew it.

5. For Christian Believers:
 The teachings of the Bible form the
basis of our ethical values, our
personal convictions, and our
practices.
 The bible was written because the
revelation from God for the people
and their problems was so significant
that a record of his dealings with men
could be useful to future generation.

6. Definition Ethics
 The word ethics - comes from the
Greek ethos and means the customs
and practices that are approved by
a given culture.
 We call ethics the science of
morality. Classified as normative
science.
 It is a study of the principles by which
man live in his society.

7. Definition of Ethics
Ethics is differ from morals
Moral deals more with practices which are
considered acceptable in any given society.
Example:
 Some inhabitants of Congo in Africa
 Women was convinced by the missionaries
to wear blouses to cover their breast.
 They resisted saying they don’t want their
women to look like prostitutes.

8. Most people use the terms morality and
ethics interchangeably. (S. Rae, Moral Choices 19,20)
 Technically, morality refers to the actual
content of right and wrong,
 and ethics refers to the process of
determining, or discovering, right and
wrong.
 In other words, morality deals with moral
knowledge
 and ethics with moral reasoning and
justification.

9.  Thus, ethics is both an art and a
science.
 It does involve precision like the
sciences, but like art, it is an inexact and
sometimes intuitive discipline.
 Morality is the end result of ethical
deliberation, the substance of right and
wrong.
 The question however is what will be the
basis of deliberation to clearly evaluate
what is wrong and what is right?

10. What then is Christian ethics?
CHRISTIAN ETHICS - human
conduct that is determined by
divine conduct.
Here divine revelation is the basis
of authority.
The biblical basis of ethics are
timeless.

11. Relation of Ethics to other Discipline
a.To Philosophy
- Philosophical ethics includes some of
the systems which are propounded by
the Greek philosophers before the time
of Jesus Christ.
- They were followed by many in the
days of Christ and surely influenced
the men who wrote the New
Testaments.

12. Three Theories as to the way that
Christians Ethics should be related to
the other ethical Systems, or
Philosophical Ethics
1.The Theory of Elimination, as the
name suggest, holds that philosophical
ethics has nothing in common with and
should be eliminated from all
possibility of relationship to Christian
ethics.

13. Three Theories as to the way that
Christians Ethics should be related to
the other ethical Systems, or
Philosophical Ethics
1. The Theory of Elimination, as the name suggest, holds that philosophical ethics has nothing in common with and should be eliminated from all possibility of relationship to Christian ethics.
2.The theory of absorption that at
least some of the teachings of these
systems may be absorbed into the
body of Christian teachings.

14. Three Theories as to the way that
Christians Ethics should be related to
the other ethical Systems, or
Philosophical Ethics
1. The Theory of Elimination, as the name suggest, holds that philosophical ethics has nothing in common with and should be eliminated from all possibility of relationship to Christian ethics.
2. The theory of absorption that at least some of the teachings of these systems may be absorbed into the body of Christian teachings.
3.The theory of supplementation
suggests that the two systems can
co-exist and the teachings of some of
the philosophers can supplement
Christian ethics in a positive way.

15. An Emphasis upon the distinctiveness of
Christian ethics magnifies the sufficiency
and the superiority of the Christian
interpretation of the good life over all
other systems.
1. Theology
2. Sociology
3. Economics
4. Citizenship
5. Psychology and Psychiatry

16. TO THEOLOGY
There is a very close relationship between
theology and ethics.
Theological beliefs form the basis for
conduct.
The two cannot be isolated. Because God
is the subject of theology, and His
righteousness is the basis for the norms of
ethical conduct.

17. TO THEOLOGY
God’s righteousness sets the ethical goals of
man.
For this reason, there will be frequent
reference in this study to the relationship
between religion and ethics in the Law, the
prophetic messages and the teaching of Jesus
and Paul.

18. TO SOCIOLOGY
Christian ethics is closely related to sociology which
is the study of human relations and ways in which
men can live together in harmony and happiness.
 Christian ethics seeks to infuse Christian
principles into society.
 It may bring a message of judgement upon
conditions which are impediments to the welfare
of mankind.

19. TO SOCIOLOGY
 It will awaken man to recognize the
spiritual values which can enhance life.
 Sociology needs assistance from
Christian ethics in its efforts to better
the social and moral conditions within
society.
 Christian ethics gives sociology a basis
of authority which is spiritual and
eternal.

20. TO ECONIMICS:
 Christianity is closely related to that which
occupies so much of man’s time-his work
and other economic factors.
 The field of Christian ethics can help man
to establish proper values for his work,
 the place of material possessions,
 the use of leisure time,
 and the stewardship of his life.

21. TO CITIZENSHIP
 Christian Ethics gives illumination to
man as he faces his civil
responsibilities.
 It helps him to know what a Christian
should do when political corruption
exists.

22. TO CITIZENSHIP
 It can give him some sound principles
to follow as he exercises his right and
responsibility to vote in local and
national elections.
 It can help him to establish criteria that
are adequate in such problems as warn
crime, and its punishment, and
pollution.

23. CHRISTIAN ETHICS
• Emphasizes the character of the God whom we
serve,
• The moral nature of man,
• The worth of every individual in the sight of God
• And the importance of love as the central value
of life. – In decision making, love will be
accompanied by justice, tenderness, and
humility.

24. TO PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
- At times psychiatry has looked upon religion as
a deterrent to mental and emotional health,
and certainly some expressions of religion are
more harmful than beneficial.
“we are reminded of the impact of sin on mans
life”. Dr. Karl Menninger, a prominent
psychiatrist.

25. TO PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
Focusing on God will Heal You:
“Amazingly, Chung-Chou Chu & colleagues at the
Nebraska Psychiatric Institute in Omaha, USA,
found lower rates among schizophrenics who
attended the church or were give supportive
care by religious homemakers & ministers. So
worship is good for your health”.

26. Words of Wisdom about worship:
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by
the holiness of God, to feed the mind with
the truth of God, to purge the imagination by
the beauty of God, to open the heart to the
love of God, to devote the will to the
purpose of God.”
William Temple, archbishop of Canterbury

27. TO PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
Psychology and Christian ethics are both
interested in the place of motivation in
human conduct. Good conduct, out of right
motive, is the goal in both disciplines, and
the two can assist each other in their
attempts to help man to achieve this end.

28. TO PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
 Through a better understanding of the
individual and what motivates him, psychology
can help him to achieve inner peace in and
through a healthy religious experience.
 At the same time, Christian either can give to
psychology the underpinnings which it needs
to offer positive and lasting help to others.

29. WHY STUDY CHRISTAN ETHICS:
1.It is an integral part of several disciplines dealing
with man’s relations in his daily life.
Reason: A person has to make decisions continually
which involve to some degree, his sense of values, his
belief about man’s worth, and his responsibility
towards his neighbor. If he has a Christian basis to
help him determine his attitude and actions, he will
then experience a greater degree of happiness, self-
realization, and harmony with the world.

30. WHY STUDY CHRISTAN ETHICS:
1.It is an integral part of several disciplines dealing
with man’s relations in his daily life.
2. A study of Christian ethics helps us to
distinguish between what is vital and what is
peripheral.
Example: Proper dress for woman and
dehumanization of the individual due to
overpopulation.

31. WHY STUDY CHRISTAN ETHICS:
1. It is an integral part of several disciplines dealing with man’s relations in his daily life.
2. A study of Christian ethics helps us to distinguish between what is vital and what is peripheral.
Example: Proper dress for woman and dehumanization of the individual due to overpopulation.
3. CHRISTIAN ETHICS enables us to establish worthy
goals in life and serves also as a compass to guide us
in our daily activities to reach these goals.
4. Christian Ethics helps us establish ideals for our lives
as well as assists us in the process through which we
achieve theses ideals.
Example: Jesus said: Be ye therefore perfect, even as
your father which is heaven is perfect. (Matt 5: 48)

32. Message: Jesus said: Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your
father which is heaven is perfect.
(Matt 5: 48)
Can we do it? Are we capable of
making it happen?

33. I can do all things in him
(CHRIST)who strengthens
me.

34. 1.https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl20
1/modules/Philosophers/Plato/plato02
_objective_values.html
2.James, Giles (1978). Biblical Ethics
and Contemporary Issues
3. Health and Home, 1996 Issue

35. Assessment:
1. What made Christian Ethics differ
from ethics in general - defined as
science of morality/normative
science.
2. How would you answer the question
“Why be moral?”
3. Why rules are so important? Give
some examples on the rules—like in
sport games and traffic laws, etc.