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 complex 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 provides 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 diversity of material and arguments explored here.

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 000

Subject Index 000

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 partner 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).