Christian Ethics: A Brief History

From questions about the status of early Christians who renounced their religion under Roman torture, through to current debates about euthanasia, Christianity has always had to grapple with complex moral problems. This book steers readers through these issues, providing a clear and decisive history of the main figures and texts in Christian ethics. Engaging with key figures such as Augustine, Benedict, Aquinas, Luther and Barth, it draws attention to the ways in which particular historical situations have thrown up different ethical dilemmas. Questions arising include human will, the proper form of Christian life, natural law, and whether human nature is at odds with Christian ethics. In conclusion, the author considers the contribution that Christian ethics can make to contemporary moral debates.

Preface.

Introduction.

1. Benedict and the Practice of Christian Life.

2. Augustine, God and Human Nature: The Theory of the Christian Life.

3. Thomas Aquinas: The Natural Law and the Loss of christian Ethics.

4. Martin Luther: Against Ethics.

5. Butler, Kant and Kierkegaard: The Turn tot he Subject.

6. Nietzsche and the Genealogists: Suspecting the Subject.

7. Barth and John Paul II: The Rediscovery of Christian Ethics.

8. History in the Present: Genetics, Ethics and Christian Life.

Bibliography

Dr Michael Banner is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

One might expect such a history to begin with the Bible, but Banner starts with a small work from the early Church: the Rule of St. Benedict (550 C.E.), which he claims is the paradigmatic framework with which to understand Christian ethics. . . Although Banner states that he does not intend to defend Christianity, his positive opinion of it emerges (which is not of itself a short–coming)." (Philosophy in Review, August 2010)

“As the title of the present volume indicates, the aim of the book is to provide a brief history of Christian ethics. The author does this by engaging with key figures and their thought, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther, which allows him to draw out the challenges to Christian ethics, which Nietzsche and other nineteenth–century thinkers as well as contemporary relativism have presented.” ( Journal of Contemporary Religion , May 2010)

“This book is part of a series that aims to present ‘brief, accessible, and lively accounts of key topics within theology and religion.’ This history of Christian ethics succeeds in all three aims.” (CHOICE, October 2009)