1.1. How does scripture function in ethical decision making?
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to provide us with "direct commandments or prohibitions of specific behaviors." | no divorce (Mt 19:9); obey authorities (Rom 13:1) | fundamentalism; conservative evangelicalism; Calvinism; K. Barth |
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to construct "general frameworks of moral consideration by which particular decisions about action are to be governed." | love one another (Jn 13:34; 1 Cor 13); regard others highly (Phil 2:3) |
evangelicalism; liberal protestantism; Augustine; R. Neibuhr |
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to tell "stories or summary accounts of characters who model exemplary conduct (or negative paradigms: characters who model reprehensible conduct)." | Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37); martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7); heroes of faith (Heb 11) | the early church; K. Barth; non-white / non-European (e.g., Black, aboriginal) churches |
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to create "perceptual categories through which we interpret reality." Especially: "representations of the human condition and...depictions of the character of God." | human need (Rom 1); God (Mt 5:43-48); church (1 Cor, Eph) | R. Neibuhr; K. Barth; Roman Catholicism?; the post-modern church? |
1.2. Consider Acts 4:32-35 or 1 Cor 1:18-25. How might each different mode alter the shape of an ethical appeal to such passages?
- rule
- principle
- paradigm
- symbolic world
2.1. What are our sources of authority? How do they relate to each other? What do we do if they conflict?
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- Scripture
- the "norming norm" (norma normans)
- the prime but not the only authority
- interpretations of Scripture are always mediated through the other three: tradition, reason and experience
- Tradition
- "church's time-honored practices of worship, service, and critical reflection"
- includes ancient creeds, church fathers, denominational statements; classic works of theology
- "teaches us how to read with imaginative sympathy and an obedient spirit"
- Reason
- "understandings of the world attained through systematic philosophical reflection and through scientific investigation"
- clarifies the relationship of the bible to the world around us
- sheds light upon the cultural context of scripture
- culturally determined (entirely? to some extent?) and therefore subordinate
- Experience
- illuminates the meaning of the text
- confirms the significance/relevance/application of Scripture
- of individuals and of communities
"Private revelatory experiences may prove edifying, but they can claim normative status in the interpretation of Scripture only insofar as they are received and validated in the wider experience of the community" (211). See Paul's vision in Acts 16:9-10.
2.2. Suggest examples (real, apparent, hypothetical) of conflict between sources of authority:
- Scripture versus Tradition:
- Scripture versus Reason:
- Scripture versus Experience:
- Tradition versus Reason:
- Tradition versus Experience:
- Reason versus Experience:
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Barth