Character, Choices & Community: The Three Faces of Christian Ethics

By Patrick T. McCormick and Russell B. Connors Jr.

Book Overview

In their first and highly praised book together, Character, Choices and Community (Paulist Press, 1998), Pat McCormick and Russ Connors identified and discussed character, choices and community as the three essential and interrelated "ingredients" of moral experience. This second book is a companion volume. Here the authors provide a consistent and systematic method for making connections between those three elements of moral experience and concrete ethical issues. In the first chapter they describe the method they will use to "face the issues," and then, in five substantive chapters, they display their method as they address complex and controversial issues related to the economy, to war and violence, to medicine, sexuality, and the environment. This is a work of Christian ethics, written by two Catholic theologians, but will be useful across many denominations, . It may be used in conjunction with their first book, but it also stands alone very well. Written again for non-experts, this will be useful for both undergraduate and graduate students, and for all others interested in making connections between important convictions of Christian faith and critical moral issues of the day. +

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809138050
• ISBN13: 9780809138050
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Paulist Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Okay, it is about Ethics

Well written and completely accessible to the average reader this book brings what can be a very heady topic down to earth where we can all wrestle with it. If you only like to read novels then this is not for you, after all it is a book about ethics. If, on the other hand, you are interested in a book that will lead you to a deeper understanding of yourself, our culture, and the dynamics that play out in groups from families to nations then this book will offer you some valuable insights.

Learn to Live the Virtuous Christian Life

This insightful book touches upon the issues concerning virtues, morals, and conscience among other things. There are many virtues central to Christian living because being virtuous is part of the Christian duty. They discuss how it is important to begin with experience when reflecting on morality because that is the only way one can understand how actions can affect others. All moral norms attempt to protect or promote some basic good or value. Much of this book highlights how our character and choices affect the community we live in and how we can decide if an action directs us and our community towards virtue and the right thing to do. It is our free response to do as we wish and this book helps us to use moral reasoning in all we do to "energize us for the sustained striving toward goodness, rightness and justice" (193). The text was not difficult to read and the writers excelled in their smooth transitions from chapter to chapter. Because of this book, I've thought about the effect of my actions on others more thoroughly and because of that, my actions seem more responsible, so I guess that means I've been making the right choices.