Christian Ethics: An Essential Guide

By Robin W. Lovin

Book Overview

In this excellent outline of Christian ethics, Robin W. Lovin achieves a balance between the questions and issues which form the core of the study of ethics and the life situations from which those questions arise. Eschewing a sectarian approach which dismisses other understandings of the moral life, Lovin nonetheless lays claim to a specifically Christian understanding of ethics. He begins with basic Christian convictions about the reality of God and human redemption and weaves these convictions into the fabric of moral concerns that are widely shared in contemporary society. He takes note of the problems that arise when Christians try to act on or enforce their convictions in a pluralistic society and recognizes the variety of theological and moral beliefs that are held within the Christian community, as well as in the wider society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0687054621
• ISBN13: 9780687054626
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Needed for class

This book was a requirement for my Christian Ethics class. It was a very basic introduction to Christian Ethics.

Helpful Introduction

Lovin's text is not intended to provide guidelines for ethical leadership as a Christian. It is not designed to be a programmatic statement of position on particular moral issues of our day. It is not designed to be a theological treatise of his own "moral theology." Lovin's text is a profoundly simple and easy to read text that introduces the basic aspects of thinking about ethics from a Christian theological standpoint. It is an ideal first textbook for use in undergraduate courses on Theological Ethics, which is precisely how it is most commonly used. Though brief, the text is dense with helful characterizations of complex arguments that take center stage in the academic field at present. As a student of Christian Ethics, I can certainly say with confidence that unindoctrinated readers will be introduced to many such conversations without even knowing it, which is the real beauty of Lovin's accomplishment. This is a text that focuses on the issues of ethics as a discipline and how Christian's "do" ethics without getting bogged down by particular scholars and their nuanced arguments. BUT, and most importantly, readers of this text who later encounter those arguments or arguments concerning the same themes will be able to join in and contribute responsibly and intelligently. This text is suitable for church-based religious education programs, undergraduate courses, and simply for interested thinkers of all types.