DESCRIPTION:

Ethics is the examination of the goals motivating human behavior and the norms forming and governing that behavior. The classical Greeks understood ethics to be concerned with the pursuit of "the good"; a distinctively Christian ethic will connect "the good" with the heart and mind of God. Furthermore, it will describe the goals and norms of human behavior in consonance with the biblical witness. In this witness, Jesus Christ is the ultimate teacher, the model par excellence and the source of power for integral living.

In this course we shall learn key concepts and typologies of ethical decision making from the tradition of philosophical ethics, explore various ways in which Christian believers use the Bible as a source of ethical goals and norms, and engage one another in conversation about specific contemporary ethical issues.

The Church of Jesus Christ needs to seriously and consistently embody the goals and values of the Kingdom of God in this broken world. Therefore, Christian ministers need to preach, teach and model these goals and values personally, and to be about forming disciples accordingly. To this end, we must constantly refine our own processes of ethical deliberation so that they become clearer, more self-conscious and more consistent. We are called to be the conscience of our congregations and of our increasingly secular cultures.

Lectures, discussion and case studies. The class will meet once a week for three hours.

De La Torre, Miguel. Reading the Bible from the Margins. Orbis, 2002.

Giles, James E. Bases Bíblicas de la etica. Casa Bautista de Publicaciones, 1994.

Mott, Stephen Charles. Etica Bíblica y cambio social. Nueva Creación (Eerdmans), 1995.

Sider, Ronald J. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Word, 1997.

Stott, John. La fe Cristiana frente a los desafíos contemporáneos. Nueva Creación (Eerdmans), 1991.

Midterm examination (essay questions) to be done at home, independent research project chosen in consultation with the professor, and final examination (practical dilemmas) to be taken in class.

Ability to speak and read Spanish..

Meets M.Div. core requirements in Ethics (ETH).

Yes.