TL3220-1 CHRISTIAN ETHICS
Tuesday &
Thursday,
Professor: Dr. Javier (Jay) Alanís
E-Mail: revjay3@juno.com
Course Description:
“What ought I to do?” “What is the basis for your judgment?” “What are the sources that inform judgments of right and wrong?” These are some of the questions ethicists raise when facing tough ethical issues in today’s world. Some people make the claim that we are living in a morally confused world. Arguments are made that we are living on the basis of moral fragments. But are we really living on the basis of moral fragments? Or, is that the way God is leading us in the 21st century? This course seeks to investigate the claim that how one is formed religiously and culturally contributes to one’s ability to make ethically sound decisions.
Course Goals:
(1) To survey basic understandings and concepts of Christian ethics from a diversity of viewpoints
(2) To enhance the students ability to make theologically informed ethical discernment and judgments
(3) To equip students for leadership in moral deliberation at the congregational level
Outline and Content of the Course:
(1) The use of the Bible in Christian ethics
(2) Christian ethics: A Diversity of Perspectives
(3) The Formation of the “moral agent”
(4) Testing the Christian vocation: Case Studies
Course Requirements:
The following work is required of all students. First, each student is to prepare a two
(2- page statement on “Theological and Ethical Presuppositions I Bring to
Scripture.” This statement is
Since this is a conversation-oriented class, regular attendance is expected. More than two unexcused absences will result in a failure of the class. If one cannot make class, please contact the professor. I encourage the use of e-mail for this purpose.
Course Grading
(1) First Paper (“Theological and Ethical Presuppositions I Bring to Scripture”): 20%
(2) Leading a class discussion with use of written critique: 20% of the grade.
(3) A well-crafted final project/paper: 45% of the grade.
(4) 3-page review of an article listed in the Journal of Lutheran Ethics: 15% of the grade.
Written Work
All written work should be done according to Kate Turabian, latest edition, and use inclusive language.
Final Project/Paper
The final project/paper should incorporate an ethical perspective different from your community of origin or gender. The paper should be 10-15 pages in length. Choose an ethical problem that the ELCA has developed or is developing a policy statement on. No two students may choose the same issue. In the alternative, one student can choose a “pro” issue stance and another may choose a “contra” issue stance for ethical deliberation, especially as this may apply at the congregational level. Please attach copies of the policy statements or related documents to your papers.
Goals of the Course
This course has two goals. First, we will explore how the congregation can be a place of moral deliberation and how you as the pastoral leader can guide the discussion on tough ethical issues confronting the church. The model Constitution for congregations in the ELCA says: “The Church is a people created by God in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, called and sent to bear witness to God’s creative, redeeming, and sanctifying activity in the world.” The congregation, therefore, is a community of believers called together through the Holy Spirit. The congregation is that “sacred space” where deliberation can take place. The classroom will be a window of how congregations can approach moral deliberation on ethical issues.
The second goal will be to explore how Lutheran ethicists interpret the role of ethics in moral deliberation in light of the witness of scripture, history, reason, and the Lutheran Tradition. The content of the course will be arranged in a way to facilitate our conversation. A high degree of respect for each other’s opinion, viewpoint, and experience will be observed at all times. Please allow a speaker to finish her/his train of thought before offering a counter-argument or critical observation. This respectful style of engagement will facilitate learning by all participants and provide a valuable leadership experience for dialogue and moral deliberation at the congregational level.
The course begins with a review of ethical theories and a proposal for approaching social ethics (Jersild). Next, we will learn anew how to engage in moral deliberation about a “controversial” issue (Talking Together as Christians about Tough Social Issues). The foundational document of the Church is the Bible. As believers, we are led by the Holy Spirit to study scripture. We will, therefore, examine how biblical scholars and ethicists interpret scripture for moral deliberation. As a seminary program of the ELCA we will explore our denomination’s policies regarding tough social and ethical issues confronting the Church.
A variety of methods will be employed in this course. There will be an introductory lecture, discussion of readings led by the students, film(s), guest speaker(s) and a final project/paper.
The principal method will be conversation. The following quote from David Tracy sets the
framework for our conversation.
“to say only what you mean; say it as accurately as you can; listen to and respect what the other says, however different or other; be willing to correct or defend your opinions if challenged by the conversation partner; be willing to argue if necessary, to confront if demanded, to endure necessary conflict, to change your mind if the evidence suggests it.” [1]
In order for the congregation to
be a place for moral deliberation, individuals within the congregation are
called to follow the Apostle Paul’s guidance on issues that have moral
implications. All ideas should be tested
(1 Thess.
Relying on an elite group of individuals.[2]
In an essay written by Susan M. Simonaitis, “Teaching as Conversation,” she writes, “The professor is trained as a theologian who uses, and who takes seriously, a variety of methods and approaches to the study of religion (including philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, cultural theory, critical theory, etc.). She will not agree with all the texts/approaches that we explore, nor will she expect students to agree with everything submitted for examination. However, she will insist that students “submit” themselves to the discipline of learning through perspectives that may or may not be ultimately embraced, and she will encourage students, in the process of this submission, to persistently and courageously discover and develop their own (informed) views, their own projects.”[3] Simonaitis captures what this professor believes is important. It would be easier for the professor to prescribe what pastoral leaders should believe about ethical issues. However, the church, especially the ELCA, needs leaders who are able to voice their opinions clearly, able to critically engage the resources of the Christian Tradition, cogently and critically express diverse Lutheran expressions of that Tradition, employ appropriate passion, and listen to what others are saying and thinking.
Our conversation will be facilitated through common readings. Each person will be responsible for reading the assigned text prior to class. The following questions guide the required reading:
Baker-Fletcher, Garth, Dirty Hands
Birch & Rasmussen, The Bible & Ethics in the Christian Life
Bloomquist, Karen and John Stumme, eds., The Promise of Lutheran Ethics
Daly, Feminist Theological Ethics
Frankena, William, Ethics
García, Dignidad: Ethics Through Hispanic Eyes
On Reserve
Aquino, Machado, and Rodríguez,
eds., A Reader in
Stivers, Gudorf & Evans, Christian Ethics, A Case Method Approach, Second Edition
Required
Written Work Due: 2-page outline of one chapter of Ethics for discussion in class
Required
Chapters 1 - 3
Written Work Due: “Theological and Ethical Presuppositions I bring to
Scripture”
Required
Chapters 4 - 7
Required
Chapters 1 - 5
Required
Chapters 6 - 9
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
Required
the Undocumented Woman,” in A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology, 161-176 (on reserve)
Required
Ethics, Second Edition, 229-258 (on reserve)
Written Work Due: 3-page review/critique of an article listed in the Journal of
Lutheran Ethics for review in class
Required
Christian Ethics, Second Edition, 261-287 (on reserve)
[1] David Tracy, Plurality and Ambiguity: Hermeneutics, Religion, and Hope (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), 19.
[2] See David Fredrickson’s essay, “Pauline Ethics, “in The Promise of Lutheran Ethics. Karen L. Bloomquist and John R. Stumme, Editors (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), 115-129. I am indebted to Fredrickson’s analysis of the nature of the congregation and the role of believers.
[3] The
Scope of Our Art: The Vocation of the Theological Teacher, L. Gregory Jones
and Stephanie Paulsell, Editors (