Books in the New Studies in Christian Ethics series

"Offers an innovative theological look at what family might mean that cuts deeper than current, mostly polarised debates. The book taps literary, artistic and biblical sources and brings them into conversation with family studies from humanities and social science to understand why family is currently a controversial topic"--

Cahill addresses the ethics of sexuality, marriage, parenthood and family from a feminist Christian standpoint. She reaffirms the traditional unity of sex, love and parenthood, as a guiding framework. She develops New Testament models of community and of moral formation in a context of concern for the poor and marginalised.

"A necessary book for healthcare professionals and theologians struggling with moral questions about rationing in healthcare. This book outlines a Christian ethical basis for how decisions about health care funding and priority-setting ought to be made"--

Participants in biotechnology debates often argue that human nature has normative status, so that ethical evaluations of biotechnologies that affect human nature must consider their implications for human nature. Focusing on Christian ethics in conversation with secular ethics, this book is the first thorough analysis of this controversial issue.

This book argues that moral passion and rational ethical deliberation are not enemies, and that moral passion often lurks behind, and is implicit within, many apparently rational ethical commitments. It also contends that while moral passion is a key component of truly selfless moral action, without rational ethical deliberation it can also be extremely dangerous.

This book is for students of theology, Christian ethics, and religious and gender studies; and everyone longing for the full acceptance of women and LGBTIQ people in the churches and beyond. It exposes the roots of prejudice against women and sexual minorities, and offers constructive proposals for gender justice.

This book defends the controversial 'absolute view' that lying is always wrong. Whereas most people believe that lying for a good cause is morally acceptable, Tollefsen argues that Christians should support the absolute view, invoking Augustine and Aquinas to illustrate that lying violates the goods of integrity, sociality, religion, and truth.

This book discusses why just action is a criterion of authentic Christian theology, and gives grounds for hope that change in violent structures is possible. Cahill connects traditional doctrines and liturgy with contemporary liberation and justice. Of great interest to students of theology, religious ethics and politics, and bible studies.

This book, first published in 2000, provides a moral and empirical analysis of contemporary social and economic inequality. Drawing on Christian social ethics, political philosophy, and development economics, the book seeks to create an interdisciplinary conversation that illuminates not only the contemporary realities and trends of inequality, but their moral significance as well.

Contemporary culture encourages self love while depriving us of the resources needed to discern what it means to love ourselves rightly. This book argues that proper self love involves truthfulness of and to the self, embodied in actions and relations, under the norms of love for God and neighbor.

The marketplace is a remarkable social institution that has greatly extended our individual reach. In this book, Albino Barrera examines our own moral responsibilities for the distant harms of our market transactions, identifying how the market's division of labour makes us unwitting collaborators in others' wrongdoing and in collective ills.

Academic perspectives on addictive behaviour usually come from clinical and scientific standpoints, rejecting the 'moral model'. Cook reassesses the nature of addiction and considers the ethical challenges presented by alcohol use and misuse to both individuals and society, arguing that theology should not be excluded from serious discourse about addiction.

This book provides a full treatment (philosophical and theological) of an issue which is particularly pressing: when the claims of the nearest (e.g. parents, children, spouses, friends) conflict with the claims of the neediest, as they constantly do, where should preference go?

In a wide-ranging discussion notable for its clarity, Stanley Rudman's 1997 book traces the development of modern concepts of person, a central issue in current ethical debates. Drawing on early Christian thought, he proposes an ethic which understands personhood in relation to other people, to the environment, and to God.

This book is concerned with the communication of Christian ethics in the public forum of liberal, secular societies. It considers one of the fundamental problems of liberal societies: reconciling individual autonomy and community, and proposes a theological vision of community.

Kieran Cronin helps philosophers and theologians to understand each other's perspectives on rights, making this book a significant contribution to Christian ethics and moral philosophy.

What does it mean to forgive? Using topical examples Anthony Bash explores practical questions such as how and when it is right to forgive. The conclusions he reaches are surprising and will promote debate on and discussion about this important and complex subject.

Stephen Pope argues that our growing knowledge of human evolution is compatible with Christian faith and morality, provided that the former is not interpreted reductionistically and the latter is not understood in fundamentalist ways.

How can audiences interact creatively, wisely and peaceably with the many different forms of violence found throughout today's media? Mitchell argues that practices such as hospitality, friendship, witness and worship provide resources for viewers to remember and to reframe both spectacular and hidden violence in ways that can promote peace.

Markets can often be harsh in compelling people to make unpalatable economic choices any reasonable person would not take under normal conditions. In this book Albino Barrera argues that Christian thought on economic security offers an effective framework within which to address the consequences of economic compulsion.

Peter Sedgwick explores the relation of a theology of justice to that of human identity in the context of the market economy, and engages with critics of capitalism and the market. He recommends that the Churches remain part of the debate in reforming and humanizing the market economy.

Living Together and Christian Ethics is the first positive, in-depth study of cohabitation outside marriage from a mainstream Christian theological perspective. The book retrieves the traditions of betrothal from the Bible and church history, and shows how these can transform Christian attitudes to living together before marriage.

Current ethics is confronted by the drastic extension of human power through technological development. This radical extension of power demands a new paradigm of responsibility in ethics. By developing a coherent theory of responsibility, Schweiker shows the unique contribution of Christian faith to ethics in our time.

This stimulating and wide-ranging book mounts a profound enquiry into some of the most pressing questions of our age, by examining the relationship between biological science and Christianity. The history of biological discovery is explored from the point of view of a leading philosopher and ethicist.

James P. Mackey, one of Britain's foremeost theologians, offers a penetrating and controversial analysis of morality and of the legitimate power of authority in both secular states and the Christian churches. Such power is contrasted forcefully with the ultimate Christian power working in human beings for their final well-being.

How can Christian ethics contribute significantly to health care ethics in today's Western, pluralistic society? Gill explores the healing stories in the Synoptic Gospels, identifying four core virtues present within them - compassion, care, faith and humility - that might bring greater depth to a purely secular interpretation of health care ethics.

Justice and Christian Ethics is a study in the meaning and foundations of justice in modern society. Written from a theological perspective, its focus is upon the interaction of religion and law in their common pursuit of justice.

Does the Bible have a central place, or any place, in Christian ethics today? Should it have? If it does have, what implications does this have for biblical interpretation, as well as for Christian ethics? These are some of the questions addressed in this book, which is the first comprehensive treatment of such concerns.

Parsons describes the diversity of moral thinking within contemporary feminism, giving an overview and analysis of the major themes of feminist ethics. This book will serve as guide for the non-feminist reader, and be of interest to Christian ethicists and moral philosophers as well as feminist scholars.