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Full-Text Articles in Ethics in Religion
Biblical Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery
Biblical Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Biblical Literature
This article outlines the parameters of biblical ethics. It begins with an overview of how ethics functions in different ways throughout the biblical text, then it describes the ways that the content and emphases of biblical ethics changed over time, as evidenced in the biblical books themselves. This understanding provides a backdrop for a Wesleyan approach to appropriating biblical ethics for contemporary ethical issues.
Learning To Think Ethically: Moral Development For University Students, Kevin Twain Lowery
Learning To Think Ethically: Moral Development For University Students, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
This short article briefly describes all of the different dynamics and factors that make moral theory rather complex. Some examples are provided to illustrate how these complexities can be addressed and explained in the classroom. The author also notes how social science informs ethics and how theological and biblical hermeneutics shape Christian ethics in particular.
Understanding The Complexities Of The Gay Marriage Issue, Kevin Twain Lowery
Understanding The Complexities Of The Gay Marriage Issue, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
The goal of this paper is to help frame the issue of gay marriage in a constructive way, without the rhetoric and the oversimplifications that are too often prevalent. It is the author’s contention that this issue is not ultimately about legal rights; it is about legitimation. In order to support this claim, it is first necessary to clarify the various aspects of the issue, namely, homosexuality itself, the role of marriage in society, and the hermeneutical challenge of formulating a Christian response. The paper also briefly considers some of the more common arguments that are made for or against …
Ethics As Relational, Kevin Twain Lowery
Ethics As Relational, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
This essay explores the relational nature of ethics. Rather than envision ethics as an abstract set of rules, goals, virtues, etc., we should understand ethics as part of the process of establishing and fostering relationships both with God and with others. Consequently, promoting the well-being and happiness of others is a central part of ethics.
Empiricism And Wesleyan Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery
Empiricism And Wesleyan Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
In this article, the open-endedness of Wesleyan ethics is affirmed; attempts to articulate a system of Wesleyan ethics have been few, and it would be virtually impossible for any single expression of Wesleyan ethics to be regarded as definitive for the tradition as a whole. The fact that Wesleyan ethics is a relatively open field allows it to be developed in a number of ways that can still be regarded as Wesleyan or are at least consistent with basic Wesleyan commitments. Wesley’s allegiance to empiricism is then recalled, and the importance of addressing epistemological questions is stressed. An outline of …
Where Should Wesleyan Ethics Go From Here? A Response To Eric Manchester, Kevin Twain Lowery
Where Should Wesleyan Ethics Go From Here? A Response To Eric Manchester, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
[Response to comments by Eric Manchester regarding the author’s book, Salvaging Wesley’s Agenda (2008).] Manchester has accurately articulated the concerns which drive the book, especially the criticisms that I leveled against Wesleyan developments that have outlived much of their usefulness and need to be replaced with a new paradigm. It was my hope from the beginning that this project might spur meaningful discussion about fruitful ways to develop Wesleyan models of moral development.
Teaching And Preaching Ethical Issues, Kevin Twain Lowery
Teaching And Preaching Ethical Issues, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
Provides guidance about covering ethical issues in teaching and preaching.
Is Self-Love Always A Vice? An Edwardsian Critique Of Reinhold Niebuhr, Kevin Twain Lowery
Is Self-Love Always A Vice? An Edwardsian Critique Of Reinhold Niebuhr, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
Reinhold Niebuhr is often criticized for the negative attitude he has toward self-interest. The author contends that the writings of Jonathan Edwards, especially his understanding of natural morality, can form a counter-argument against Niebuhr’s claims. After examining both views, an attempt is made to show that Edwards can easily withstand some of the more prominent critiques made against Niebuhr.