‘The most important source for Christian ethics is Church teaching.’ Discuss [30 marks]
There are a multitude of differing opinions as to what acts as the most important source for Christain ethics, with
arguments of the church, the bible, agape love, reason, or simply put, God. When evaluating the most important
source, there are ultimately three different approaches to be taken, being a heteronomous, autonomous or
theonomous view. This essay, however, will demonstrate that the most important source for Christian ethics, is
not in fact the teachings of the Church, but it is the collective heteronomous approach that would work more
effectively. A heteronomous approach, means, by definition ethics that are governed by several sources of
authority or law, thus including the Church, but also the Bible as well as God himself. Moreover this line of
argument will include the scholars Hans Kung, James Robinson, John Calvin, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
and Stanley Hauerwas.
The first way in which it could be argued that the most important source for Christian ethics is Church teaching,
is through the fact the role of the Church is to guide individuals with moral decision making. The Magisterium,
published in a Papal encyclical, expresses the official teachings of the Catholic Church. Ultimately the
Magisterium has a great deal of authority and is expected to be followed in all ordinary circumstances. A recent
example of the encyclical on moral theology is known as ‘Veritatis Splendour’, in which the Pope argues moral
law is knowable to all people and may be known through reason. As humans are weak and sinful, we cannot
rely on our conscience and reason alone, and it is because of this that the Church guides individuals in their
moral decisions, and could be argued as the most important source for Christian ethics. A scholar who would
support this core strength of the Church’s teachings acting as a moral guide is Stanley Hauerwas, an influential
but controversial contemporary theologian. Hauerwas argued that Christian ethics can only be practised within a
Christian worshipping community, in other words, the Church. It therefore shows through Hauerwas’ scholarly
opinion that the Church allows Chrisitan ethics to be communal, an important asset to have as compared to an
autonomous approach. There are, however, circumstances where the practices and teachings of the Church can
be questioned. This can be corroborated through the sale of indulgences, a distinctive feature of the penitential
system of both the Western mediaeval and the Roman Catholic Church that granted full or partial remission of
the punishment of sin. It is through this example that shows the issues with solely relying on the teachings of the
Church and thus it is clear there are questions as to whether this can be considered as the most important source
for Christian ethics.
Another way in which the source of Church teaching can be criticised, and consequently meaning it cannot be
considered as the most important source for Christian ethics, is through the opposition of the scholar Hans
Kung. Kung is an example of a liberal catholic, who advocates much greater autonomy in ethical decision
making and in essence rejected papal infallibility. Kung argues that rather than the Church acting as the most
important source for Chrisitan ethics, the principle of agape should be derived from Jesus’ statements, and can
be corroborated by when in John 15:12 he states ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have
loved you’. Whilst Kung’s ideas certainly encounter strengths in comparison to Church teachings, his ethics are
problematic in that individual reasoning can lead to different outcomes depending on who is making them. Take
the example of euthanaisa, applying the principle of agape can either result in people performing euthanasia to
ease the suffering of loved ones, or rejecting it because of a desire to spend more time with their family before
their death, a loving thing to do in either circumstance. It is thus through these individual situations and
differences of opinion that Kung's ethic seems to run the risk of becoming too antinomian in that it seems to
discard the need for moral rules other than ‘love’. Moreover it seems preposterous, when using an autonomous
approach, that an individual would be able to make a more informed choice than that of Church scholars. Rather
than autonomy, the risk is that the individual is idolised - having more moral authority than the Church or the
Bible, and thus again running a risk of what the scholar James Robinson labels as ‘Ending in moral chaos’.
Thus, it is clear that Kung’s ideas also encounter a similar amount of criticisms as Church teachings,
demonstrating that a collective decision based on Bible, Church and reason would be fairer, extending to all and
maintaining standards within Christian ethics.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lucyhgworthington. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.29. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
