North Carolina Wesleyan College
Humanities Division
Fall 2001

Religion 401 – Christian Ethics (WI)
Tues & Thurs 11:20-12:50
Room: PC 274

Instructor: Steven A. Benko, MA, M.Phil e-mail: sabenko1@hotmail.com
Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 1:00 – 2:30
Or by appt. – Braswell 231A

Required Texts: These texts can be purchased in the student bookstore, local bookstores, or online. They are also on reserve in the library. d Peter Markie, eds. (ssuesevil, right and wrnt times in history have understood, and attemtped aper

A Shorter Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages of Aquinas’ Summa Theologia, Peter Kreeft, ed.

Lectures on Philosophical Theology, Immanuel Kant

Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard

The City of God, St. Augustine

Shantung Compound: The Story of Men and Women Under Pressure, Langdon Gilkey

The Hauerwas Reader, Stanley Hauerwas, edited by John Berkman and Michael Cartwright

Bible – NRSV or NIV preferred (If you do not own a Bible, many are available online; two such sites are: http://etext.virginia.edu/rsv.browse.html and http://www.hti.umich.edu/r/rsv/ )

Optional Text: Christian Ethics, Denise Carmody

Ethics is not merely something we should think about when we come upon situations that call for ethical responses, but Ethics (the philosophical tradition of Ethics, as well as our own personal ethics) is something that should be thought about when considering the type of person someone wants to be, doesn’t want to be, wants to be for others, or, the type of life someone might want to live. Christian Ethics is not just the study of right and wrong behavior, or right and wrong actions; Christian ethics is the study of what it means to live a meaningful life, or, the "good life." Every Christian person and community has a philosophy that they live by; every person and community has an understanding of what is right and wrong. A Christian person’s or community’s understanding of right and wrong, as well as what it means to live the ‘good life’ has been informed by philosophical investigations into the nature of morality, the life and teachings of Jesus, and the goal of a Christian life (ostensibly, salvation).

Christian Ethics is about what it means for a Christian to live a Christian life. Christian Ethics is as much an exploration of the meaning of Christianity as it is an exploration of what it means to live a Christian life. The writings we will study this semester seek to answer the questions, "What is the good life for Christians? What is a Christian community? What is meant by the word ‘Christianity’?" With the development of Christianity, its interaction with other traditions, and shifting philosophical concerns, the Christian life, Christian Ethics, and Christianity itself, has come to mean very different things. Exactly what is meant by ‘Christianity’ and ‘the Christian Life’ has varied throughout history. As such, we will come to no definitive answers to these questions. Instead, we will learn the various ways the question has been asked, what answers have been given, what is left to be answered, and which thinkers have provided, and continue to provide, meaningful insights into those questions.

This course is a survey of some of the writings and thinkers who have attempted to answer these profound questions about the meaning of life. In doing so, these thinkers have shaped the world we live in by offering explanations of the human condition, the good life, what is and is not moral behavior, and what is a Christian to believe and do.

This class is a historical investigation of Western religious and philosophical ethical and moral theories that can reasonably subsumed under the heading ‘Christian Ethics’. We begin with the Hebrew Scriptures; as Christianity grew out of Judaism, these texts will serve as a foundation for our investigation into Christian Ethics. Then we will examine the ethical teachings of Jesus and the changes (if any) made by his disciple Paul. After we have come to some understanding of what the Bible suggests regarding right belief and action for Christians, we will turn to two of the most influential thinkers in Christianity’s history: Augustine and Aquinas. Following the Medieval period, we will briefly touch on some thoughts about Christianity that emerged during the Reformation. Next, we will engage three of the Enlightenment and Modern Period’s most profound thinkers: Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, and Friedrich Nietzsche. One would be hard pressed to include Nietzsche as a "Christian Ethicist," but his attack on Christian morals resonates to this day, and he cannot be ignored (mostly because he refuses to go away!). Then we turn to the writings of Stanley Hauerwas who will bring us back to the beginning by grounding Christian Ethics in the life story of Jesus.

To conclude the course we will read Shantung Compound by Langdon Gilkey. The purpose of this text is to provide students with characters and situations with which to discuss and demonstrate the knowledge they have gained in this class. We will read this book in light of the thinkers we have entertained over the semester, using their thoughts to evaluate the morality of the characters, the morality of the life they lead, to come to some conclusion about which vision of Christianity and the Christian life each character is modeling.

Reading assignments are listed in the schedule of lectures. Students are required to read the assigned pages before class lecture and discussion. Students should bring their textbook or a copy of the assignment to each class.

The class format is seminar, though, as the topic requires it, there may be lectures. A seminar is different from a lecture course; in a lecture course, the professor does most of the talking, whereas in a seminar it is the responsibility of the students to come to class prepared to discuss the material for the length of the class. Students are encouraged to think of questions they might want answered, points they would want to raise, and problems they have in understanding or interpreting the text AS THEY READ to assist them in coming to class with something significant to say. While I understand that not every text is going to elicit the same response as other texts, students should, at the very least, come prepared to each class to ready to answer, when they are called upon to do so, the questions raised by the instructor and their peers.

As this course is writing intensive, students will complete a 3-4 page reflection paper at the conclusion of each unit. The general topic of each reflection paper is up to the student, but should speak to the student’s understanding of the main idea of the assigned readings, questions about the reading, points of contention (disagreements with the conclusions reached by these authors), a comment on points raised in class (or not addressed in class), or what the consequences might be for adopting, or adhering to, the ideas expressed in the text. Another possibility for the reflection papers is to put each thinker in conversation with another thinker (either covered in class or not), or, to reflect upon how the main idea(s) of the reading responds to (or fails to respond to) a contemporary situation. The basic point is that topic of each reflection papers are WIDE OPEN.

At the beginning of the semester, each student will pick one class day to lead discussion. It is up to each student to decide how he/she wants to do this. One possibility would be to read a reflection paper aloud and invite discussion on its theme and contents. Another possibility is to come to class with a series of questions about the material to put to the other students begin a conversation about those points. Yet another possibility is for the student to prepare an oral presentation to which the class will respond. Again, the basic point is that the format of the class presentation is WIDE OPEN.

At the end of the semester, students will take their reflection papers and combine them into one large term paper. This term paper must meet all the requirements of a regular term paper: coherent, documented, logical flow of ideas, main idea, and supporting examples, etc. etc. If you have a hard time with term papers, I am more than willing to offer tips and advice on how to write a term paper.

At the end of the class, each student will have a working knowledge of a variety of ethical theories and their (in)effectiveness in the world, and in life. Students will be able to discuss, orally and in writing, the justifications, benefits, and weaknesses of an ethical stance relative to a specific situation, and will be able to articulate how different thinkers at different times in history have understood, and attempted to resolve, the perennial questions of good and evil, right and wrong, and what it means to live a moral life in light of the Christian story.

Each paper is to be formatted with standard margins (1" top/bottom, 1.25" left/right), Times New Roman font, and 12-font size. Students are encouraged to use quotes in their papers (and to cite those quotes using guidelines described in the MLA Handbook or Chicago Manual of Style).

PLAGIARISM WARNING: Students are required to turn in original work; work that is not original will be considered plagiarized. Plagiarism is the borrowing, copying, or stealing of ideas or quotes without properly identifying the source of the material, or, copying, stealing, or borrowing ideas or quotes with the intent of passing them off as one’s own. Three or more words in a row from another source not properly cited will be considered plagiarized. For more on the NCWC policy on plagiarism see the college handbook (Handbook, p. 76). Any work that makes use of quotes from scholarly works but does not cite them in either a footnote, endnote, or bibliography will be considered plagiarized and receive a failing grade.

NOTE: Papers are due by the end of class on the date specified. Points will be deducted from late papers relative to how late they are. Points will also be deducted from papers that do not meet the length or formatting requirements.

Regular class attendance is essential for your success in this class. Attendance is mandatory and will be taken each day. Per North Carolina Wesleyan College guidelines, all students are expected to attend all classes and arrive on time for them. Each unexcused absence after the first one will result in a deduction of one point from the attendance and participation component.

Participation: Students are encouraged to participate in class discussion.

Participation: 100 points

Reflection Papers: 10 points each (80 total points)

Term Paper: 40 points

Attendance: 30 points

8/28 Intro – Syllabus Review

Class Setup

8/30 Foundations: Ethics in the Genesis 1:26-3:24; Carmody, ch. 1

Hebrew Scriptures* Exodus 20-22, 23:1-9;

Leviticus 17-26; Deuteronomy 5:6-21

Amos 4-5; Proverbs 1, 31:10-31

Isaiah 53

9/4 Ethics in the Christian Mark 10:2-9, 12:28-44 Carmody, ch. 2

Scriptures Matthew 5-7, 12:33-40; 22:37-40;

Luke 6:27-31; 10:27-42

Revelations 17:1-8, 20:1-21:4

9/6 Ethics in Paul* I Corinthians 6-7, 11:2-16; 13:1-13;

Ephesians 4:22-5:14, 5:21-6:9

Romans 2:17-3:4, 5:1-11, 6:1-15, 13:1-10, 16:1-7

Galatians 3:27-28, 5:19-23

I Timothy 2:8-15

9/11 Augustine City of God, Book XII Carmody, ch. 3

9/13 Augustine City of God, Book XIV

9/18 Augustine* City of God, Book XIX Carmody, ch. 4, pp. 71-74

9/20 Aquinas

9/25 Aquinas

9/27 Aquinas*

10/2 Reformation Carmody, ch. 5

* Selected readings on the Reformation,

Christianity, and Christian Ethics

10/4 Immanuel Kant Lectures on Philosophical Theology Carmody, ch. 6

"Introduction"

10/9 Immanuel Kant Lectures on Philosophical Theology

pp. 109-130

10/11 Immanuel Kant* Lecture on Philosophical Theology

pp. 131-165

10/16 FALL BREAK – NO CLASS

10/18 Soren Kierkegaard Fear and Trembling, pp. 7-56

10/23 Soren Kierkegaard Fear and Trembling, pp. 57-108

10/25 Soren Kierkegaard Fear and Trembling, pp. 109-end

10/30 Soren Kierkegaard* LECTURE: Irony, Comedy, and the

Ethical or Religious Life

11/1 Friedrich Nietzsche* * Selected readings from Beyond Good

and Twilight of the Idols

11/6 Hauerwas Hauerwas Reader, ch. 9

11/8 Hauerwas Hauerwas Reader, ch. 1

11/13 Hauerwas* Hauerwas Reader, ch. 5, 25, 17

11/15 Langdon Gilkey Shantung Compound, ch. 1-3

11/20 Langdon Gilkey Shantung Compound, ch. 4-6

11/22 THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO CLASS

11/27 Langdon Gilkey Shantung Compound, ch. 7-9

11/29 Langdon Gilkey Shantung Compound, ch. 10-14

NOTE: Topics marked with a star indicate the end of the unit students are to prepare a reflection paper for. Reflection papers are due on the last day that topic is to be covered in class. Here is a schedule for Reflection Paper topics and Due Dates:

TOPIC Due Date

Ethics in the Hebrew Scriptures 8/30

Ethics in the Christian Scriptures/Paul 9/6

St. Augustine 9/18

Aquinas 9/27

Kant 10/11

Soren Kierkegaard 10/30

Friedrich Nietzsche 11/1

Hauerwas 11/13