‘The principle of Agape is a better guide to ethical decision making than the concept of Duty, when considering New Testament Ethics in relation to dealing with issues of Sexual Ethics’

Introduction: Sexual Ethics is fundamentally a Religious ethic as it is arguable Religion that has made issues such as Homosexuality the topic of ethical debate Therefore it follows that a Religious ethical principle would be most appropriate when considering the morality of specific sexual issues Both the principle of Agape and the concept of Duty are traditionally considered to be founded in New Testament ideas BUT how prominent are they in dealing with practical issues in a modern world?

‘The principle of Agape is a better guide to ethical decision making than the concept of Duty, when considering New Testament Ethics in relation to dealing with issues of Sexual Ethics’ AGREE or DISAGREE

AGAPE= unconditional love You should accept people as they are ‘…Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ Matt 19:19 How would you want to be treated? You shouldn’t Judge others ‘Do not Judge other People or you will be judged’ Matthew 7:1 SITUATION ETHICS: Applying Agape AGREE Do the most loving thing in each situation ‘The rightness or Wrongness of an action depends on whether or not it has a loving purpose’ Follow Jesus’ Example… Problem is that Jesus wasn’t gay & neither did he talk Specifically about Homosexual relationships Does this mean that it is ok to have a homosexual relationship as long as you do so with a loving purpose? Theoretically… YES! HOWEVER! This contradicts New testament teachings ‘Those who sin sexually… men who have sex with other men… will not inherit the Kingdom of God’ 1 Corinthians 6:9

DISAGREE Duty could also be Applied to sexual ethics The Old Testament Teaches that we Should follow God’s will Ecclesiastes The O.T. Gives specific teachings about Homosexuality Deuteronomy ‘Don’t think that I come to Destroy the old law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to Destroy but to fulfil’ Matt 5:17 The New Testament Seeks to re-apply these Old Testament laws There are also specific teachings on homosexuality in the New testament ‘Those who sin sexually… men who have sex with other men…will not inherit the Kingdom of God’ 1 Corinthians 6:9 However there aren’t any Specific teachings on ‘Duty’ In the New Testament NATURAL MORAL LAW: Teaches the importance of Doing our ‘Duty O.T. Teachings Catholics take this to the extreme Ex-communicating People in homo- Sexual relationships Not very accepting!

Conclusion: AGAPE: it is hard to combine such a relative and subjective concept with other scriptural teachings when applying them to sexual ethics DUTY: duty relies on knowing God’s will in each situation, some Christians (Baptists) may argue that the New Testament helps to reveal God’s will. However, we can never be sure and the absolute stance of a duty based morality clashes with the more relative approach taken in New Testament ethics

So… ‘The principle of Agape is a better guide to ethical decision making than the concept of Duty, when considering New Testament Ethics in relation to dealing with issues of Sexual Ethics’ ‘I would say that neither the principle of Agape nor the concept of Duty are any more useful than the other when dealing with issues of Sexual Ethics’