1. Would it ever be wrong to act justly?
Would it ever be wrong to avoid murder?
If you had to choose one ethical rule to live by, what would it be?

2. situation ethics Key Words Learning objective:
To consider the changes in ideology and society in the 1960s.
To know the key feature of situation ethics
To understand the influence of William Temple to situation ethics
Key Words

3. The Values of the 1960s?
love, sexual freedom, creativity, judgement, questioning of authority, fun, youth culture, peace, following tradition, individualism, being respectable, sexual equality, expression, punishment, looking up to authority, being happy, peace, taking responsibility, pushing the boundaries

4. The Values of the 1960s?
love, sexual freedom, creativity, judgement, questioning of authority, fun, youth culture, peace, following tradition, individualism, being respectable, sexual equality, expression, punishment, looking up to authority, being happy, peace, taking responsibility, pushing the boundaries

5. In pairs… Discuss the changes which occurred in the 1960s.
What do you think are the reasons behind these changes?

9. The 1960s
Situation ethics, most commonly associated with Joseph Fletcher and J.A.T. Robinson, emerged at a time when society and the Church were facing drastic and permanent change.

10. Situation Ethics
We should pay attention to the particular circumstance we are in. We cannot lay down firm rules about what should happen in every situation – relative morality as opposed to…………….?

11. The Law of Love

12. Joseph Fletcher
‘The situationist follows a moral law or violates it according to love’s need’

13. Joseph Fletcher
‘There is only one thing that is always good and right, intrinsically good regardless of the context, and that one thing is love’.

14. Love is…..
Note down all the things that come to mind when you consider the concept of love.
Make a list of things you love.
Are they all the same type of love? Can you categorize them further?

15. Agape love. From a Greek word meaning ‘love’
Agape love From a Greek word meaning ‘love’. Agape love is distinct from erotic love or familial love. In Christian terms, it refers to the unconditional love that they must show their neighbours. For Joseph Fletcher’s situation ethics, moral decision-making must centre around determining the most agape-loving thing to do in a situation.
Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Note down what this Biblical passage suggests about agape.
Read the agape quotes sheet – do you agree with them? Which is your favourite quote?
Bibles, agape quotes sheet,

16. Three Kinds of Ethics
Fletcher maintains that there are three different ways of making moral decisions (see below):
Legalistic Ethics
Situation
Ethics
Antinomianism
Read page of Bowie.
Copy the continuum and annotate it with a summary of each type of ethics.
Add Fletcher’s criticisms of legalistic ethics and antinomianism to your annotations.
Complete the task on page 102.

17. The Law of Love
Fletcher used New Testament dialogues between Jesus and the Pharisees as an illustration of old versus new morality.
Pharisees = old morality (legalistic)
Jesus = new morality

18. Jesus and the new morality
Situation ethics as the only ethic for
‘man come of age’.
What does this mean?
Freedom and responsibility of the individual to act.
Authority and legal systems (the inflexibility of rules) was being called into question.
Discuss…
Did Jesus condone the breaking of the law?
Complete ‘Situation Ethics and Christian Ethics’ worksheet.

19. Joseph Fletcher
William Temple

20. Homework – read pages 165 – 167 of the green book and answer these questions
What were the key features Temple’s ethic?
Include some short quotes to support your points.
2. What is the main feature of ethics that Fletcher and Temple agree about?
3. What do they agree that justice is?
4. What is personalism?
Finish the sheet on the bible and SE