1. Biblical Ethics
Situational Ethics
© John Stevenson, 2018

2. Forbidden to go to fixed land
Perelandra
Ransom
Floating islands
Innocent woman
Forbidden to go to fixed land

3. If others can live in a fixed land, why can’t we?
Perelandra
If others can live in a fixed land, why can’t we?

4. Antinomianism: No laws
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism: No laws
Processism: Everything changes so there can be no laws
“No one can step into the same river twice” – Heraclitus
“No one can step into the same river once” - Cratylus

5. Antinomianism: No laws
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism: No laws
Processism: Everything changes so there can be no laws
Hedonism: Pleasure is the only good
Utilitarianism: Greatest good for the greatest number
Evolution: Whatever causes us to evolve upward is good

6. Generalism: No universal laws; general rules can be broken
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism
Generalism: No universal laws; general rules can be broken

7. Situationalism: The only law is love
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism
Generalism
Situationalism: The only law is love

8. Unqualified absolutism: No laws should ever be broken
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism
Generalism
Situationalism
Unqualified absolutism: No laws should ever be broken

9. Unqualified absolutism
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism
Generalism
Situationalism
Unqualified absolutism
Conflicting absolutism: Living in a fallen world means that laws sometimes conflict and we should do the lesser evil

10. Unqualified absolutism Conflicting absolutism
Major Ethical Views
Antinomianism
Generalism
Situationalism
Unqualified absolutism
Conflicting absolutism
Graded absolutism: Laws sometimes conflict, but we should follow the higher law

11. Deontological Ethic Teleological Ethic Rule determines the result
Two Views of Ethics
Deontological Ethic
Teleological Ethic
Rule determines the result
Result determines the rule
Rule is basis for act
Result is basis for act
Rule is good regardless of result
Rule is good because of result
Result is always calculated within the rules
Result sometimes used to break rules
Geisler, pg 18

12. Taught ethics at Harvard Divinity School Became an atheist
Joseph Fletcher
Episcopal priest
Taught ethics at Harvard Divinity School
Became an atheist
The only law is the law of love

13. Situational Ethics Antinomian Legalism Situationalism 1905 - 1991
Joseph Fletcher
Situational Ethics
Antinomian
Legalism
Situationalism

14. Situational Ethics Pragmatic: Does it work? Everything is relative
Joseph Fletcher
Situational Ethics
Pragmatic: Does it work?
Everything is relative
What does it feel like?
Only people are of value: “Things are to be used; people are to be loved”

15. Truth derived from higher authority (God)
Pre-modernity
Modernity
Postmodernity
Truth derived from higher authority (God)
Truth derived from science and rationale
Truth seen as relative; becomes whatever I choose
God is the authority
Science is the authority
There is no authority
Man seeks to conform himself to the way things are
Man seeks to conform the way things are to his own will
Man seeks to bring himself into harmony with the way things are

16. Ended with the Renaissance / Reformation / Enlightenment
Pre-modernity
Modernity
Postmodernity
Ended with the Renaissance / Reformation / Enlightenment
Ended with World War I and transitioning to the present
Our day
Knowledge is found in God
Knowledge is good and is accessible to the human mind
We cannot know anything for certain

17. Modernity and Postmodernity in Star Trek
Tension between logic versus emotion
Crew made up
of people of different
nationalities

18. Modernity and Postmodernity in Star Trek
Everyone’s cultural ideas are equally valid
Crew made up
of people of different
worlds

19. Pre-modernity Modernity Postmodernity
Heavy reliance on oral, ritualized and iconographic communication because of available communication technologies
Heavy reliance on written (printed) communication because of available communication technologies
Reliance on written (printed) communication and oral, ritualized and iconogrphaic communication because of available communication technologies

20. Examples of
Postmodernity

21. Examples of
Postmodernity

22. Examples of
Postmodernity

23. There is no absolute truth
Tenants of Postmodernism
There is no absolute truth
Seen when people speak of something “being true to you.”
The statement is made in an absolute manner.

24. There is no absolute truth
Tenants of Postmodernism
There is no absolute truth

27. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6)

28. Knowledge is not necessarily good
Tenants of Postmodernism
Knowledge is not necessarily good
Modernism thought that knowledge is an end it itself.
Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies (1 Corinthians 8:1).

29. There is no Meta-narrative
Tenants of Postmodernism
There is no Meta-narrative
A meta-narrative is a story that explains the way things are
This is a denial, not merely of Christianity, but of all meta-narratives

31. Identification with the environment
Tenants of Postmodernism
Identification with the environment
“Mother earth”
Humanity is seen by some as a blight on the world
“When people do not believe in the God, they don’t believe in no God, they will believe in anything” - Chesterton.

32. Tenants of Postmodernism

33. What is man’s biblical relationship to the earth?

34. Relativism in community
Tenants of Postmodernism
Relativism in community
Absolute values considered acceptable as long as they are in community.
Acceptable to evangelize individuals, but not people groups

36. Tenants of Postmodernism
Truth is relative
There are a great variety of truths; the fact that they contradict each other is irrelevant.

37. Tenants of Postmodernism
Truth is relative

38. Tenants of Postmodernism
Truth is relative
“I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm gonna say this again. I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinski.”

39. Tenants of Postmodernism
Importance of Image
Image and story more important than fact or word.
Cyberspace versus “real space.”

40. Tenants of Postmodernism
Anti-authoritarian
Suspicion of authority.

41. Tenants of Postmodernism
The “Anti-Hero”

42. Tenants of Postmodernism
Anti-authoritarian
Pre-modern
Modern
Postmodern
Stress was placed on the need to trust in and submit to the dictates of religious and social authorities for meta-narrative
People distrust the dictates of religious and social authorities for the dictates of rational and scientific experts for meta-narrative
People distrust religious, social, rationalistic and scientific authorities and to construct personal and multiple-community narratives.

43. Tenants of Postmodernism
Anti-authoritarian
Suspicion of authority.
Man’s “authority problem” goes back to the Garden of Eden.

44. Tenants of Postmodernism
Anti-authoritarian
Suspicion of authority.
Man’s “authority problem” goes back to the Garden of Eden.
Man sees himself as passing judgment on God.

45. The Cross was when God passed judgment on God

46. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…

47. Point
Counterpoint
Walmart decides that it will no longer sell ammunition to shoppers under 21 years old
A Christian baker decides he will not design wedding cakes for gay couples

48. Point
Counterpoint
A restaurant owner says that he does not want to serve police officers because they make his customers uncomfortable
A restaurant owner says that he does not want to serve blacks because they make his customers uncomfortable