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Christian Ethics: An Introductory Reader

ISBN: 978-1-405-16886-1

April 2010

Wiley-Blackwell

354 pages

Description
CHRISTIAN ETHICS

CHRISTIAN ETHICS

AN INTRODUCTORY READER

“The selection of readings is excellent and I’d happily have my students devour them.”
Esther Reed, University of Exeter

“Clear, sharply focused, and precisely what is needed. This book is enlightening and potentially transformative. It presents Christian ethics as an exciting theological enterprise and offers a rich, deep, and accessible way of practicing ethics.”
John Swinton, University of Aberdeen

“Wells and Quash have put together a wonderfully comprehensive survey of Christian ethics while at the same time offering a distinctive and fresh perspective … With the array of primary texts and judicious and very well-informed commentary that the two volumes represent, they have succeeded in constructing an extremely valuable resource for teachers and students of Christian ethics.”
Michael S. Northcott, University of Edinburgh (of Introducing Christian Ethics and Christian Ethics: An Introductory Reader)

Christian Ethics: An Introductory Reader provides a comprehensive anthology of primary documents and materials relating to the emergence and study of key approaches to Christian ethics.

The volume seeks to encompass the entire canon of Christian ethics, including first-hand accounts from major figures in the theological and ecclesial tradition. Readers are introduced to foundational figures such as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Barth, as well as contemporary voices including Rosemary Radford Ruether, James Cone, Jürgen Moltmann, Stanley Hauerwas, Oliver O’Donovan, Wendell Berry, and many others. Other notable figures not usually associated with the study of formal theoretical ethics, such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., are also represented.

The significance of each extract is summarized through useful introductory sections, placing the author or text in the context of broader developments in Christian ethical theory. Whether it is used independently or alongside the accompanying textbook, Introducing Christian Ethics, this engaging and informative volume offers students a window into the fascinating evolution of Christian ethical thought.

About the Author
Samuel Wells is Dean of Duke University Chapel and Research Professor of Christian Ethics at Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina. He has written widely on Christian social ethics, including God’s Companions: Reimagining Christian Ethics (2006), The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics (edited, with Stanley Hauerwas, 2004), and Introducing Christian Ethics (with Ben Quash, 2010), all published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Features
  • A comprehensive anthology of primary documents and materials relating to the evolution and study of Christian ethical principles
  • Represents the entire canon of Christian ethics, including first-hand accounts from major figures in the theological and ecclesial tradition
  • Introduces foundational figures such as Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther; contemporary theorists including Jűrgen Moltmann, Stanley Hauerwas, and Wendell Berry; in addition to work by work by non-theoretical figures, such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King
  • Features useful introductory material that demonstrates the significance of each extract and how they relate to each other
  • May be used independently or alongside the accompanying textbook, Introducing Christian Ethics, for a complete overview of the field; both books share the same structure and are cross-referenced for ease of use