A Primer in Christian Ethics
Christ and the Struggle to Live Well

An introduction to Christian ethics that provides a new critical and constructive framework for Christian moral and political deliberation.

Luke Bretherton (Author)

9781009329026, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 November 2023

388 pages
22.8 x 15.3 x 2.3 cm, 0.586 kg

'The book is excellent, and would be great for an introductory Christian Ethics course at the seminary or graduate level.' Nicholas Norman-Krause, Baylor University

How does Christian belief and practice relate to living well amid the difficulties of everyday life and the catastrophes and injustices that afflict so many today? In his introduction to Christian ethics, Bretherton provides a new, constructive framework for addressing this question. Connecting the theory and practice of Christian moral thought to contemporary existential concerns, this book integrates classic approaches to the pursuit of wisdom with contemporary liberationist and critical voices. The relationship between human and nonhuman life provides a central focus to the work, foregrounding environmental justice. As well as addressing a broad range of ethical questions, Bretherton situates moral formation and the pursuit of human and nonhuman flourishing alongside a concern for spirituality, pastoral care, and political struggles to survive and thrive in the contemporary context. Written for those seeking a place to start, as well as those seasoned in the field, Bretherton's book provides an innovative ethical framework that moves beyond many of the impasses that shape current moral and political debates.

1. Christ and the struggle to live well
I. Describing Well: 2. Listening to creaturely life
3. Listening to Scripture
4. Listening to strangers
5. Listening to cries for liberation
6. Listening to ancestors
II. Acting Well: 7. Finitude and fallenness
8. Call and commands
9. Rules and regulations
10. Virtues and vision
11. Deliberation and judgment
III. Living Well with Others: 12. Intimacy
13. Work
14. Politics.

Subject Areas: Religious ethics [HRAM1]