THEOLOGICAL ETHICS

The Moral Life of the Gospel in Contemporary Context

W. ROSS HASTINGS

ZONDERVAN ACADEMIC

Theological Ethics

Copyright © 2021 by W. Ross Hastings

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ISBN 978-0-310-11195-5 (hardcover)

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Cover design: Tammy Johnson

Cover image: Bequest of Harry G. Friedman, 1965 / Metropolitan Museum of Art

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Theological Ethics Are Theological

2. Theological Ethics Are Trinitarian

3. Theological Ethics Are Biblical

4. Theological Ethics Are Eschatological: Ethics of Creation

5. Theological Ethics Are Eschatological: Ethics of Reconciliation

6. Theological Ethics Are Evangelical

7. Theological Ethics Are Resurrectional

8. Theological Ethics Are Sexual

9. Theological Ethics Are Public

Conclusion

Scripture Index

Subject Index

Author Index

To my supervisor and friend,

master theological ethicist

Alan Torrance

Acknowledgments

I must acknowledge the theologians of ethics referenced in this book who have shaped my way of thinking about theological ethics. To four contemporary theologians I am particularly indebted: Alan Torrance, for his portrayal of a deeply Trinitarian ontology that shapes ethics, one that entails the crucial notion that the church as the image of the Trinity must reflect inner and outward expressions of justice (communio in ekstasis), a notion that is profoundly evangelical and public in its ...

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About Theological Ethics: The Moral Life of the Gospel in Contemporary Context

Be Prepared to Think Theologically through Today’s Most Pressing Ethical and Moral Issues.

In Theological Ethics theologian, pastor, and ethicist W. Ross Hastings gives pastors, ministry leaders, and students a guide designed to equip them to think deeply and theologically about the moral formation of persons in our communities, about ethical inquiry and action, and about the tone and content of our engagement in the public square. The book presents a biblical perspective and a gospel-centered framework for thinking about complex contemporary issues in ways are life-giving and that will lead readers into greater flourishing as human persons in community.

This book is distinctive in presenting:

• A framework for theological ethics that is robustly theological and Trinitarian. Ethics isolated from the gospel and theology becomes bad news, but when it is informed by and empowered by participation in the triune God of grace, it is part of the good news of the gospel.

• An approach to theology and theological ethics that makes the Word of God the ultimate authority and it is therefore grounded in the biblical narrative and texts.

• An understanding that theological ethics are inherently missional. The church as the image of the triune God makes it the home of ethics, but in light of its missional identity, it will reverberate outwards to engage the world in ways that are humble and not power-mongering, that are gospel-based and shalom-evoking.

Theological Ethics is for those who lead churches or ministries (or someday will) and who urgently need deep theological grounding as they daily encounter ethical and moral issues where they need to provide a gracious, truthful, and gospel-directed response.

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