Friday, May 11, 2007
Relational Ethics Part 1
I recently received a paper back from my New Testament class. To say the least I was very pleased with the grade of A-. I didn't think that this was a very good paper. I felt like I got in over my head with the scope of this subject. It was too much information for a ten page paper. I think that the topic is very pertinent for our day and age and certainly deserves conversation times. I would do some significant revising if I were to ever turn this paper in again, but I have way too much to do before finals next week to worry about that now. I originally titled this paper Relational Ethics for Post-Modern Times but would simplify it to Relational Ethics if I had a chance to do it over. Honestly, I think I was rewarded with a good grade simply because of the choice of topic and the fact that I attempted, emphasis on attempted, to tackle a vast subject. Anyway, I'm not complaining. So without further adieu here is the first page of the paper.
Relational Ethics for Post-Modern Times
We live in complicated times. Many scholars believe we are on the cusp of a new era. An era that is moving us passed the epistemological modern age into the hermeneutical post-modern age. Because of these drastic changes we find ourselves immersed in a more pluralistic society where the common phrase is, “Whatever works for you is fine, and whatever works for me is fine. Our individual actions have no affect on one another.” But it seems quite evidently clear that this post-modern system of existing is virtually bankrupt. A society, or more poignantly a community, without an identity is doomed to fail. There is no better time for the people of God to re-introduce a proven communal existence found in the pages of the Bible. Unfortunately, the modern church has appropriated epistemological constructs and forced Scripture to fit inside of those molds. Our goal as faithful Christians is to release the bonds of oppressive absolute, objective truth and to free the people of God to enjoy the relational life of the Trinity. While researching this topic, I found that the content was far to great to fit into the space allotted for this assignment. Because of the space and time constraints I will simply attempt to show that using the Biblical example of the Triune God as backdrop for communal living and communal love, relational ethics should be grounded in Trinitarian love which is fueled by images of community, cross, and new creation. It seems to me that this is a far more accurate witness to the original intent of Scripture.
Relational Ethics for Post-Modern Times
We live in complicated times. Many scholars believe we are on the cusp of a new era. An era that is moving us passed the epistemological modern age into the hermeneutical post-modern age. Because of these drastic changes we find ourselves immersed in a more pluralistic society where the common phrase is, “Whatever works for you is fine, and whatever works for me is fine. Our individual actions have no affect on one another.” But it seems quite evidently clear that this post-modern system of existing is virtually bankrupt. A society, or more poignantly a community, without an identity is doomed to fail. There is no better time for the people of God to re-introduce a proven communal existence found in the pages of the Bible. Unfortunately, the modern church has appropriated epistemological constructs and forced Scripture to fit inside of those molds. Our goal as faithful Christians is to release the bonds of oppressive absolute, objective truth and to free the people of God to enjoy the relational life of the Trinity. While researching this topic, I found that the content was far to great to fit into the space allotted for this assignment. Because of the space and time constraints I will simply attempt to show that using the Biblical example of the Triune God as backdrop for communal living and communal love, relational ethics should be grounded in Trinitarian love which is fueled by images of community, cross, and new creation. It seems to me that this is a far more accurate witness to the original intent of Scripture.
