THE CHRISTIAN NEW MORALITY: A Biblical Study of Situation Ethics

The ""New Morality,"" which the author sees as synonymous with ""situation ethics,"" may be viewed as a popular and passing, fad. But underneath it proposes a new ethical perspective which will become more prominent in the future. The New Morality must be seen as a Biblical morality, grounded in the New Testament's insistence on the primacy of love, and having behind it the authority of Jesus Christ. It can be summed up in the phrase, ""Nothing but love."" Love, however, must be understood in the New Testament sense of agape, whose characteristic is self-giving service to others. The author develops this argument by a close examination of the teachings of Jesus as found in the synoptic Gospels, the teachings of Paul, and the writing of John-Gospel and epistles. While much that he offers will be familiar to readers and students of the New Testament, his particular contribution is bringing the Biblical teachings to bear upon the particular issues raised by the New Morality. In the growing literature about the ""situation ethics"" debate, this brief study will take a helpful, if not leading, place. It will be useful to students and lay readers as well as theological specialists.