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Ethical Exploration in a Multifaith Society pp 229–261Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Theological Ethical Processes and Meta-Narratives

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Abstract

This chapter considers various theological ethical processes and compares the different ways in which they balance reason, experience, revelation, scripture and tradition. Examples considered are middle axioms, mishnaic exegesis, Biggar’s Barthian Thomism, liberation theology in various traditions and particular stances of theology, for example feminist, black and narrative theology. Liberation theology is often criticized as mere politics and some branches of liberation theology do employ analysis based on secular political analysis. For example, Latin American liberation theology drew strongly on Marxist economic analysis and feminist theological ethics relies on secular feminist work. This chapter considers areas of theological ethics that draw explicitly on secular philosophy and political theory, and secular disciplines and sciences, both social and physical. The theory of process is tested by reference to a number of examples including arguments around gender and sexuality, issues of disability and equality.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Holloway R. Godless Morality: Keeping Religion Out of Ethics. London: Canongate Press, 2004 (Holloway 2004).

  2. 2.

    Andersen S. Die Rolle Theologischer Argumentation in Offentlichen Leben. In Religion und Theologie in Offentlichen Diskurs, Ed. Gotlind Ulshofer. Frankfurt Am Main Haag und Herchen Verlaag, 2005 (Andersen 2005); Logstrup K. The Ethical Demand Notre. Dame University Press, 1997 (Logstrup 1997) both discussed in Biggar N. Behaving in Public: How to do Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011, pp. 30–34 (Biggar 2011).

  3. 3.

    Biggar N., op. cit., pp. 30–37.

  4. 4.

    Pascal Blaise. Provincial Letters, particularly V-X. http://www.sacred-texts.com/phi/pascal/prov.txt.

  5. 5.

    On the confession of Princes was issued by Aquaviva SJ in 1602 & confirmed by the Congregation in 1608. Toulmin S below p. 147.

  6. 6.

    Toulmin S & Johnson A. The Abuse of Casuistry: A History of Moral Reasoning. University of California Press, 1988, pp. 146–151; 231–249 (Toulmin and Johnson 1988).

  7. 7.

    Toulmin S., op. cit., p. 144.

  8. 8.

    e.g. in Islam al-ibadat specifically religious practice is more absolutely revealed than rules for living in wider society – Ramadan T. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. Oxford University Press, 2004. pp. 35 (Ramadan 2004).

  9. 9.

    ‘exposition’.

  10. 10.

    Ramadan T., op. cit., pp. 35.

  11. 11.

    Ramadan T., op. cit. pp. 37–51.

  12. 12.

    Lipner J. Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge, 2010, pp. 101–103 (Lipner 2010).

  13. 13.

    Biggar N. Behaving in Public: How to do Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids & Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2011, pp. 107–109.

  14. 14.

    Temple W. Christianity and Social Order. Shepeard-Walwyn Publishers, 1984 (Temple 1984).

  15. 15.

    Preston Ronald H. Explorations in Theology 9. SCM Press, 1981 (Preston 1981).

  16. 16.

    Routledge, 1970 at pp. 10–26.

  17. 17.

    Ellacuria I & Sobrino J. Liberation Theology and Systematic Theology. SCM Press, 2012 (Ellacuria and Sobrino 2012).

  18. 18.

    Wolffe J. Evangelicals and Pentecostals: Indigenizing a Global Gospel, pp. 13–108 (Wolffe 2002a); Martin D. The Explosion of Protestantism in Latin America, pp. 247–266. In Global Religious Movements in Regional Context, Ed. Wolffe J. The Open University, 2002 (Martin 2002).

  19. 19.

    Ellis Marc H. Towards a Jewish Theology of Liberation Orbis Books. New York: Maryknoll, 1987 (Ellis Marc 1987).

  20. 20.

    Ramadan T. Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation. Oxford University Press, 2009 (Ramadan 2009).

  21. 21.

    Dabashi H. Islamic Liberation Theology: Resisting the Empire. Routledge, UK, 2008 (Dabashi 2008).

  22. 22.

    Akhtar S. The Final Imperative: An Islamic Theology of Liberation. Bellew Publishing, 1991 (Akhtar 1991).

  23. 23.

    Alehossain A. Islamic Liberation: Theology for Women. Grin Verlag GmbH, 2014 (Alehossain 2014).

  24. 24.

    Rambachan A. A Hindu Theology of Liberation: Not Two Is Not One. Albany: State of New York Press, 2015 (Rambachan 2015).

  25. 25.

    Alinsky S. Rules for Radicals. London: Vintage Press, 2013 (Alinsky 2013).

  26. 26.

    e.g. social constructionism, standpoint theory and critical theory as well as Marxism.

  27. 27.

    http://shaheed-khalsa.com/theology.html.

  28. 28.

    Feminist theology is effectively first wave feminism; womanist theology is the second wave, with greater diversity of experience; examples include Rosemary Radford Reuther. Sexism and God-talk. Beacon Press, 1993 (Radford Reuther R 1993); hooks, bell. Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black. Boston: South End Press, 1988 (Hooks 1988). Haviva Ner David. Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Towards Traditional Rabbinic Ordination. Ben Yehuda Press, 2000 (Ner David 2000); Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah. Women Rabbis in the Pulpit. Kulmus, 2016 (Sarah 2016); Fatima Mernissi, 1975: Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in a Muslim Society. revised ed. 1985, 1987, reprinted London: Saqi Books (Mernissi 1975); Mir-Hossaini Ziba. Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Iran. Princeton University Press, 1999 (Mir-Hossaini 1999); Kamini Roy. The Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge published in Talking of Power – Early Writings of Bengali Women from the Mid-Nineteenth Century to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century edited by Malini Bhattacharya and Abhijit Sen. Kolkata: Stree: Distributed by Popular Prakashan, c2003 (Kamini 2003); Namita Malhotra. The World Wide Web of Desire – Pornography and Technology. http://cscs.res.in/events_folder/abevents.2007-03-17.5334271271/abevent.2007-12-20.5420095926 and the Pink Chaddi Campaign http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pink-chaddi-campaign-a-hit-draws-over-34000-members/articleshow/4126529.cms.

  29. 29.

    Marcella Altheus Reid. Indecent Theology. Routledge, 2000 (Altheus Reid 2000); Loughlin G. Queer Theology: Re-Thinking the Western Body. Wiley Blackwell, 2007 (Loughlin 2007).

  30. 30.

    Cone J. A Black Theology of Liberation. Orbis Books, 1970 (Cone 1970); Carter Anthony J. On Being Black and Reformed. P&R Publishing, 2003 (Carter 2003).

  31. 31.

    Lewis H. Deaf Liberation Theology. Routledge, 2007 (Lewis 2007); Hull John. Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness. SPCK, 1990 (Hull 1990); On Sight and Insight: A Journey into the World of Blindness. One World Books, 1997/2001 (Hull 1997/2001); In the Beginning there was Darkness: A Blind Person’s Conversations with the Bible. SCM Press, 2002 (Hull 2002).

  32. 32.

    Couture P. Child Poverty, Love Justice and Social Responsibility. Chalice Press, 2007 (Couture 2007).

  33. 33.

    Pais J. Suffer the Children: A Theology of Liberation by a Survivor of Child Abuse. Paulist Press, 2001 (Pais 2001).

  34. 34.

    Grisez G. Christian Moral Principles, Vol 2, Living a Christian Life. Franciscan Press, 1993 (Grisez 1993).

  35. 35.

    Finnis J. Moral Absolutes: Tradition, Revision and Truth. Catholic University Press of America, 1991. pp. 9 & 85 (Finnis 1991).

  36. 36.

    e.g. The wedding at Cana John 2.

  37. 37.

    Genesis 1, 9:1 & 7, 35:11; Jeremiah 23.3; Qu’ran 4:1; Gita Ch.7:11.

  38. 38.

    Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 773–774 & 963; Anand Sahib, Song of Bliss; Song of Songs.

  39. 39.

    Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 152; Sura 70:29–31 Sale, p. 552; Qu’ran Sura 2:197, 2:222, 24:2; Exodus 20:14; Matthew 19:6&9.

  40. 40.

    Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 473; Sura 4:124, Sura 53:45, 92:3 and 75:39; Genesis 1; Galatians 8.

  41. 41.

    Sura 16:97, 40:40; Sura 4: 34, 30:20, 38:52, 37:44, 52:20, 56:10–25; Genesis 2, 1 Timothy.

  42. 42.

    Qur’an 7:80–81; Qur’an 26:165 Lut; Leviticus 18:21–23 and 20:13; Genesis 19:5; Romans 1: 26–27.

  43. 43.

    Abraham David & Solomon had more than one wife; Mohammed was polygamous and polygamy features in Hindu scripture.

  44. 44.

    Jesus own example, plus Paul 1 Corinthians 7–9; the vinaya pittaka sadàrasantuññho, A.III,348; the Saüyutta Nikàya includes advice about guarding the senses indriya saüvara; http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=71#sthash.caNevWPr.dpuf; màtucitta, bhaginãcitta, dhãtucitta – http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=71#sthash.caNevWPr.dpuf.

  45. 45.

    Lipner J., op. cit., pp. 198–199.

  46. 46.

    Sonderegger K. Barth & Feminism: Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth. Ed. Webster J. Cambridge University Press, 2000. pp. 258–273 (Sonderegger 2000).

  47. 47.

    Ananchand A., op. cit., pp. 103–106, pp. 91–114.

  48. 48.

    There is a range of good examples from LGBT, feminist and womanist, black and disabled standpoints, one of which is Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire’s. In the eye of the storm. Canterbury Press, 2008 (Robinson 2008).

  49. 49.

    Fasching Darrel J, Dechant D & Lantigua David M. Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach to Global Ethics. Wiley Blackwell, 2011. (Fasching et al. 2011).

  50. 50.

    The power of novels to re-tell age old myths and themes is powerful; Jeanette Winterson provides an interesting example of a writer who re-casts Biblical and other ancient themes in her novels e.g. Boating for Beginners. Vintage, 1990 (Winterson 1990) based on Noah and Weight. Canongate, 2006 (Winterson 2006) based on Greek myth.

  51. 51.

    Folk tales are found in all traditions but India has particularly rich folk traditions, both in its religious scriptures but also in more general folk tales such as the Hitopadesha and Jataka tales.

  52. 52.

    Many good preachers use narrative in their sermons; a good example is Barbara Brown Taylor. The Preaching Life: Living Out Your Vocation. Canterbury Press, 2013 (Brown 2013).

  53. 53.

    e.g. Varden H. Kant and Lying to the Murderer at the Door…One More Time: Kant’s Legal Philosophy and Lies to Murderers and Nazis. Journal of Social Philosophy 41, 4 (Winter 2010), pp. 403–421. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 2010 (Varden 2010).

  54. 54.

    Evictionism advanced by Murray Rothbard. Personal Liberty for a New Liberty. MacMillan, 1973, pp. 131–132 (Rothbard 1973); Walter Block & Roy Whitehead. Compromising the Uncompromisable: A Private Property Approach to Resolving the Abortion Controversy. Appalachian Journal of Law 4, 1 (2005), pp. 1–45 (Block and Whitehead 2005).

  55. 55.

    The Old Testament Book of Jonah.

  56. 56.

    Lipner J., op. cit., pp. 229–252.

  57. 57.

    Luke 15: 11–32 – NRSV.

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    Catherine Shelley

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Shelley, C. (2017). Theological Ethical Processes and Meta-Narratives. In: Ethical Exploration in a Multifaith Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46711-5_8

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