M4 key figures

1. BEGINNING OUR JOURNEY
THROUGH THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION

2. This week we begin to engage some of the key
figures in the Christian tradition and the
contributions they made to moral theology.

3. THE DIDACHE
Primary contribution:
Some of the earliest teaching of the Christian
faith.

4. THE DIDACHE
It strongly reflects the gospels and the epistles.
Yet, notice how quickly commands are
extracted from the story of Jesus, and from the
theological discussions which usually precede it
in the epistles.

5. THE DIDACHE
Already we see contextualization particular to
the Greco-Roman world. For instance,
commands against infanticide and abortion
were never needed in the Hebrew culture, but
as the Church moved into the larger culture,
they became necessary.

6. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Two primary contributions:
• Categorizing/redefining virtue as “perfect
love of God”
• Doctrine of the Two Cities

7. VIRTUE AS LOVE OF GOD
“I hold virtue to be nothing less that
the perfect love of God.”
Here, Augustine takes ideas from Plato and
recasts them in the context of the love of God.

8. VIRTUE AS LOVE OF GOD
“Temperance is love keeping itself entire and
incorrupt for God; fortitude is bearing everything
readily for the sake of God; justice is love serving
God only, and therefore ruling well all else, as
subject to man; prudence is love making a right
distinction between what helps it towards God and
what might hinder it.”

9. THE CITY OF GOD, OR
THE CITY OF MAN?
• You “live” in the city that is “ruled” by your
deepest love:
• The City of God (ruled by love of God)
• The City of Man (ruled by love of self, “pride”)
• You can only truly reside in one or the
other, not in both.

10. THOMAS AQUINAS
Primary Contributions:
• Humanity’s “ultimate felicity”, or ultimate
happiness
• Reason allowing us to perceive goodness through
the “natural law”

11. OUR ULTIMATE HAPPINESS
Natural (proximate) v. supernatural (final) ends
• Does not exist in moral actions or virtue
• Does exist in contemplation of God
• Does fulfill every natural desire of humanity
• Does NOT come in this life

12. ETERNAL AND
NATURAL LAW
Eternal Law: the ultimate and transcendent
“blueprint” of the universe in the mind of God
Natural Law: the enactment of eternal law in the
created world and discernible by human reason
Living according to virtue, which he equates to living
according to reason

13. MARTIN LUTHER
Primary Contributions:
• Christian Freedom and “Liberty”
• The Two Kingdoms

14. MARTIN LUTHER
“I first lay down these two propositions, concerning
spiritual liberty and servitude:—
A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and
subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful
servant of all, and subject to every one.”

15. MARTIN LUTHER
What reconciles these is the freedom we find
through the risen Christ, who was himself both
perfectly subject and perfectly free, so that “we may
be Christ to one another.”

16. THE TWO KINGDOMS
• Earthly/Temporal Kingdom
• Ruled by: Law and Justice
• Response: Obedience
• Temporal, not eternal
• Characterized by institutional relationships
(work, laws, government)

17. THE TWO KINGDOMS
• Heavenly/Spiritual Kingdom
• Ruled by: Grace & Love
• Response: Love
• Eternal, not time-bound
• Characterized by personal (individual)
relationships

18. THE ANABAPTISTS AND THE
SCHLEITHEIM CONFESSION
Primary contributions:
• Believers may not participate in government
– “may not wield the sword”.
• However, the government is “ordained of
God” to wield the sword, to “punish the
wicked and guard the good.”

19. THE ANABAPTISTS AND THE
SCHLEITHEIM CONFESSION
“A separation shall be made from the evil and
from the wickedness which the devil planted in
the world; in this manner, simply that we shall
not have fellowship with them.”
Thus, they are a classic example of the Christ
Against Culture typology.

20. THE ANABAPTISTS AND THE
SCHLEITHEIM CONFESSION
This separation meant that believers could not
participate in “worldly affairs” such as civil
government:
“Christians may not serve as magistrates, for
our kingdom is not of this world. Jesus, when
they tried to make him king by force, fled from
them.”

21. THE ANABAPTISTS AND THE
SCHLEITHEIM CONFESSION
“We agree as follows concerning the sword:
The sword is ordained of God outside the
perfection of Christ. It punishes and puts to
death the wicked, and guards the good …and
the same sword is now ordained to be used by
the worldly magistrates.”

22. JOHN CALVIN
Primary Contribution:
• The “excellence” and “necessity” of civil
government
• Believers could (and should) serve in government

23. GOVERNMENT AS
EXCELLENT AND NECESSARY
Therefore, government “is equally as necessary to
mankind as bread and water, light and air, and far
more excellent.“ Calvin saw earthly government "not
a consequence of the perverseness of men, but of
the providence and holy ordinance of God.”

24. …ALTHOUGH NOT
GOVERNING THE CHURCH
“For I do not allow men to make laws respecting
religion and the worship of God …though I approve
of civil government, which provides that the true
religion which is contained in the law of God, be not
violated, and polluted by public blasphemies, with
impunity.”

25. JOHN CALVIN
Calvin saw earthly government "not a consequence
of the perverseness of men, but of the providence
and holy ordinance of God.”
“The Lord has not only testified that the function of
magistrates has his approbation and acceptance, but
has eminently commended it to us, by dignifying it
with the most honorable titles.”

26. JOHN CALVIN
What do you make of the differences between the
Anabaptists' position and Calvin's position?

27. In the coming weeks we will become acquainted
with several other important figures in the Christian
tradition, such as...

28. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ

29. DOROTHY DAY

30. REINHOLD NIEBUHR

31. DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

32. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

33. CHARLES FINNEY

34. …AND JOHN WESLEY
…of course!