TERM PAPER PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT

Annotated Bibliography on Theology and Ethics

Edgar B. (2009). Biotechnology: theology, ethics and the new biotechnologies. Christian Perspectives on Science and Technology. ISCAT Online Journal. Retrieved from http://www.iscast.org/journal/articles/Edgar_B_2009-07_Biotheology.pdf

Borrowing extensively from his professional experience and knowledge in theological studies, the author, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, takes a strong study of the relationship that exists between theology, ethics and new biotechnologies. About the book by Forrester, this article brings in a new perspective of understanding ethics and theology. Today biotechnology is one of the topics that utilize a lot of ethical concepts, and it is necessary to look into it. Within the study, Edgar proposes and links six bio-theological principles by intrinsically syncing them to what God would have wanted for all human beings. The research topic focuses only on theology and ethics which seems too general to handle hence as an avenue for specific mentioning of examples this source seems both sufficient and efficient.

Erickson M. J. & Bowers I. E. (1996).

Euthanasia and Christian ethics. Retrieved from http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS- PDFs/19/19-1/19-1-pp015-024_JETS.pdf

Euthanasia has undoubtedly been a controversial topic since its inception. It is tough to explain to people especially Christians how one could ask for their death which has to be aided by another. The two authors research much deeper into this topic with sufficient evidence both from the Bible and other studies. The theory at play here is that euthanasia only has scientific backing with no links to Christianity. The authors get most of their data and evidence from previous research works publications. In conclusion, the authors come up with five conclusions to bridge the gap between the horns of euthanasia and Christian ethics. However, there is a particular linkage between euthanasia and the bible but that both scientists and Christians to be open to results of further research on the topics.

Forrester, D. B. (2010). Forrester on Christian ethics and practical theology:

Collected writings on Christianity, India, and the social order. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate.

This book is about the Christian understanding of ethics and practical theology. Inside are numerous topics that touch on some of the most sensitive issues on both ethics ad theologies. The author also provides a vital account on theological studies that talk about ethics. Talking about Christian ethics and theology limits other religious settings from the comprehensive understanding if the two topics, therefore the author have also included brief studies on other religions such as Hindu. The author says that most of the ethical and theological positions in this book may contradict beliefs of people based on experience or other. Thus it is necessary to grasp the fact that they are very contextual. The wealth of information in this book makes it a good source for the topic as the author not only talks about what is in theory but also his personal experience in the journey of Christianity.

Hock E. C. (1996). Ethics and Theology. Reformation & Revival.

A journal about church leadership, Volume. 5, No. 4. Retrieved from https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ref-rev/05-4/5-4_hock.pdf

This article somewhat limits most of its contexts to the church leadership; however, the author says that the knowledge is open to borrowing and application in other contexts in life. The article brings a different angle of looking at the topics at hand in comparison to the other materials. It shifts the focus to the church leadership with very practical examples that call for application ethics. The literature review is very generous with information and data from credible sources. He also defines Christian ethics from the conventional definition of ethics. In the concluding paragraph, Hock says that without pleasing God and conforming to His Christ, Christian ethics do not reflect anything Christian or evangelical.

Klassen J. (2013). The relationship between theology and development: how theology can be related to development in post-modern society.

Missionalia Online Volume. 41, No. 2 Pretoria, SCIELO. Retrieved from: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256- 95072013000800007

This article engages in very full and extensive discourse on theology and development. The author after outlaying the two much-contested definitions of development considers ethics as a topic under development. He says that ethics comes in after each stage of development. In relation to other articles, this article introduces subjects such as Trinity, missiology, ecclesiology and many others lacking in the other articles when munching theology as a topic. By giving examples of underdevelopment South Africa and extrapolating it to the rest of the world, the author brings in the aspect of culture on the subject. This unique way of relating topics brings valuable information to the research topic.

Morris R. A. & Woodbridge N. B. (2015).

Christian ethics as an acceptable ethical system in the situation of the present culture: a theological analysis and critical evaluation. Retrieved from: https://www.sats.edu.za/userfiles/Christian%20Ethics%20article.pdf

Morris and Woodbridge, critically evaluate the value of Christian ethics in an adequate ethical system by carefully studying various moral crises that face Americans. Some of these ethical issues include alcohol, drug abuse and racism. The two authors also use many sources to prove that Christian ethics have tenet theological basis. There are also specific verses from the Bible that quoted in this article to aid understanding of some concepts. This article complements the other articles by borrowing extensively from the Bible and explaining how these verses relate to the situations under considerations. By using the Bible for verses, this article provides undisputable theological links for the research paper.

Partoteeah K. P., Hoegl M. & Cullen J. B. (2007). Religion and Ethics:

an empirical test of a multidimensional model. Business Ethics. 80:387-398. DOI 10.1007/s10551-007 9439-8. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d8ad/44b93c250cd7c57d914e57d8fb93dc863a65.pdf

This article introduces mathematical principle in understanding if there is a relationship between religion and ethics which is lacking in all the other sources. The hypothesis brings forth the interest of an individual’s willingness in justifying a suspicious behavior as a dependent variable with other religious but significant factors as independent variables ethically. The authors also mention the connection of this hypothesis to others in other studies where there was only a unidimensional linkage between the dependent and independent variables. However, since there were many religious factors to be considered it was difficult to conclusively relate region and ethics as there were various factors such as wisdom and education which were difficult to place as religious or others.

Witherington, B. (2009). The permanent image:

The theological and ethical thought the world of the New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.

This book focuses on understanding the existent relationship between theology and ethics as seen in the New Testament. Witherington takes a strong study into many topics that are summarized in the other articles which are very complementary of this book. In addition to already met topics in theology and ethics, there are plenty of other relevant topics which are tackled sufficiently in this book. Numerous publications and articles are cited and discussed as well. Also numerous hypotheses on theology and ethics such as ‘ethics emanates from Christianity’ are well proved with significant facts from other sources. The professional and academic record of the author combined with experience also brings an importantly quality taste that is necessary for preparing this research.

References

Erickson M. J. & Bowers I. E. (1996). Euthanasia and Christian ethics. Retrieved from http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/19/19-1/19-1-pp015-024_JETS.pdf

Forrester, D. B. (2010). Forrester on Christian ethics and practical theology:

Collected writings on Christianity, India, and the social order. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate.

Hock E. C. (1996). Ethics and Theology. Reformation & Revival. A journal about church leadership, Volume. 5, No. 4. Retrieved from https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ref-rev/05- 4/5-4_hock.pdf

Klassen J. (2013). The relationship between theology and development: how theology can be related to development in post-modern society. Missionalia Online Volume. 41, No. 2 Pretoria, SCIELO. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-95072013000800007

Morris R. A. & Woodbridge N. B. (2015). Christian ethics as an acceptable ethical system in the situation of the present culture: a theological analysis and critical evaluation. Retrieved from: https://www.sats.edu.za/userfiles/Christian%20Ethics%20article.pdf

Partoteeah K. P., Hoegl M. & Cullen J. B. (2007). Religion and Ethics:

Witherington, B. (2009). The permanent image: The theological and ethical thought world of the New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.