The Christian Moral Life: Faithful Discipleship for a Global Society

by Lamoureux, Patricia

• ISBN13: 9781570758812
• ISBN10: 1570758816
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-30
• Publisher: Orbis Books

Summary

This new introduction to moral theology is focused on Christ, rooted in the Scriptures, and connected to the sacramental and spiritual life. It views the Christian moral life as one of faithful discipleship imbued with Christian virtues. To make the discussion accessible to students, each of the ten chapters includes a conclusion, a list of key points, questions for reflection, and suggestions for further reading. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Patricia Lamoureux is the co-editor of Seeking Goodness and Beauty: The Use of the Arts in Theological Ethics and the author of numerous articles on Catholic moral theology. Paul J. Wadell is a professor of religious studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He is the author of several books, including Friendship and the Moral Life, Becoming Friends, and Happiness and the Christian Moral Life.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Preface	p. xv
The Call of Discipleship
"Come, Follow Me" (Mark 1:17)	p. 1
Santiago's Calling	p. 2
Biblical Perspectives	p. 4
The Hebrew Story	p. 4
The Call to Follow Jesus	p. 6
Faithful Discipleship	p. 7
Called to Community	p. 9
A Framework for the Moral Life	p. 11
Theological and Authropological Underpinnings	p. 11
The Gift-Call-Response Dynamic of the Moral Life	p. 13
Ambiguous Dimension of the Call	p. 13
Responding to the Gift-Call	p. 15
The Call of the Poor	p. 17
A Community of Disciples	p. 18
Conclusion	p. 20
Key Points	p. 21
Questions for Reflection	p. 21
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 22
The Christian Moral Life and Learning to See
"Master, I Want to See" (Mark 10:51)	p. 23
Human Beings as Masters of Illusion	p. 25
The Dangerous Seductions of Fantasy	p. 26
Obstacles to Correct Vision	p. 27
Fantasy and Fear	p. 28
The Fantasy of Consumerism	p. 30
Buddhism and Learning to See	p. 32
From Murdoch and Buddha to Jesus	p. 34
The Christian Moral Life and Learning How to See	p. 36
Sacred Stories	p. 37
Learning to See	p. 38
Parables-Being Shocked into New Ways of Seeing	p. 39
Re-imagining Jesus	p. 47
Conclusion	p. 49
Key Points	p. 50
Questions for Reflection	p. 50
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 51
The Treasure We Seek-The Regin of God and the Moral Life
"The Kingdom of God Is at Hand" (Mark 1:15)	p. 52
Essential Characteristics of God's Reign	p. 54
God's Reign Has Arrived	p. 54
God's Reign Is Gift and Task	p. 56
A Reign of Justice and Inclusiveness	p. 58
The Eschatological Reign of God	p. 60
The Sermon on the Mount	p. 61
The Beatitudes: Blessings for Righteousness	p. 62
Guidance for Righteous Living	p. 63
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An Example of Righteous Living	p. 65
The Virtue of Hope	p. 66
Analogical and Dialectical Imaginations	p. 69
Offering Hospitality to the Stranger	p. 71
Conclusion	p. 72
Key Points	p. 73
Questions for Reflection	p. 73
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 74
Starting Over Again and Again: Sin and Conversion in the Christian Life
"Repent, and Believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15)	p. 75
Sin	p. 77
How Should We Talk about Sin?	p. 79
Some Initial Conclusions about Sin	p. 81
Categories of Sin	p. 87
Original Sin	p. 92
Conversion	p. 93
Conversion-What Does It Mean?	p. 94
Conversion-Why Does It Happen?	p. 96
Some Initial Conclusions about Conversion	p. 98
Faith	p. 101
What Does It Mean to Say, "I Believe"?	p. 102
Faith in the Christian Life	p. 103
Conclusion	p. 106
Key Points	p. 107
Questions for Reflection	p. 107
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 107
The Virtues-How to Be Good at Being Human
"Make Every Effort to Supplement Your Faith with Virtue" (2 Peter 1:5)	p. 109
Goodness, Happiness, and the Virtues	p. 110
The Connection between Happiness, Goodness, and the Virtues	p. 111
Virtues	p. 115
Why Do We Need the Virtues?	p. 118
How We Acquire the Virtues	p. 120
The Cardinal Virtues	p. 124
Virtues in Other Traditions	p. 135
Virtues in the Christian Life	p. 137
Theological Virtues	p. 138
Infused Moral Virtues	p. 140
Jesus and the Christian Moral Life	p. 141
Conclusion	p. 142
Key Points	p. 143
Questions for Reflection	p. 143
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 143
Conscience-Exploring a Gift Too Precious to Lose
"Your Conscience Bears Witness" (Romans 2:15)	p. 145
What It Means to Have a Conscience	p. 148
The Bible and Conscience	p. 148
Conscience in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas	p. 151
Contemporary Accounts of Conscience	p. 153
What Does This Tell Us about Conscience?	p. 155
What Shapes Our Conscience-For Better or Worse	p. 157
How Relationships and Communities Shape Our Conscience	p. 158
How Our Social and Cultural Contexts Shape Our Conscience	p. 159
The Development and Formation of Conscience	p. 163
Five Steps to Consider	p. 164
The Role of Prayer in the Formation of Conscience	p. 166
The Role of the Church in the Formation of Conscience	p. 168
Fostering Healthy Moral Communities	p. 172
Being of One Mind and Heart with Christ	p. 174
Conclusion	p. 176
Key Points	p. 177
Questions for Reflection	p. 177
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 177
Love-The Only True Path to Life
"Whoever Does Not Love Remains in Death" (1 John 3:14)	p. 179
Why the Human Vocation Is a Vocation to Love	p. 181
Images of a God Who Is Love	p. 181
We're Neighbors Whether We Like It or Not!	p. 182
Putting Others at the Center of Our Lives	p. 184
Are We Called to Love Ourselves?	p. 185
How Love Works	p. 186
What Are We Doing When We Love?	p. 186
What Does Loving Well Require?	p. 189
Different Kinds of Love	p. 194
Agape	p. 195
Eros	p. 197
Friendship	p. 198
Extending the Circle of Love	p. 200
The Zakat	p. 201
Love for All of God's Creation	p. 202
Conclusion	p. 204
Key Points	p. 205
Questions for Reflection	p. 205
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 205
The Paschal Mystery and the Moral Life
"If We Die with Christ, We Live with Him" (Romans 6:8)	p. 206
The Paschal Mystery in the New Testament	p. 207
Sacrifice as an Act of Love Freely Offered	p. 209
A Story of Redemptive Love	p. 210
The Problem of Servitude	p. 211
Patient Endurance	p. 213
Love and Suffering	p. 214
The Cross of Compassion	p. 216
Compassion in Buddhism	p. 217
The Problem of Apathy	p. 219
Transformative Love of the Resurrection	p. 221
Conclusion	p. 224
Key Points	p. 224
Questions for Reflection	p. 225
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 225
The Spirit and Moral Discernment
"Do Not Quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19)	p. 226
Manifestations of the Spirit in the Bible	p. 228
The Spirit and Moral Discernment	p. 229
Ethical Models	p. 230
The Gifts of the Spirit	p. 233
Connatural Knowledge	p. 233
The Gift of Wisdom	p. 235
Wisdom as Tasting Knowledge in Sufism	p. 235
The Law of the Spirit	p. 237
Community and Moral Discernment	p. 239
Prayer and Moral Discernment	p. 241
Conclusion	p. 244
Key Points	p. 244
Questions for Reflection	p. 245
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 245
The Mission of Public Discipleship
"Go and Make Disciples of All Nations" (Matthew 28:16-20)	p. 246
Tension and Ambivalence	p. 247
Biblical Perspectives	p. 247
Theological Perspectives	p. 248
The Value of Public Life for Discipleship	p. 251
The Dichotomy between Private and Public Life	p. 253
A Public Church	p. 254
A Vision of the Good Life	p. 255
Virtue of Solidarity	p. 257
Love and Justice	p. 258
The Meaning of Justice	p. 259
Participation and Collaboration	p. 260
Conclusion	p. 261
Key Points	p. 264
Questions for Reflection	p. 264
Suggestions for Further Reading and Study	p. 264
Notes	p. 265
Bibliography	p. 287
Index	p. 299
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