The Social Context of (Christian) Ethics

In his brief but potent Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction, theologian Stephen Long makes the following observation after briefly describing the rise of utilitarian ethics under John Stuart Mill and deontological ethics under Immanuel Kant: What is interesting about the development of these modern ethics is how the social ethics for the pursuit of the good changed. Plato and Aristotle's...

On Separating the Worship of God & Country: Whose Tune Will We Sing?

Introduction: Or, the Piece I Was Going to Write We sang a lovely hymn in worship on Sunday: Lord, You Give the Great Commission. I noticed while we were singing that the tune was written in 1941. With that in mind, here is the piece I was planning to write: Imagine what was going on in the world in 1941 when Cyril Thomas wrote this music. The world was at war. Unspeakable atrocities were being...