Return to an Ethnic of Being:   Recovering the Identity of the Church by Adherence to a Biblical Version of Virtue Ethics

James J Wilson

Etd

Return to an Ethnic of Being: Recovering the Identity of the Church by Adherence to a Biblical Version of Virtue Ethics

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MLA citation style (9th ed.)

James J Wilson. Return to an Ethnic of Being: Recovering the Identity of the Church by Adherence to a Biblical Version of Virtue Ethics. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/d0177fe9-5a34-47f4-b4d0-ab0648125ec6.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

J. J. Wilson. Return to an Ethnic of Being: Recovering the Identity of the Church by Adherence to a Biblical Version of Virtue Ethics. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/d0177fe9-5a34-47f4-b4d0-ab0648125ec6

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

James J Wilson. Return to an Ethnic of Being: Recovering the Identity of the Church by Adherence to a Biblical Version of Virtue Ethics. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/d0177fe9-5a34-47f4-b4d0-ab0648125ec6.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

James J Wilson

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Abstract

Secular and religious scholars have often misinterpreted what scripture says about Christian ethics. People from both realms frequently align Christianity with a deontological system of ethics. However, such a system of duty ethics often leads to a self-righteous legalism both groups would oppose. The locus of scripture is not to teach believers to do, but rather to become and the doing will follow. The paper interacts with the teachings of Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas to establish both an historical and theological basis for virtue ethics. The church departed her normal practice of virtue theory and replaced it with deontology. It is time for the church to recover the biblical system of virtue ethics. Deontology is not set aside, but used as a guide for assessing the virtues required. Believers must especially cultivate the virtues of faith, hope and love in order to recover the reputation of the Church as a holy and reliable institution that can point the world to the One True God. When congregants aspire to become virtuous Christians, then the church will be able to recover her identity as the holy institution of God in the eyes of the world. Preaching, teaching and mentoring must lead believers to understand what they must become, and then what they do will be the fruit of that being.

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