Rae - Moral choices : an introduction to ethics

In this highly readable and well-referenced book, Scott Rae patiently works through some of the most relevant and perplexing moral questions of the twenty-first century. Given the nature of these issues, this is not an easy task. His careful analysis is illustrated with many enlightening analogies. Beyond that, many readers will appreciate his answers to foundational questions such as why the topic matters in the first place, how to think morally and the variety of ways people do so, and what distinguishes a Christian approach to ethical analysis from a nonchristian one. Those who desire to navigate the perplexing maze of moral questions and various viewpoints on them will find this book invaluable.

Paul Chamberlain, professor of ethics and leadership, director of Institute of Christian Apologetics, Trinity Western University

Moral Choices is a treasure. After giving a tour on how to think about ethics, Rae walks us through the array of moral choices one faces in the modern world. Loaded with example scenarios and all kinds of data, this book travels through the labyrinth of moral decisions one faces, especially in the area of medical ethics. Anyone reading this book will not get lost in how to wrestle with such choices and will possess a solid guide on how to think about them.

Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament, executive director of cultural engagement at the Hendricks Center, Dallas Theological Seminary

Moral Choices is my go-to book on helping students think through challenging ethical issues. I recently took a group of advanced high school students through it, and they loved it. It is clear, compelling, and biblical. Im thrilled about this update and am honored to offer it my highest recommendation.

Sean McDowell, PhD, speaker, author, associate professor, Biola University

In my twenty years of teaching Christian Ethics, Moral Choices has been very helpful for my students because it is biblically grounded, clear, and engaging, and it helps readers both to think through the process of Christian moral reasoning and to apply such reasoning to the issues of our day. This updated and expanded fourth edition is timely, with new chapters on Creation Care and Environmental Ethics, Violence and Gun Control, Race, Gender, and Diversity, and Immigration, Refugees, and Border Control. Readers may disagree with some of Dr. Raes conclusions, but all will benefit from his work on critical moral issues.

Ken Magnuson, professor of Christian ethics, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

I regard Scott Raes latest book, the fourth edition of Moral Choices, as the most impressive work on Christian ethics that I have read in the last few decades. Written by an outstanding teacher and scholar, this is the one book that I would recommend to students, church leaders, and political decision-makers who want a sophisticated but easy-to-read guide through the maze of modern ethical decision-making. Situating ethics within an overall framework of worldview, this work masterfully explains and evaluates the various ethical systems, provides a suggested model for moral decision-making, and offers up-to-date and real life working examples of some sensible and satisfying solutions available to modern ethicists.

Peter Hastie, principal, Presbyterian Theological College, Melbourne, Australia

ZONDERVAN

Moral Choices

Copyright 1995, 2000, 2009, 2018 by Scott B. Rae

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ePub Edition August 2018: ISBN 978-0-310-53643-7

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S pecial thanks and appreciation are due to a number of important people who enabled this fourth edition to become a reality. Thanks to my colleagues at Talbot School of Theology, particularly in the philosophy department, for their intellectual stimulation and encouraging friendshipsyou guys provide a great environment in which to work. Im especially grateful for the Sabbatical leave that allowed the space to finish this fourth edition. Special thanks to Matt Estel at Zondervan, thanks for your thorough and careful work in editing the manuscript. I have much appreciation for Katya Covrett, my editor at Zondervan, for her initiative and creativity in proposing the changes for this edition.

Many thanks to Zondervan for their desire to publish a fourth edition of this book. I trust that it will continue to be a useful tool, now more beneficial with the updates and new chapters made for this edition.

To my wife, Sally, and my sons, Taylor, Cameron, and Austinthanks for your patience with me when I was getting this finished. You all are such an encouragement, and I am grateful for all that you mean to me.

Chapter 1
Introduction
Why Morality Matters

I magine that you were able to live your life in such a way that you could do whatever you wanted to do, whenever you wanted to do it, and you would never get caught or face any consequences for your actions? That is, you could cheat on exams in school, plagiarize papers, sleep with whoever you wanted to, or embezzle money from your employer, and never worry about getting caught. In Platos classic work The Republic, the myth of Gyges sets out precisely this situation. In a parallel to Frodo putting on the ring in the film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, After a good deal of dialogue, Plato concluded that being moral was inherently valuable, apart from any additional benefits it produced or harm that it enabled a person to avoid.