Scott B. Rae - Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics

ZONDERVAN

Moral Choices
Copyright 1995, 2000, 2009 by Scott B. Rae

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ePub Edition September 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-32323-5

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rae, Scott B.

Moral choices: an introduction to ethics / Scott B. Rae3rd ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-310-29109-1 (hardcover)
1. Ethics. I. Title.

BJ1012.R32 2009
170dc22 2009005151

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Interior design by Matthew Van Zomeran

Special thanks and appreciation are due to a number of important people who enabled this third 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. My deans at Talbot, Dennis Dirks and Mike Wilkins, provide substantial encouragement for writing and flexible schedules in order to finish projects and meet deadlines. Special thanks to Jim Ruark at Zondervan, who has overseen the editing of all three editions of Moral Choicesthanks for your thorough and careful work. You have made each of the three editions better. I have much appreciation for Katya Covrett, my senior 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 third edition of this book. I trust that it will continue to be a useful tool, now more beneficial with the updates made for this new 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.

I dedicate this third edition to my late father, Walter B. Rae, who taught me about morality from the way he lived.

The teaching of ethics and morality has never been more challenging than it is today. Each morning of this twenty-first century seems to bring with it a news story or societal revelation that forces us to cogently think through ethical ramifications that even Solomon would have difficulty discerning.

Moral Choices is an introductory textbook written at an accessible level that allows students to clearly enter a field of study that otherwise could quickly become a quagmire. Use it with confidence in the classroom as it presents some of the most pressing moral issues facing us today, including abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, war, capital punishment, reproductive technologies, and moral authority.

About the Author

Believing morality ultimately issues from the character of God, Dr. Scott Rae, in teaching this subject, combines biblical studies with ethical relevancy while maintaining a timely and current perspective on such topics as connecting the law and morality, natural law in Christian ethics, the social dimension of Old Testament ethics, and the biblical background of abortion.

Writing Style

Readers will appreciate the books succinct approach to these weighty matters. It does not deteriorate into theoretical jargon or obtuse philosophies. Rather, it unpacks key terms and distinctions in ethics to help readers become more familiar with this new territory.

Organization

As new subjects are introduced and discussed, they are headlined in bold text for easy reference. Ethical dilemmas are exposed, and the author makes the case both for and against them, allowing readers to see both sides. Sidebars highlight how historic figures, documents, and events have influenced thought and dialogue about ethics.