St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, September 21, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

                                   Chapter 1- The Walk from the Font

Collect for Thursday in Easter Week

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess. by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


How then shall we live? This is the question, and it's a very Anglican question.

"Anglicans like to quote Evagrius, a Christian from the early centuries of our era, who said that someone who prays is a theologian, and a theologian is someone who prays. Thinking about the prayer that you live is the same as thinking about the faith that you live." (p. 3)

"Christian moral theology is centered on a particular vision, the vision of God. How we view our relationship with God, and God's involvement in our lives, begins to provide a focus for how we view ourselves, and what we will do." (p. 3)

"For [Kenneth] Kirk, [20th C. Anglican ethicist], the duty of 'the Christian moralist' is to
stimulate in us the spirit of worship rather than set before us codes of conduct. " (p. 4)
"Enabled by the Spirit, our ethics are the means by which we govern our actions, and spirituality is the means by which we grow into the presence and reality of God." (p. 6)

General Thanksgiving

"Ethics and spirituality have this in common: each is how we live out in our daily lives our response to the saving reality of God in Jesus Christ." (p. 8) Also, Col 3: 10.

'" What should I do now, here in these particular circumstances?' is very different from asking what someone should do in an unspecified generic situation." (p. 13)


The General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness' .
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation,  preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that With truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only With our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, ~
to whom, With you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology
1. Moral theology is about a life of holiness. After baptism, we seek to walk "in holiness and righteousness all our days." In moral theology we seek to describe and commend a life worthy of our calling. (This axiom is the foundation of all the rest.)

2. Moral theology is properly considered under the heading of sanctification, not justification. It is part of our walk from the font. Doing good Will not save us; we do the good because we have been saved.

3. Moral theology is not the same thing as, but is intimately related to, pastoral care. Moral theology begins With the consideration of generic principles; pastoral care begins With the consideration of a particular situation. -

4. Church conventions and other legislative gatherings do not 'make' the church's moral
theology. Instead, they face the challenge of applying its moral principles to community
legislation and discipline.

(1) Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000).

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, September 28, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

                                Chapter 2-Seeking to Live a Good Life

Collect for Proper 14 The Sunday closest to August 10

Grant to US, Lord, we pray, the spirit to ~ and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

"As a primary principle for Christian ethics, love is never a minimal starting point but a
comprehensive starting point." (p. 27)

".. .persons who identify the same good or principles as the foundation for their ethics may nevertheless understand that good in very different ways." (p. 27)

Where do we find the Good? Three approaches:
-natural law: rooted in reality
-historicist: what has stood the test of time
-choices and' acts of will: our own and of our community ~

Natural Law (ODCC): An expression used with a wide variety of meanings, but in a theological context the law implanted in nature by the Creator which rational creatures can discern by the light of natural reason. It has been contrasted with the revealed law, though it was commonly held that the Commandments revealed in the Decalogue were also precepts of the Natural Law.(2)

Natural Law (Westminster Dictionary): The classical moral philosophers in the Western
tradition have almost all adopted some form of natural law theory. However, it must also be said that while they share the crucial tenet of natural law theory, i.e. that moral duties can be ascertained by reflection on human nature, they differ widely in their views about what human nature is and, as a result, about the moral theory that can be derived from it. ...It was Aquinas' view that by using our reason to reflect on our human nature, we could discover both the specific ends toward which we naturally tends (such as to live, to reproduce, to acquire knowledge, to have a role in an ordered society “to worship God) and the general end for which God created us, a blessed immortality. When we have discovered these ends, it is then possible for us to determine the means required to achieve them. This understanding of God's plan for us, built into our nature by his act of creation is called natural law.”(3)

"Whether we rely on nature, history, or convention, all three are capable of yielding wrong or bad answers to the question, What is the good: Therefore, we may want to look at them not from the point of view of deciding which one is "right.'~ Instead we may want to inquire about the strength and weaknesses of each approach when we want to correct what was previously misidentified as the good. Second, very few of us employ only one or another of these three approaches, nor do we employ them consistently." (p 29)

There are different frameworks, each supported by the Books of Nature and Scripture.

Holmgren: Salvation History (deals with sinners): creation/sin/redemption/resurrection

Other frameworks:
Liberation Theology (deals with the sinned against):
-preferential option for the poor
-liberation essential for salvation (Exodus as paradigm)
-a social-political reading of the Gospels
-non-violence both structurally and physical

Theology of Healing (deals with healing of both the sinner and the sinned against)

What brings wholeness-the shalom of God?


Four Ways of Responding to different aspects of moral life (p. 37): ~

1. Personally: "... we can affirm and celebrate goods intended by God in creation, such as...''
2. Interpersonally: "... we can affim1 acts or patterns of living that arise after the fall but still fit in with god's purposes for creation and redemption, such as. .." 'I..
3. Community: "... we can seek to make pastoral accommodation for the effects of sin [or woundedness]
4. Culturally: "... we will encounter aspects of life that are inconsistent in every way with God's work of creation and redemption. .."

We can choose to act with God in God's work of creation, redemption and healing of the world.


Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology

5. Moral Theology has two primary reference points: creation and scripture. Moral theology looks both to the world and our experience of life together within it, and to scripture and our tradition of reasoned reflection based upon it, as sources of moral principles.

6. Moral theology works in light of an understanding of the four principal phases of salvation history: creation, fall, redemption, and the end of all things in Christ.

7. In coming to agreement concerning the pattern of life that is worthy of the calling, Anglicans have looked for consensus. We have the greatest degree of assurance for what has been most widely received.

8. Anglicans have looked for consensus in several interrelated spheres: the praying community of the church throughout the world; the wider community of the Body of Christ through history; and the academic community, when its work is founded upon Christian principles.


(1) Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000).

(2) Natural Law. Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Third Edition Revised 2005

(3) Natural Law. Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, 1986

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, October 5, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

                                       Chapter 3- The Book of Nature

Prayers for the Natural Order

40. For Knowledge of God's Creation

Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we probe the mysteries of your creation, we may com~1P know you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 827)

Proper 17  The Sunday closest to August 31

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

From Bishop Tutu: “During the darkest days of apartheid I used to say to ~" W. Botha
the president of South Africa, that we had already won, and I invited him and other white
South Africans to join the winning side. All the 'objective' facts were against us-the
pass laws, the imprisonments, the tear gassing, the massacres, the murder of political
activists-but my confidence was not in the present circumstances but in the laws of
God's universe. This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word.”(2)

Interpreting the Book of Nature: "We take it for granted that human beings can and do invest the objects of their experience and attention with moral value. The question
therefore turns on whether or not the actions or objects that we observe within human
experience have inherent moral value of their own." (p. 53)

"What ethics and the sciences have in common is this: what we observe lies beyond us
and exists prior to us. It is true that quantum physics has made us aware of some
ambiguity in the relationship between the observer and the observed at the level of
particles Yes, we do construct meaning and order in our minds. But the world of
nature possesses meanings of its own that have been placed there by the creator and
precede any meaning we might want to give it. The challenge for us is to try and discern
where the two diverge." (p 56-57)

Morality and the Book of Nature: "The court [at Nuremberg] determined, however,
that the crimes of the Holocaust violated something much more fundamental because
these were 'crimes against humanity.' They violated moral principles embedded in the
nature of reality and accessible to human reason regardless of whether or not particular
individuals had happened to notice them or not. The crimes of the Third Reich were
therefore crimes against a morality that is integral to reality." (p. 57)

"[B]y claiming that moral value is inherent to creation, we place our moral conversation
under a discipline. We must then reason together in the awareness that our understanding of moral value is always subject to comparison with the reality that our claims are supposed to describe. We know that we will encounter false claims about moral principles, and to set these aside we will need to demonstrate through reason how these inadequate principles fall short of and are judged by the actual order of the world.  Comparison makes correction possible." (p. 58)


Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology

9. All people, whether they are Christian or not, can receive moral knowledge through
the "general revelation" of the Book of Nature. This is not to say that all people will do
so, or that they will choose to act on such knowledge.


(1) Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000).

(2) Desmond Tutu, God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time, (NY: Doubleday, 2004), 2. 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, October 12, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

                                       Chapter 4- The Book of Scripture

Proper 15 The Sunday closest to August 17

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This chapter explores "the distinctiveness of Christian ethics with regard to the Book of Scripture, addressing some of the issues raised for moral theology by the person of Jesus, his teaching and example, as well as by the church's ongoing experience of the Risen Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit." (p. 68)

From the Catechism (BCP, p 853)

Q. What is the Old Testament?
A. The Old Testament consists of books
written by the people of the Old Covenant, 
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
to show God at work in nature and history.

Q. What is the New Testament?
A. The New Testament consists of books
written by the people of the New Covenant,
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
to set forth the life and teachings of Jesus and
to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom for all people.

"The Anglican reading of scripture is as much a corporate activity, shaped by history and disciplined by consensus, as an individual one... .scripture and the tradition of reasoned reflection based upon and shaped by it." (p. 65)

"We know for example, that by the world "scripture" Paul meant the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament, and he probably never imagined that in a short while the very letter in which he wrote those words would itself be seen as part of scripture." (p. 62-63)

How might the Bible be used for ethics?
-as a mirror to our true human condition
-as a bookend that can keep upright an unruly shelf of books
-as a map of best route to our destination (p. 73)

Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology

10. Anglicans distinguish between moral knowledge, which is revealed to everyone
through the Book of Nature, and saving knowledge, which is mediated through the
"special revelation" of the Book of Scripture. Saving knowledge shapes life after
baptism in such a way as to leave both continuity and discontinuity between the moral
knowledge possessed by Christian and that of other people and traditions.

(1) Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000). 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, October 19, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

               Chapter 5 - Laws, Manners and Moral Principles

Proper 10 The Sunday closest to July 13

0 Lord mercifully receive the prayer of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three ways of determining what one can or should do:

-what rule allows or requires
-social expectations or etiquette
-internally perceived moral good

                                  Laws – Manners - Moral Principles

"We can find ourselves unsettled about the ambiguity between social obligation and moral obligation."

The Will of God and the Will of Human Communities

"What, if any, is the difference between needing to apologize to another person about a social lapse and needing to apologize to God?"

"Are ethics manners writ large?" or "What is the role of society in determining right and wrong?" (p. 85)

"Does our failure to conform to civil statutes and laws, or to social norms and expectations, overlap with our 'erring and straying' from God's ways?" (p. 86)

To whom are we accountable when we act contrary to these laws, norms, or divinely held principles?

Review: Three sources of moral good:

     -nature or "found"
     -history or "'received'"
     -convention or "made"



Describing and Telling: getting caught in the rules vs. the principles

Two Approaches

- Descriptive: commends a moral good -
   Invites others in reflection

-Prescriptive: commands the moral good or forbids the moral evil
   Divides
   Invites others into a sense of accountability to us

Are we willing to be accountable?

Moral Accountability - To Whom?

"We can enforce what we make, whether it be civil law or social manners, but we do not 'make' moral principles." (p. 94)

Principles & Policies

"Commonly held principles can give rise to widely different policies and practices. ...We often disagree about policy initiatives, and by extension about laws, canons, or regulations. But if we first focus on our commonly held principles, then we can reason together as to the policies, regulation and rules that might best embody the principles we
wish to afflffi1." (p. 95-96)

"In many respects the moral theology of the church is not made, but rather found in the moral principles given to us in the Book of Nature and through the Book of Scripture." (p. 96)

"Nevertheless, we should not confuse civil laws or canons with moral principles. Instead, our goal should be to show that moral principles are a gift that will bring life from within, a dependable leaven for action in the way that yeast serves to raise up loaves, rather than an external source of obligation. After all, what is our goal when we return to our Lord and seek amendment of Life: In the words of the General Confession, is it only to 'walk in your ways'? Or is it also to 'delight in your will' (BCP, 360)?" (p. 97)

Discerning our Moral Principles

"To discern the basic lines of our church's moral teaching, we can start with the prayer book instead of with the journals of the General Convention or the resolutions of Lambeth Conference."

Ex: The Litany of Penitence (BCP, 267)


Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology

11. The church may adopt one of two postures concerning the relationship between the gospel and the world: it may hold the world up to judgment, or it may witness to the gospel under whose judgment it also stands.

12. The church speaks best to moral principles when it speaks about them descriptively rather than prescriptively. Describing the moral good invites others to discover its beauty; prescribing the moral good may cause others to feel defensive and suspect us of hypocrisy.

13. Commonly held principles may nevertheless give rise to differing implementations in terms of policy and practice. Just because we agree on our principles does not mean we will agree on how we should live them.

(1) Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000). 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, October 26, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

               Chapter 6 - Sin, Character, and Conscience

58. For Guidance

0 God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

----------------------------------------------------
Act and Character:

"What I do as an individual will often reflect the way that my society has shaped my character, Equally true, though more uncomfortable to recognize, is the fact that what I do will shape the society I live in." (p. 104)

Life East of Eden:

"Our interaction with laws and manners in daily life easily creates the impression that all we have to do in order to be good is decide to follow the rules, and then act upon this resolve. Though laws like the tax codes have become exceedingly complex, and though books of etiquette contain a staggering amount of advice, both of them at least in theory can be learned, known, and acted upon. Yet we know that this is not so with morals [Rom 7:22-25] Though we can discern moral principles and know them in our hearts, we find ourselves resisting them, acting apart from them, and seeking to get around them." (p. 110)

Acts, Character, and Virtue:

We are disposed to act out of both inherent virtue (prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude) and vice (pride, lust, avarice, gluttony, wrath, envy and sloth.) This is not unique to Christianity. Christianity adds the virtues of faith, hope and love.

Maps of the Soul

"[The] tendency to favor some aspects of human moral subjectivity over others is something to which all Christians seem-prone. We tend to choose either a reasoned approach to ethical principles or an approach that emphasized the will and the affections. In this way our view of the human person and how we see the relationship between
different aspects of consciousness playa significant role in our ethics. Are reason and the affections naturally competitive in struggling for influence over our wills? Are physical and sensual feelings morally subordinate to thinking? ...And what if we happen to experience a conflict within ourselves between feeling and thinking?" (p. 117)

"Perhaps even more than we recognize, thinking and feeling together inform our reflection upon past acts, as well as our process of shaping a resolve to future action. Instead of driving a wedge between the language of 'I thought that' and the language of ' I felt that,' we might try using words that include and express both. We might say, 'I
reflected that' or I settled on this choice. ", (p. 118)

The Question of Conscience

Conscience has been thought of in different ways:

- the voice of God for the Christian Soul (p. 121)
- an internal moral compass always pointing true north/a moral guide
- the accumulated residue of a lifetime of teaching by parents and elders

"For [Holmgren], the most helpful way to think about conscience is to think of it as an activity rather than as a thing. Conscience is what we do rather than something we use or possess." (p. 122)

"We must both think and feel, we must both remember and plan, and we must both hear and act. Involving all of these aspects of ourselves, conscience is the process of bringing the fullness of the Christian vision to bear upon a single choice." (p. 123)

Freedom in Christ

"Christian freedom in paradoxical, for it is freedom discovered in voluntary service. ...We have been set free to flourish in Christ, and we should not be surprised if the path toward our true flourishing involves a pattern and order. As we grow in this freedom, we discover the joy that can be found in the fulfillment of expectation and of
responsibility ."


                              Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology

14. Acts shape character, and character shapes acts. Character is the disposition to act in particular ways. Individual acts are the building blocks of habits, and habits are the material of disposition to act in particular ways.

15. As a gift of creation, all people share a basic disposition to seek the good, but as a result of the fall we seek to rule ourselves. These basic dispositions give rise to specific disposition we cal the natural moral virtues and the vices that shape moral action.

16. Moral conscience involves the whole person, both thinking and feeling. It also involves the interrelated acts of reflection upon, and deliberation toward, moral action. Conscience must be followed, but conscience must also be educated.

1 Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000). 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Ethics After Easter" by Stephen Holmgren
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, November 2, 2008

                                            Ethics After Easter (1)

               Chapter 7 - Love in Acts, Rules and Principles

Proper 9 The Sunday closest to July 6

0 God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

----------------------------------------------------
"How do we connect rules and principles with unique situations and people without being arbitrary?"

This chapter looks at the role of conscience:
-discerning generic moral principles .
-applying them to particular circumstances

Leads to a "gap" between:
-what we want to affirm
-actual practice

What is the proper role of discernment and judgment in moral reasoning?
Who or what gives our acts meaning? (p.130)

Are you and I, as individual baptized members of the church, responsible for discerning moral principles as part of the workings of conscience?

When another person asks, "What should I do?" it appears as an invitation to engage in an act of conscience for them. For the question to be handled responsibly, Holmgren recommends one of two things:

-Make clear you are joining them in an act of imagination i.e. "IF I were you, this is how
I imagine it would look. .."

-Or, "If I were in this situation, this is how I think it would look to me... ."

Alternatively, we could take a generic approach by asking "What should someone do in this kind of a situation?" which allows a broader reflection of the principles involved.

The Gap Between Principles and Practice

                                                               Rigorist-rules
                                                             applied with rigor
                     Generic                                                                       Particular
             Moral principle                                                                Moral practice

                                   Laxist-rules applied maximizing freedom

Casuistry-the activity of conscience which applies generic principles to particular circumstances.

How do we address the apparent discontinuity between principles and practices in our community? "Whether we recognize it or not, most communities find themselves living in the gap between the principles that provide normative guidance and practices that fall short of full compliance. In this era many Anglican make a virtue of what we like to call our via media approach." In articulating moral principles, we tend to be idealist or purist. In administration of structures and policies of daily life aQd pastoral practice, we take a more gradualist approach. (p.
141)

One of the most challenging questions a community will have to face is the possibility that moral principles may need to change such as when daily moral practice is discontinuous with moral principle. We need to look at the source of the discontinuity. Is the discontinuity due to sinfulness, knowledge, and/or revelation?

Two principles to explore alternatives:
   -Consensus and assurance: the greater the demonstrable consensus in the praying community of the church as it reflects on scripture over the course of time.
   -Benefit of the doubt which provides a guide for how change may best come about.

Those who depend upon fellowship and communication within a stable community .will experience frustration and difficulty especially when what has been received is believed to have divine origin. (p. 143)

Love, Discernment, and Judgment

"We are constantly learning from reflection upon our own actions and those of others as we pass through each day and week. The real issue is what we do with this insight. Do we use it to justify ourselves and condemn others? Or do we use this learning to promote our own moral growth and to help us fulfill the mission of the church 'to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.' ?" (p 147)

The Meanings of an Act:

          -Intentional: What was intended?
          -Generic: What is commonly understood in the eyes of others?
          -Consequential: What was the result of our act?

                              Holmgren's Axioms for Moral Theology

17. Conscience both discerns generic moral principles, and applies them to particular circumstances. The act of applying generic principles to particular situation is called casuistry.

18. Moral principles, norms, or rules are always generic, even when they become more and more specific; they must still be individually applied to particular situations. No matter how specific moral principles or rule become, we must still engage in a personal exercise of conscience.

19. Anglican moral theology has tended to take the approach of an idealist or a purist at the level of principles, and a gradualist approach at the level of policy and practice in the church's pastoral life. We should not water down the claims of the gospel upon us, while we should remember that Christian life involves stages of growth.

20. Principles of moral theology that are received from the tradition enjoy the benefit of the doubt when challenged by new interpretation or proposals. This does not preclude change; it only guides how change must come about if we are to honor the good of public order in our communities.

21. If the articulation of Christian ethics is limited to particular situation, it risks being based on something less than a full range of moral principles. When we focus on particular situations, we must remember to ask what kinds of circumstances these situations exemplify.


(1) Stephen Holmgren, Ethics after Easter, The New Church's Teaching Series Volume 9, (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000). 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Today's Scripture Readings
A Study Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, November 16, 2008

Judges (4:1-7)

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’” 

- Chapter 2:11-19:  very repetitive.  The Israelites worshiped Baal and made the Lord angry.  The Lord let them be plundered.  A new judge (i.e. leader) would raise them back up after asking for forgiveness.  They would then return back to Baal and other idol worship.

- The Israelites had bronze weapons, but the Canaanites had iron, which is probably why they ruled the flat lands.

- Chapter 5 is older than chapter 4.  One of the most ancient pieces of literature in the Bible -- a very old form of Hebrew -- hard to read -- very violent book.

1 Thessalonians (5:1-11)

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

- Authentic letters of Paul -- around 50-51 AD -- oldest of New Testament.

- Keen expectations that Christ will return any day and the end is near.

- Realization that they may be there for a long time.

- Those who died before the coming of Christ will not be left behind.

Matthew 25

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven will be as when a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

- Chapters 1-2: Infancy;  Chapters 3-25: Jesus' public ministry;  Chapters 26-27: Passion Story;  Chapter 28: Resurrection

- Story of the Talents.  One talent is worth 15-20 years' salary of a day laborer.

- We probably would not choose to put this story in our own history. 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Today's Scripture Readings
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, November 23, 2008

Ezekiel (34:11-16, 20-24)

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

- In 597 BCE Ezekiel went with the people of Israel to Babylon.  Up to that time God had been tied down to a specific location and temple.  When the temple was destroyed the question was asked about how do we now access God.

- Shepherds were important people who kept the sheep, but were considered to be "dirty" by some.  The shepherd was the ruler of the desert.

- One lesson learned was that you must take care of your people or you will fail.

- The leaders were blatantly negligent and the people learned that "life wasn't fair!"

- God was the arbiter and the judge of both good and bad times.

- If a catastrophe befell you then it was probably because you did something evil in the past. 

Ephesians (1:15-23)

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Matthew (25:31-46)

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Today's Scripture Readings
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, November 30, 2008

Isaiah (64:1-9)

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence—as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people. 

Corinthians (1:3-9)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mark (13:24-37)

Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

> Earliest and shortest of the four Gospels.

> Used as a source in Luke and Matthew.

> Rough language, "street Greek!"

> Composed as a long story.  We lose much of the meaning by just reading a few verses at one time.

> Comparison of darkness followed by light from Old Testament readings with the prediction Jesus made about the Temple in Jerusalem.

> This same theme carries over into the Passion Narratives.

>"Heaven and earth will pass away, but not my words." 

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Today's Scripture Readings
A Study Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, December 7, 2008

Isaiah (40:1-11)

“Comfort, O comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

> Written in later times by an unknown prophet.

> Linked to Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 587-586 BCE.

> The Lord should have protected them, but he did not.

> About 40 years into exile, this prophet arose preaching a message of hope.

> "There is only one God."  (Not one God above many gods.)

> The one God is also the God of all creation.  (Not just one group of people.)

> The limitation of human beings is acknowledged.

II Peter (3:8-15a)

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish.

Mark (1:1-8)

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

> By 66 AD the Romans began the siege of Jerusalem - destroyed by 70 AD.

> This prompted a great sense of urgency among Christians that Christ will return.

> There are no infancy stories in Mark.

> John the Baptist may have been a Nazerite, who led a very austere lifestyle.

> There were followers of John, but he proclaimed he was not the Messiah.

> Portrayed a "wild man" type of image.

> Baptism was connected with repenting and forgiveness of sins.

> Great message of the one who is to come.

> This story will be revisited in January and March of next year.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Today's Scripture Readings
A Study Led By Rev. Deacon Mary Slenski
Sunday, December 14, 2008

Genesis (2:4-25)

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up-- for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6 but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground-- 7 then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.12 and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." 18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." 19 So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." 24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

Genesis (3:1-15)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."

Isaiah (11:1-9)

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Zephaniah (3:14-18)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18 as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.

Baruch (4:36-5:9)

Look toward the east, O Jerusalem, and see the joy that is coming to you from God. 37 Look, your children are coming, whom you sent away; they are coming, gathered from east and west, at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God. 5:1 Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God. 2 Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting; 3 for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven. 4 For God will give you evermore the name, "Righteous Peace, Godly Glory." 5 Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height; look toward the east, and see your children gathered from west and east at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. 6 For they went out from you on foot, led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne. 7 For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. 8 The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel at God's command. 9 For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.

John (1:6-8, 19-28)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. …19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" 26 John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

> Washing with water was a Jewish ritual.

> The River Jordan was the passageway from the wilderness to the Promised Land.

> The conversion to Judaism also involved cleansing with water.

> Description of John:  "The Pharoses just don't get it!"

> It was a major event for the Pharoses and Levites to go out from the temple to check out this man called Jesus.

> The Jewish community were still looking for Elijah.

> There were many other prophets of the day as well.

> John never points to himself.

> Question to ponder:  How would you describe your own self?

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