Perhaps the toughest challenge in writing a book on Christian ethics, like my forthcoming Tough Issues, True Hope: A Concise Journey Through Christian Ethics, is deciding on your topics without having the list become too long and overbearing. Some are obvious candidates, as I discussed in my last post. But there are also those that land on the target, whether they seem like logical candidates or for reasons that become apparent once you scratch below the surface.
1. Free speech: The polar swing, according to commentator Dave Rubin, is that we are no longer living in a political left vs. political right world, but we are living in a clash between those who do not believe in freedom of speech and those who do. Given there will be fallout in that clash, how does a Christian navigate his or her choices in what is said?
2. Murder & capital punishment: This was so close to making it on the slam-dunk list from last time. Any discussion on the value of human life must consider what accountability is in place when innocent life is strategically snuffed out in cold blood. Here, I present both sides of the death penalty debate in what I hope is a fair assessment before letting the reader draw his own conclusions.
3. Abortion: In a sense, this can be a subset of the free speech debate...Can people discuss this matter openly in a way that creates more light than heat, and will others listen? Abortion can ignite deeply held beliefs, but beyond that, there are fundamental issues of the value of life that come out of this. And this is the first place in the book where I demonstrate one can "take God out of the equation" and still make a secular argument that lands in the same place the Bible would.
4. Despair and suicide: The rise of depression, anxiety, and soul pain are not going away. Yes, we talk about these matters, but more importantly, this chapter will position people to come alongside others in crisis as well as speak to those in the throes of discouragement and despair.
5. Disabilities and dignity: Why is there a chapter on this, you ask? Simply because the way we treat those who are disabled is a moral issue. It reveals what we believe about human life and about the Creator. I really don't want to spoil the rest of the chapter, except for the fact that--as the father of a living disabled son and the bereaved father of one who has passed away--this chapter was abjectly personal. Not to mention that when I read three highly respected books on Christian ethics, the amount of pages covering disabled people came to under two. Total. In all three books. View this chapter as a corrective.
6. Treating women well, marriage, cohabitation, and divorce: How we view human community is at the heart of these issues (which spread across three different chapters). Can we make the case for a distinctly Christian ethic in these areas and demonstrate that it is one that reflects the best for human endeavor even if one doesn't believe in God or view the Bible as authoritative?
7. Pornography: The good news is that teen pregnancy and all abortion stats are trending downward. There may be a sad reason why: That more people seek satisfaction in porn addiction rather than human relationships. And the word addiction is intentional there. We'll see that what porn does to the brain is scary stuff.
8. Personal stewardship: Why is it a moral issue to care for our health, our wealth, our productivity, and our sleep habits? Yes, you probably weren't expecting that in an ethics book. But there it is. The Bible informs our common sense greatly on this one.
9. Business ethics/Workforce stewardship: Because God created us for a rhythm of worship and work. Our labor is holy and good. We created value. We connect value. We capture value.
10. Immigration: Yes, a moral issue. The Bible has a surprisingly solid amount to say about migration of peoples. Here is no "open borders" mantra, nor is there a command to "build the wall!", but rather we need to see the value God places upon others and how his world is designed for foot traffic from the beginning.
All this, in addition to the previous post's gleanings, are coming May 8th.
[Next post: The structure of Tough Issues, True Hope, a.k.a. "Why the What-So What-Now What alignment?"]
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