Ethics in Lutheran Perspective

 This course will offer an introduction to the field of Christian ethics, paying particular attention to distinctively Lutheran themes. Lectures and readings will examine how the Lutheran theological tradition shapes ethical reflection for the church in its mission today. How do the Word of God, law and gospel, sacraments, liturgy, reason, theology of the cross, Christian freedom, vocation, and two kingdoms teaching shape and condition ethical deliberation? Together we will consider how to give constructive leadership in order that congregations become communities of moral deliberation.

SESSIONS:
1. Life in the Presence of God (40 min.)
2. God's Law (40 min.)
3. Human Nature: Created by God (42 min.)
4. Human Nature: Fallen into Sin (45 min.)
5. The Authority of Scripture and Tradition (49 min.)
6. Experience and Reasoning as Sources of Authority (45 min.)
7. Luther's Two Kingdoms (40 min.)
8. The Danger of Misinterpreting Luther's Two Kingdoms (42 min.)
9. The Dynamics of justification and Christian Freedom (44 min.)
10. The Ethics of the Cross (48 min.)
11. Moral Deliberation in the Congregation (40 min.)
12. An Ethical Agenda for the Church (50 min.)

Total Time (8 hours 48 min.)

DVD Lectures and complete study guide on CDROM