This one-stop reference book on the vital relationship between Scripture and ethics offers needed orientation and perspective for students, pastors, and scholars. Written to respond to the movement among biblical scholars and ethicists to recover the Bible for moral formation, it is the best reference work available on the intersection of these two fields. The volume shows how Christian Scripture and Christian ethics are necessarily intertwined and offers up-to-date treatment of five hundred biblical, traditional, and contemporary topics, ranging from adultery, bioethics, and Colossians to vegetarianism, work, and Zephaniah. The stellar ecumenical list of contributors consists of more than two hundred leading scholars from the fields of biblical studies and ethics, including Darrell Bock, David Gushee, Amy Laura Hall, Daniel Harrington, Dennis Olson, Christine Pohl, Glen Stassen, and Max Stackhouse.
The acclaimed Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics (DSE), written to respond to the movement among biblical scholars and ethicists to recover the Bible for moral formation, offered needed orientation and perspective on the vital relationship between Scripture and ethics. This book-by-book survey of the Old Testament features key articles from the DSE, bringing together a stellar list of contributors to introduce students to the use of the Old Testament for moral formation. It will serve as an excellent supplementary text. The stellar list of contributors includes Bruce Birch, Mark Boda, William Brown, Stephen Chapman, Daniel Harrington, and Dennis Olson.
Fifteen years after its original publication comes a thoroughly revised edition of the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Every article from the original edition has been revisited. With some articles being removed, others revised, and many new articles added, the result is a completely new dictionary covering systematic, historical, and philosophical theology as well as theological ethics.
Providing exegetical principles for the study of Old Testament ethics, this volume examines 'moral' texts of the Old Testament, and explores the content of Old Testament ethics and its meaning to believers today. It can be used quite effectively as a textbook for Ethics in the Old Testament.
This book serves as an introduction to the field of biblical ethics, a subcategory of the discipline of moral theology. It differs from moral philosophy in that biblical ethics is distinctively Christian, and it is more specific than Christian ethics proper because it specifically focuses upon the application of the moral law -- as it is revealed in Scripture -- to daily living. Introduction to Biblical Ethics explains the nature, relevancy, coherency, and structure of the moral law as revealed throughout the Bible. In addition to covering the foundational elements of biblical ethics, major issues investigated in this volume include: different types of law in Scripture, the relationship between the law and the gospel, and issues related to the prospect of conflicting moral absolutes. Additionally, after a discussion of ethical methodology, and using the Ten Commandments as a moral rubric, author David W. Jones explores the place of the moral law in the lives of believers. In the final chapters, the events surrounding the giving of the Decalogue are surveyed, and the application of each of the Ten Commandments to Christian living is explored.
In recent years our knowledge of the individual parts of the Bible has increased greatly, but our understanding of how they fit together has not kept pace. In particular, the relationship between the Old and New Testaments has been a neglected field of study. The latest in IVP's developing family of New Dictionaries, the 'New Dictionary of Biblical Theology' is an essential tool for students, preachers and ministers, as well as for scholars and others seeking a better grasp of the Bible's teaching. The aim of this prestigious dictionary is to integrate the various biblical books and themes into the overarching story of the Scriptures. The volume embodies three perspectives on biblical theology, which are reflected in its structure.
Within the Christian community at large there is often little correlation between scriptural guidelines for Christian living and the lifestyle practices and behavior of believers. Christian social scientist, George Barna, has done extensive research in this area that reveals alarming data. For example, nearly nine of ten adults state that religious faith is very important in their lives. However, only one in five adults claims that the Bible is the dominant influence in their decisions regarding lifestyle practices. Further research suggests that there is often little difference between the lifestyle practices of Christians and non-Christians. This nominal difference in lifestyle practices and behavior between Christians and non-Christians, as well as the minimal correlation between Scripture and practice among many Christians, produced an interest in this area of practical theology. Serving as a Christian pastor over the past two decades, the reality of Barnas research has been observed personally. The biblical parallel of the prevailing apathy within todays churches is seen in Judges 21:25 (NASB), In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. That is, in those days there was no accepted standard of truth. Likewise, only one in four American adults believes in the existence of absolute truth. As a result, the relationship between doctrine and practice, belief and behavior, is often minimal, with many Christians doing only what is right in their own eyes, rather than allowing Gods Word to influence their mode of living. A distinct relationship between belief and behavior is seen in I Timothy 4:16. In this passage, Paul clearly identifies a correlation between what one believes (doctrine) and the lifestyle (behavior) one lives when he writes, Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. From this verse it is clear that there are two areas in the life of the Christian that need to be scrutinized and pursued, namely, belief and behavior. The fundamental thesis of this book is that a deeper understanding of Christian ethics will inform and facilitate the Christian life.
