Christian Ethics: Options and Issues (Paperback)

~ Norman Geisler (Author) "Ethics deals with what is morally right and wrong..." (more)
Key Phrases: ethical options, situation ethics, graded absolutism, Ethical Issues, Old Testament, New Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With the publication of Ethics: Alternatives and Issues in 1971, Norman Geisler established himself as a leading evangelical ethicist. This totally new, updated, culturally-relevant text continues the lofty standard the author has set for himself.

About the Author

Norman L. Geisler (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) is cofounder and former dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is the author of more than sixty books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801038324
• ISBN-13: 978-0801038327
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,988 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Overview and Defense of Christian Ethics, August 10, 1998

By	Cameron B. Clark (Bristow, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This book is the most current of Geisler's books on ethics and incorporates many of the points of previous works such as Ethics: Alternatives & Issues, Options in Contemporary Christian Ethics, and The Christian Ethic of Love. The book is, as the title suggests, a presentation of CHRISTIAN ethics, so the Bible is taken as the standard text for discussing certain issues such as homosexuality, abortion, war/civil disobedience, and other similar ethical issues. But scientific and rational arguments are also used in addition to Biblical exposition to reach conclusions.

The first part of the book is concerned mainly with approaches to Ethics in general and Christian Ethics in particular. After perusing the field and debunking moral relativism, Geisler concludes that the best ethical position is what he calls "Graded Absolutism." This basically means that certain situations require one to decide which of two conflicting absolutes to obey. Geisler is sure to clarify that this is different than Situation Ethics (by Joseph Fletcher and others) which states that the situation determines the rule. On the contrary, the graded nature of absolutes determines which rule to apply in a given situation. Overall, a good read which still has me thinking and referring back to the book.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian ethics well defined and instructively applied, July 23, 2001

By	Dr. J. Sarfati (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Geisler writes clearly and logically to:

1) Defend Christian ethics against non-Christian ones e.g. might makes right, good = pleasure. This includes showing that Christian ethics is deontological (duty-centred) rather than teleological (end-centred), e.g. utilitarianism. In particular, it is based on God's revelation. He rightly points out that even unbelievers have a law written on their hearts (Rom. 2:14-15), so they have no excuse for neglecting this general revelation. But one weakness is that Geisler insufficiently stresses that Scripture must be the guide for interpreting general revelation and for determining whether one's conscience is right.

2) Present a good defence that the Christian position is "graded absolutism", where moral absolutes exist, but a higher absolute exempts one from following a lower absolute. His gives the ethical dilemma of not telling the truth to save lives, describes how six different views deal with this, presents both pluses and minuses, then analyses them in detail in terms of Scripture to draw his conclusion.

3) Analyses hot topics such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, homosexuality and "biomedical issues". He presents both sides' arguments, usually from science and Scripture, then effectively critiques the view he disagrees with. The arguments seem so effective that there's little I would change even though the book is now 12 years old. So the book is an excellent handbook for all Christians who want to argue effectively about moral issues.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful!, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

Particularly the abortion section,or it seemed to me anyway,as I've gotten in some discussions over that lately. The bit where Dr.Bernard Nathanson(now anti abortion,he was one of the leading proponents in the early movement)admits that the info about "tens of thousands" of women dying in back alley "coat hanger" abortions was a fabrication rather interesting. Looked at the "further reading" section at the end of the chapter and it suggested Nathanson's "Aborting America",he also has others available from amazon,as does Norma McCorvey(the real life Jane Roe) that should prove interesting.