Freedom and Purpose: An Introduction to Christian Ethics

Freedom and Purpose is a contemporary introduction to Christian ethics in the Roman Catholic tradition. It sets the scene for Christian ethics within contemporary pluralist societies, considering the key philosophical theories of ethics and the meaning and value of natural law in terms of the meaningfulness of cross-cultural ethical dialogue. Christian ethics is presented as a distinctive contribution to a universally human task, grounded in the love of God revealed in Christ and deriving its distinct contours and motivation from the shape of Christian revelation. After considering these foundational issues, Freedom and Purpose shapes its discussion of Christian ethics around three key questions: ―What Sort of Person should I Be?, a question that provokes a study of freedom, responsibility and conscience and an engagement with the universal reality of sin; ―What is the Good?, focusing on the goodness of creation, especially the unique value of human dignity, understood in the light of biblical perspectives, and its expression through a concern for human rights and the common good; ―What Should I Do?, leading to a discussion of the contemporary meaning of moral norms, the nature of a Christian process of moral reasoning and the role of the Church's teaching authority in Catholic ethical reasoning and practice. Each chapter of Freedom and Purpose ends with a summary and questions for discussion/study exercises. †

Robert Gascoigne is an associate professor, Sub-Faculty of Philosophy and Theology, at the Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia.