Christian Ethics

David S. Cunningham is Professor of Religion and Director of the CrossRoads Project at Hope College, Michigan. He has published widely on the subjects of systematic, doctrinal and philosophical theology and Christian ethics.

• Part One: Describing the Christian Life 1. Gathering the Community: Why 'Christian Ethics' Isn’t What You Think 2. Identifying Who(se) We Are: What’s God Got to Do With It? 3. Reading in Communion: How Our Stories Structure Our Lives Interlude 1: Why We Sing 4. Proclaiming the Good News: Why You Have To Read the Times 5. Praying for the World: Accepting Our Inadequacies Part Two: Forming the Christian Life 6. Offering Our Selves: Couldn’t I Just Look Up the Rules? 7. Recapitulating the Tradition: Why the Virtues Matter 8. Calling Upon the Spirit: Being Known By Our Fruits Interlude 2: Why We Act 9. Nourishing the Body with the Body: Why Christian Identity Matters 10. Sent Forth Into the World: Now the Real Work Begins Part Three: Enacting the Christian Life 11. Monday Morning, Back on the Job 12. Tuesday Afternoon at the Voting Booth Interlude 3: Wednesday Night: Why We Go Back to Church 13. Thursday at the Hospital — All Day Long 14. Friday Night on the Town 15. Saturday’s Walk in the Woods Conclusion: From the Ethics of Decision to the Ethics of Character

'In some of the clearest prose I have encountered, Cunningham speaks directly to undergraduates in their own language, artfully weaving in a myriad of allusions and illustrations from contemporary culture, unpretentiously explaining unfamiliar words and concepts, and astutely naming the assumptions that shape their lives and voicing the questions they raise. He deftly takes them by the hand and walks them, step by logical step, into and through the discipline of Christian ethics as an ethics of character rooted in Scripture, worship, and the Trinity. This is really a wonderful book - a long-needed gift to all who teach Christian ethics, whether in the classroom or in the congregation.' -Therese Lysaught, Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Marquette University, Milwaukee. 'One of the best introductions to Christian ethics available. An essential tool for all students who want to explore the connections between Christian understanding of God, worship, community life, the reading of Scripture, and moral formation. The pace is lively, the text fluent and easy. David Cunningham opens up the rich resources of what Christian tradition says with respect to 'peaceableness', justice, grace, love, courage, stewardship of the created order, giving and receiving, sacrifice and companionship, music as a Christian practice, and much more.' -Esther D. Reed, Associate Professor of Theological Ethics, University of Exeter, UK 'David Cunningham's enjoyable and highly readable textbook is an excellent introduction to contemporary Christian ethics and is ideally suited for those who have little prior knowledge of Christian belief. His use of literature, film, and music is notably refreshing, as is the imaginative way he draws on the virtues to illuminate practical judgements in different parts of everyday life. This book will deservedly find its way onto the reading lists of many introductory courses on Christian ethics.' -Robert Song, Senior Lecturer in Christian Ethics, University of Durham.