Faith and Faithfulness: Basic Themes in Christian Ethics - by Gilbert C Meilaender (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In Faith and Faithfulness Gilbert C. Meilaender suggests that Christians should not try to develop an autonomous ethic; neither, however, need they deny the common ground that exists with those who stand in other traditions. He then discusses human nature as creaturely, sinful, and justified--using these categories to think about such topics as the relation of humans to their environment, the meaning of personhood, and the meaning of original sin.

Review Quotes

"Meilaender has an unusual ability to treat complex topics with clarity, charm, and insight. In this book, he masterfully explores how certain central Christian themes must be held in tension together. He argues for a distinctively Christian ethics that is, nonetheless, open to general ethics." --Theological Studies

"Present times are blessed with a number of readily accessible (easy to get and easy to read) books by rigorous academic authors who temporarily set aside their technical vocabulary to gift us with their insights. Faith and Faithfulness is such a book; it takes up and brilliantly answers questions a thoughtful but busy Christian nonphilosopher might have." --New Oxford Review

". . . most readers will find this a stimulating and occasionally moving book which addresses an impressive range of issues in relatively few pages. Meilaender is one of our most perceptive moralists." -The Christian Century

"Faith and Faithfulness . . . does not develop a specific thesis but rather offers a series of essays on Christian morality and some of its practical applications from the point of view of the Lutheran tradition. Meilaender's work, extremely rich in content, begins with an exposition of the 'singularity' of Christian ethics [and] ends with a superb chapter that compares the secular concern for the self with the Christian concern for the Divine Other through a comparison of The Confessions of St. Augustine with the Reveries of the Solitary Walker of Jean-Jacques Rousseau." --America

"Meilaender's careful critique of universal moral absolutes is very helpful, especially his ability to make room for ambiguity and exceptional cases--indeed, for both human and divine freedom--without relativizing fundamental values." --Commonweal

"With characteristic grace and acuity, Meilaender offers a powerful vision of the Christian way of life in Faith and Faithfulness." --Religious Studies Review

About the Author

Gilbert Meilaender holds the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Chair in Christian Ethics at Valparaiso University, Indiana. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Christian Ethics, as an Associate Editor of Religious Studies Review, and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Religious Ethics. He is also a Fellow of the Hastings Center and was a member of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2002 to 2009. He is a Distinguished Fellow with The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity. He is the author of Friendship: A Study in Theological Ethics (Notre Dame Press, 1981), The Theory and Practice of Virtue (Notre Dame Press, 1984), and Faith and Faithfulness: Basic Themes in Christian Ethics (Notre Dame Press, 1991). Meilaender has been a member of the President's Council on Bioethics since its inception in January 2002.