Go and Do Likewise - by William Spohn (Paperback)

About the Book

What does Jesus have to do with ethics? There are two brief answers given by believers: "everything" and "not much." While evangelical or fundamentalist Christians would find authoritative guidance in the words and commands of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament, many mainstream Christian ethicists would say that Jesus is too concrete or narrowly particular to have any direct import for ethics.In this book, Williams Spohn takes a middle way, showing how Jesus is the "concrete universal" of Christian ethics. By forming a bridge from the lives of contemporary Christians to the words and deeds of Jesus, Jesus' story as a whole exemplifies moral perception, motivation and Christian identity.In addition, Spohn shows how the practices of Christian spirituality--specifically prayer, service, and community--train the imagination and reorient emotions to produce a character and a way of life consonant with Christian New Testament moral teaching.

Book Synopsis

What does Jesus have to do with ethics? There are two brief answers given by believers: "everything" and "not much." While evangelical or fundamentalist Christians would find authoritative guidance in the words and commands of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament, many mainstream Christian ethicists would say that Jesus is too concrete or narrowly particular to have any direct import for ethics.In this book, Williams Spohn takes a middle way, showing how Jesus is the "concrete universal" of Christian ethics. By forming a bridge from the lives of contemporary Christians to the words and deeds of Jesus, Jesus' story as a whole exemplifies moral perception, motivation and Christian identity.In addition, Spohn shows how the practices of Christian spirituality--specifically prayer, service, and community--train the imagination and reorient emotions to produce a character and a way of life consonant with Christian New Testament moral teaching.

Review Quotes

"Building on the foundations laid in his What Are They Saying about Scripture and Ethics?, Spohn here endeavors to erect a framework for Christian ethics around three interconnecting pillars: 1. the New Testament story of Jesus; 2. the ethics of virtue and character; and 3. the practices of Christian spirituality....Spohn's case for the community practice of spirituality prayer, service, and worship as an integral element of this ethical construction work is compelling, and his illustration of the analogical interpretation of the Gospel stories and Pauline ethical episodes are fresh and insightful. As a text outlining a Christian ethical method, it is recommended for courses in Christian ethics, religious education, moral theology and psychology, pastoral practice, and biblical interpretation." Choice

"Clearly and elegantly written, this study displays the pedagogy of a seasoned teacher and the precision of a moral theologian....this book should be read by Protestant and Catholic theologians alike."
Journal of the AAR, Sept 2002

"Does not focus on one piece of the puzzle of Christian existence but covers the whole terrain in a rich and complex portrait of what it means to be a Christian." Books and Culture

"It's interdisciplinary approach shows how the moral vision of Jesus, virtue ethics, and traditional spiritual practices reinforce and depend upon each other, and how all three are necessary for undrstanding the relation between Jesus and ethics. Spohn's work, then, is an exploratory essay that demonstrates how scholars can refresh their areas of specialization by crossing boundaries." Frank J. Materia, Theological Studies

"Spohn's account offers a major gain over the older casuistic, natural-law-based Catholic moral theology that it seeks to supplant. His emphases on biblical narrative, the centrality of the christological pattern, and the role of analogical imagination in moral discernment are essential features of any Christian ethic that seeks to be faithful to the New Testament witness. His wise exposition of character formation through Christian practices is an important counterpoint to the work of many writers on New Testament ethics . . ." Theology Today, January 2002

"Spohn's situation of virtue ethics in the discipleship of Jesus is a bracing, exhilarating and somewhat alarming one. Catholics have long become comfortable in the detailed rubrics of a highly structured ethical system. We knew what was a sin (and to what degree), and what our responsibilities were in particular circumstances. Spohn, using Jesus' own teachings, suggests that it is more important to ask, 'What has Jesus equipped us for and to what is He calling us?' This is an excellent book and warmly recommended for all libraries....Students of ethics and clergy will appreciate Spohn's important contribution." Catholic Library World

"This is a fascinating book...a refreshing combination of academic rigour and intellectual challenge with a clear and genuine desire for practical application and outworking. Spohn has produced a challenging and well-written book, full of nice touches, relevant and insightful anecdotes, and undergirded with a sense of humour." Richard Burridge, King's College London

About the Author

William C. Spohn is Presidential Professor of Ethics and the Common Good at Santa Clara University.