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What is ethics?

What is ethics?. Australian philosopher Peter Singer provides the following definition:

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What is ethics?

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  1. What is ethics? Australian philosopher Peter Singer provides the following definition: The word itself is sometimes used to refer to the set of rules, principles, or ways of thinking that guide, or claim authority to guide, the actions of a particular group; and sometimes it stands for the systematic study of reasoning about how we ought to act.

  2. What about Christian ethics? Professor Murray Rae, Otago University, describes Christian ethics this way: Christian ethics is fundamentally a matter of participating in the unfolding drama of God’s creative and redemptive purposes in the world. Put otherwise, it is a matter of dwelling within the biblical story and of having one’s life shaped and formed by the love, the judgement, and the mercy of God.

  3. SO WHAT GROUNDS OUR ETHICS? • Imago DeiOur biblical understanding of the value of all people – and all creation • WolfhartPannenberg – God’s love is such that he desires every person to have life in all its fullness – that love is the source of all moral obligation.

  4. Gods intentions for the life of all people means every person is required to observe the minimal conditions for the permanent existence of a human community • All disciples must pursue fullness of life for every person

  5. Stanley Hauerwas • the Kingdom of God is here • The church is called to bear witness to the coming kingdom of God in its words and its form of life • We are to embody the good news of grace and forgiveness • If we are to faithfully enact the gospel it means the church must be a particular kind of people – a community of peace and justice and truth

  6. The primary sphere of the church’s ethical and moral concerns is the corporate obedience of the church to Christ – its corporate discipleship • The community of the church in its corporate life is called to embody an alternative order that stands as a sign of God’s redemptive purposes for the world. • Our ethics are therefore bound up in our faith – they describe the content of a new life made possible by Christ

  7. Our ethics are therefore important because they evidence how we describe the world in the light of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection • We reveal ourselves and Christ through our ethical practices

  8. CODE OF ETHICS (1) Purposes (2) Principles (3) Responsibilities to the Church (4) Responsibilities to those receiving ministry (5) Responsibilities to other ministers (6) Responsibilities to themselves (7) Pastoral relationships within ministry

  9. CODE OF CONDUCT Preamble This code is for all people who hold a Bishop’s Licence, and for others who minister under the authority of the Church, in the Diocese of Wellington. Purpose (a) This Code is intended to cover the conduct of persons who are licensed to practise as priest or deacon, also those who are qualified as priest or deacon, but who are not currently licensed by the Bishop, and all lay persons who are engaged in any formal duties recognised by members of the public as pertaining to church function (eg members of Vestry, pastoral workers, Lay Ministers, etc). (b) This Code is intended to provide a set of boundaries to protect such ministers and also those who seek their services. (c) As a companion document to the Code of Ethics, it is intended to offer support and guidance, and to empower ministers in the church in the day-to- day performance of their ministry.

  10. Scenario 1 A young man comes to see you to discuss his conflicted feelings about wanting to have sex with his girlfriend. Both are members of the youth group and come from solid families within the Church community. You are reasonably certain that both young people are choosing to be together at times and in circumstances where their self- control will be sorely tested. The young man is resistant to the idea of complete abstinence. During your talk he reveals that he suffers from an STD contracted during an earlier sexual relationship. He reveals that he has no intention of telling his girlfriend he has this STD. You know that his condition is incurable and often has a much more devastating effect on young women who contract it than men. What will you do? Scenario 2 You preached today on the forgiveness of Christ. Afterwards a parishioner approaches you quietly and mentions that the message has impacted them significantly. They admit that they stole property from work some years back and have struggled with guilt ever since, but now finally “feel set free”. How do you respond? What do you do? Would your response be any different if (a) the property/money they stole was from the Church? Or (b) they said instead were “addicted to pornography, but would be getting rid of it after the way God had ministered to me today”?

  11. Scenario 3 You have a Pastoral Ministry within the Church. A person who you have been involved with in a pastoral capacity joins your home group. They attach to you quite strongly. You receive a lot of requests to meet for coffee to discuss their spiritual or personal issues. A few texts start to be sent, then a lot of texts start coming, at all hours of the day and night. The person begins to be hostile and then very angry if you are not available to them. You receive some very unhappy and hostile e-mails. There are tears and apologies, but the demanding behaviour continues unabated. What will you do? Scenario 4 A parishioner of the opposite gender invites you to come and visit them at home, they live alone. How best to approach this request? Would the time of day or age of the parishioner make any difference? This parishioner gets to know you and asks you to visit ideally three times a week because “they feel desperately isolated and your visits make a huge difference in my life”. You feel you can’t sustain this, but are worried about the parishioner who is suffering from depression. How do you respond?

  12. Scenario 5 Michael is a man in his twenties who is the relative of a parishioner. He appears occasionally at your church when healing services are advertised. He seeks you out because you have prayed with him before on previous occasions. He tells you that he attempted suicide two days ago and asks you to pray for him because “he does not feel safe with himself”, but implores you not to tell anyone, including the vicar. How do you respond? What will you do? Scenario 6 Arrangements are being made for an elderly person, Lydia, who you visit regularly, to move to a rest home. Her son Paul sometimes attends your Parish and he has told you he feels anxious about his mother’s wellbeing. Lydia complains to you that ‘Paul is acting against my will in this, I don’t want to go into care. He just wants to sell my house so he can get a loan from me because his business is having problems. Please help me’. How do you respond?

  13. Scenario 7 The person to whom you are accountable and who supervises your ministry in the Church comes under some stress which you are both aware of and very sympathetic to. Your regular monthly meetings start to become erratic, often cancelled. When meetings do get scheduled and held, the time is taken up with discussion of or reporting to you of the supervisor’s own difficulties – which happen to be centred on church leaders. What will you do? Scenario 8 Recently Miriam, a Parishioner, received anointing for healing. She came back to you several weeks later and asked to pray with her, which you did with another person on the prayer team. Miriam is struggling with her relationship with her sister Carol, whom you have met a couple of times. They had a major falling out a few years back, and now their father is unwell and they need to discuss his care. All of their conversations end in arguments and now Miriam says Carol won’t talk to her. You wonder out loud if someone else could help and Miriam says, ‘yes, I’d so love it if you could go and talk to her for me’. You’re not sure this is a good idea, but Carol lives within walking distance of your house? How do you respond? What do you do?

  14. In small groups, select one or two of the following topics: 1. discuss how it can impact on our ministry • what can be done about it? Bullying Co-dependence Gender Spiritual abuse Gifts Gate-keeping

  15. Who can people call?? FROM OUR WEBSITE: •If you are aware of, or have experienced, a breach in Professional Standards on the part of anyone who holds a Bishop's Licence in the Diocese of Wellington, and you wish to make a complaint, or make an inquiry about our complaints procedure, you may phone Lorraine and Merv Jones, the Diocesan Contact People, on 06 377 4709 (Collect 010 - if required). •Your enquiry will be treated with the strictest confidence. •The Contact People will be able to: ◦provide you with information regarding Canon 1, Title D, standards of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, Polynesia and New Zealand; * ◦provide support for you, should you require it, and ◦be a "listening ear".

  16. Who do we call?? Ethics and conduct is a community & family responsibility We are never alone in this Seek input If in doubt - pause

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