In part One we looked at using the Bible as a source for ethics, here we will continue by looking at three ethical situaltions

Ethics might be called a system of moral values and duties. It has to do with ideal human character, actions and ends. What ought a person do or refrain from doing? What attitudes and behavior should be viewed as good? And why should they be considered good? What is the highest good, “the chief end of man, ”the purpose of human existence? These are the questions the study of ethics seeks to answer- Taken from Biblical Ethics by Robertson McQuilken

As we contemplate the idea of ethics, especially as Christians, we look to the Bible for guidance. At first glance, we may be tempted to dismiss the Old Testament as the “old covenant”, and assume that the “new covenant” (New Testament) simply replaces everything written. However, on close examination, we can see how the entire Bible gives commands and principals that are timeless. The whole scriptures then, become our source for wisdom in ethical issues both in our relationships to others and individually.

Here we will look at three common scenarios where each presents an ethical choice

Home Life

One day I held a dinner party at my house. I carefully planned the evening around my theme, “Tropical Nights”. I decorated the back yard with fake palm trees, Tiki torches, and colored lights. I carefully constructed the menu and included tropical food such as pineapple kabobs, fruit salad, and Polynesian rice. Everyone came dressed in island style clothes. As I greeted them at the door with a lei and a flower, I encouraged them to get a drink and enjoy themselves. I spared no detail, as I wanted everyone to have a great time of relaxation and fun.

As the guests arrived, Don Ho song, “Hukilau” on the stereo, setting the mood and people began mingling. Laughter and lively conversation filled the back yard. Many people were walking around with Pina Coladas in hollowed out pineapples (complete with tiny paper umbrellas) or Hawaiian punch. We were all friends and knew each other well so it made the atmosphere warm and inviting.

At seven O’clock, about an hour into the party, I heard a knock on the door. It was our backyard neighbor, John. As I opened the door, I invited him in to “join the party”. We had never really gotten to know him, even though we attended the same church, we never found him to be very friendly. He declined my invitation and said he came over to make sure we would be turning the obnoxious music off by ten. I assured him that we would and apologized for the disturbance. As John turned to go, he looked at the pineapple drink in my hand and said, “You know, it is a sin to drink and you are really damaging your Christian witness serving and drinking alcohol”.

I was a little stunned at his curt remark, and tried to keep my composure as I kindly thanked him for his concern and closed the door. The rest of the evening went wonderfully, we all had a great time and decided we should do this more often. I had this nagging thought, as each of my friends left, however, if I had inadvertently caused them to “sin” by offering alcohol at the party. No one left drunk and there was no indication that any of them were offended by it, but the feeling remained. Had I made the wrong moral decision?

Work Life

Joe is a graphic designer and photographer. He often works on assignment doing freelance jobs. He likes the flexibility and the challenges that each new assignment brings. Sometimes a client requires him to spend a certain amount of time on location at their office. This is usually the case if he needs to collaborate with a creative team on a particular part of a project.

Joe will usually use all his own photography for any assignment, but once in awhile he needs to access outside sources. When he does, there is always an additional cost incurred that needs to be passed on to the client. One particular company that Joe worked for recently, proved to be extremely budget conscious. They were a Christian Foreign Ministry organization that operated solely on contributions. This year was particularly difficult as their donations were lower than usual. The campaign they were working on was quite extensive and, being a Christian, Joe agreed to “donate” some of his time to the cause.

One segment of the campaign required twenty photos from Africa to complete the presentation for churches that supported them. Joe told the Art Director, Sam, he would have to purchase the photos from a stock agency and bill them for the cost. Sam said not to do that. Instead, he said he had a bunch of photos he had taken from the internet and stored in a file on his computer. He told Joe to use those instead. Joe immediately told him that he couldn’t do that.

First, because of copyright issues, and second, because as a photographer he felt that I would be using something that he didn’t have the right to use and the photographer that shot them should be compensated for the work. Sam thought Joe was being excessive in his reaction. He couldn’t see what the big deal was. The photos were only going to be displayed in five local churches on screens as they gave a speech about their ministry in Africa. When all was said-and-done, Joe agreed to pay for the photos and “donate” those too. Sam thinks Joe is a “rigid legalistic Christian”

Church Life

Last Sunday our woman’s group met after church to discuss the up and coming woman’s retreat. The committee was broken down into small teams, each handling different aspects of the event. Amber and Sarah were in charge of the location this year. In the past, the site had always been some rustic outpost that offered peace and quiet, but little in the way of comfort and convenience. Amber was new to the committee, but not to leadership. She was the pastor’s sister, and always very involved. She disliked anything reminiscent of “camping” and felt that it was time to change the style of retreats we offered.

She suggested a beautiful hotel on the ocean that was secluded from the highway, one that her family spent a week at many times in the past. Sarah added that it would still offer the ladies a chance for quiet time with the Lord as they took long walks on a secluded private beach. At the same time, however, it would be a luxurious vacation that may draw more women to the event.

Everyone agreed to the logic except Sue. Sue had a very difficult time with the cost involved. When it was all tallied up, each woman would need to pay over four hundred dollars each, and that was with double occupancy. Her contention was how many women wouldn’t be able to go because of finances. She felt that we should provide something less elaborate, and more affordable. Sue told the committee that, as a church, we needed to be considerate to all our women-- it was “the right thing to do”. In the end, she was out-voted and the plans moved forward for a beachfront retreat.

In Part Three we will look at how to approach these issues, and see how ethics--good ethics--is not always black and white--good ethics require more than a one-size-fits all approach