Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics - (Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion) by Stanley Hauerwas & Samuel Wells (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics presents a comprehensive and systematic exposition of Christian ethics, seen through the lens of Christian worship.

• An innovative exposition of Christian ethics, seen through the lens of Christian worship
• Challenges conventional approaches to the subject
• Restores a sense of the integral connection between Christian ethics and theology
• Stanley Hauerwas is one of the most influential figures in Christian ethics around the world
• Embraces contributors from the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Mennonite and Pentecostal traditions
• Designed to be accessible to introductory students
• Will have a major impact on the discipline of Christian ethics

From the Back Cover

The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics presents an innovative exposition of Christian ethics, seen through the lens of Christian worship. Editors Stanley Hauerwas and Samuel Wells challenge conventional approaches to the subject, contending that it is Christian worship that shapes the moral life of Christians. In this way, they restore a sense of the integral connection between Christian ethics and theology. The structure of the volume reflects this fresh approach to the discipline, following the practices of the Eucharist in a liturgical sequence from the "Gathering" through to the "Dismissal". The Companion is ecumenical in spirit and embraces contributions from leading commentators within the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Mennonite, and Pentecostal traditions. Designed to be accessible to introductory students, it will have a major impact on the study of Christian ethics.

Review Quotes

"An important, often insightful and almost always provocative book that would be unwise to ignore." Studies in Christian Ethics

"Substantial and significant... the early fruit of an important recent theological turn in theology, towards taking worship as a major source of insight, challenge and guidance... Stanley Hauerwas is probably the most creative, provocative, and exasperating theologian in the English-speaking world. He has enlisted a mighty band of able and argumentative disciples who dominate much theological discussion today, especially in Christian ethics." Times Literary Supplement

"Love God and love your neighbour have been the twin commandments in the New Testament from the beginning. Nevertheless, worshipping God and practising neighbourly charity have usually gone in tandem, essential but separate activities. At best, moral theology may come in as a sequel or even appendix to dogmatics. The originality of this book lies in grounding Christian ethics not even in dogmatics but in the liturgy of the eucharist. Wonderfully worked out by the many fine scholars gathered by Hauerwas and Wells, this is a genuinely new turn in the history of Christian experience." Fergus Kerr, Regent, Blackfriars, Oxford

"This accessible volume will interest undergraduates and more advanced scholars alike." Karen Melham, Emory University

"The volume offers a salutary reminder that Christian ethics is not simply one among other theoretical enterprises, but rather a sustained and disciplined attempt to understand the deepest dimensions of the Christian life. It rightly observes that Christian worship (at least when done well) is paradigmatic for discipleship and central means of moral information. The best chapters in this Companion communicate a deep sense of the distinctive nature of Christian ethics in a way that benefits us all." Stephen J. Pope, Boston College

"I recommend this work especially for faculty of Christian ethics courses and worship courses at seminaries and church affiliated colleges." Teaching Theology & Religion

About the Author

Stanley Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at the Divinity School, Duke University, North Carolina. He is regarded as a, if not the, leading figure in Christian ethics. His book, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic, was selected as one of the 100 most important books on religion of the twentieth century. He is one of the most brilliant and original thinkers of his generation. He has written numerous books including: The Peaceable Kingdom (1983), A Community of Character (1981), Resident Aliens (1989), Christians Among the Virtues (1997), Wilderness Wanderings: Probing Twentieth Century Theology (1997), Sanctify Them in the Truth (1998), and With the Grain of the Universe: the Church's Witness and Natural Theology (2001).

Samuel Wells is Priest-in-Charge of St Mark's, Newnham, Cambridge, and a writer in theological ethics. He has published several books, including Transforming Fate into Destiny (1998), Faithfulness and Fortitude (2000), and Improvisation and the Drama of Christian Ethics (2004).