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The Levels of Ethical Authority

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The Levels of Ethical Authority As Christians, we wonder where we should go for guidance on ethics. Stassen and Gushee in Chapter 4 take a look back at the story of the Jewish family and the holocaust. The situation was whether or not it was ethical to hide Jews during the Holocaust. The family’s strong beliefs in Christian faith and morals make this family’s actions ethical in this situation. During this period, Christians looked to their faith to help them make decisions concerning helping the Jewish people. Christians look toward five sources of authority. They are the “Bible”, “divine guidance”, “a religiously informed moral conscience”, “moral tradition”, and “church leaders” (Stassen & Gushee, 2003, p. 82). There are other sources that some turn to for guidance; examples are relatives, a husband or wife, educators, and companions. The essential point is individuals have a tendency to search for direction when they confront moral predicaments (Stassen & Gushee, 2003). This is done instinctively. When we do not know where to turn in ethical dilemmas, the one person we can look towards is Jesus. We need to look at where Jesus turned when he looked for answers. His answers came from the Bible. “Jesus lived what he understood the scriptures to teach; he immersed himself in them and knew them well” (Stassen & Gushee, 2003, p. 84). Christians must remember it is important that we must look toward the Scriptures as the authority on our ethical decisions. The Bible can give us guidance on what Jesus would do when facing ethical decisions. The Bible also gives us laws to live by, and these laws are the Ten Commandments. The Scripture communicates to us what God commands us to believe and do. As Christians, we must use the scriptures as a guide of how to live ethically and morally. Stassen and Gushee look at the classic and contemporary

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