Renew Your Mind

Stanley Hauerwas writes: For finally what we seek is not power, or security, or equality, or even dignity, but a sense of worth gained from participation and contribution to a common adventure. (A Community of Character p. 13) This really made me think, because on the face of it, power, security, equality and dignity are  exactly what most people seem to be searching for. Their lives are orientated around the drive to be in control, to provide for their own and their family's needs, to have status and dignity. "Adventure" sounds appealing to some, at some points in life, but I question whether it is actually what most people seek, most of the time. Maybe their lives would be better for a little adventure, but that's not for me to say. Or maybe Hauerwas is making a point not about the adventure, but about the shared participation.

I need a straightforward definition of ethics. Is it knowing what's good and what's bad? Maybe, but that implies someone has judged what good means. For a Christian, is it doing what God wants? But how does that work if what God requires seems to be bad?  Don Cupitt argues that what we believe to be ethical in the West is not actually what the Bible teaches- he cites human rights, liberty and democracy as examples. The more I read, the more confused I become. Stanley Hauerwas, who I was looking forward to reading, suggests we use the Eucharist as a way into ethics.....what? How does that help? What has an institutionalised ritual, which incidentally has been the focus of much unethical infighting, got to say about how we actually live our lives day by day?

I am starting to read about ethics.... It seems the most important bit about being a Christian. If what we believe doesn't have an effect on how we behave, then surely it's all a waste of time. A faith which gets us into heaven but has no impact on the world we live in here and now is almost immoral. Maybe that's what's behind the anger of atheists such as Richard Dawkins, who find it impossible to look objectively at the claims of Christianity because for them, they are rendered invalid because of the actions of Christians throughout history. Rowan Williams, writing in 'the Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics', says that ethics is all about knowing who you are, and acting in accordance with that self-knowledge. Hmmm... I need to think about that some more