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Philosophy of Religion and Christian Ethics

Module description

In this module you will engage with some of the key questions raised by religious belief and by Christian teachings about about ethical living.

Part A will focus on Christian moral teaching and how major texts may be read in dialogue with issues of urgent present-day concern.. Part B will focus on philosophical issues such as the nature of religion and whether religious faith can be rational.

This is an introductory course that assumes no previous knowledge of the subject and is thus suitable for students from other disciplines.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Part A will introduce you to the sources and history of Christian ethics, and to selected questions for Christian ethics today. Major texts will be selected from George W. Forell, Ed, Christian Social Teachings: A Reader in Christian Social Ethics from the Bible to the Present (Fortress Press, 2013) E-Resource

Part B will introduce you to one of the basic methods of theology: the philosophical method and its role in thinking about religion. You will consider key questions about the nature of religion in a philosophical way, notably the nature of religion and the relation between faith and reason, as well as the relation between religion and ethics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Offer an informed answer to the question: What is Christian ethics?, giving examples of Christian moral reasoning and practice
• 2. Understand different philosophical approaches to the nature of religion and religious faith

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Begin, with guidance, to employ a core method of study: philosophical analysis
• 4. Make guided use of a diversity of primary and secondary sources

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Undertake directed work within clear guidelines
• 6. Collect and categorise information relevant to a particular project, with guidance
• 7. Demonstrate the ability to summarise information accurately and fairly
• 8. Make use of selected written sources, with clear guidance
• 9. Communicate clearly in a written form
• 10. Demonstrate meaningful and consistent participation in the module

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

Part A

• Reading the Bible in Christian Ethics
• Augustine and Thomas Aquinas
• Martin Luther and the Quakers
• Roman Catholic Social Teaching
• Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Feminist and Liberationist Voices

Part B

• What is Philosophy of Religion and Why Does it Matter?
• Faith and Reason
• God, Religion, and Morality
• Worship and Prayer
• Heaven

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Long, D.S. (2010) Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction Oxford: Oxford University Press
• George W. Forell, Ed, Christian Social Teachings: A Reader in Christian Social Ethics from the Bible to the Present Fortress Press E-Resource
• Long, D. Stephen (2010) Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction Oxford: Oxford University Press E-Resource
• De La Torre, Miguel A. (2014) Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis E-Resource
• Claassens, L Juliana M, 'Towards a Feminist Public Theology: on Wounds, Scars and Healing in the Book of Jeremiah and Beyond', International Journal of Public Theology, 13 no 2 2019, p 185-202 E-Resource
• Bayne, T. (2018) Philosophy of Religion: A Very Short Introduction Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Clack, B. and Clack, B. (2019) The Philosophy of Religion: A Critical Introduction Cambridge: Polity
• Wainwright, W., ed. (2005) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion Oxford: Oxford University Press

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=4909
• Muelhauser, L. “What Is Philosophy Of Religion?” – http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=1092

Key words search

Theology, religion, philosophy, fashion, Christian ethics