Skip to main content

Doing the Right Thing: Making Moral Choices in a World Full of Options by Scott B. Rae

Doing the Right Thing by Scott B. Rae
http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Right-Thing-Choices-Options/dp/0310513995/ref=tmm_pap_title_0



Doing the Right Thing: Making Moral Choices in a World Full of Options by Scott B. Rae
Based upon the film series by Chuch Colson, Doing the Right Thing by Professor of Christian Ethics Scott B. Rae of Biola University, is a rush of fresh air through the issues of medicine, marketplace, and public life.  The book is short and succinct but chalk full of insightful wisdom on the major issues that we face today.  Rather than virulently stay away from the tough questions that cultural critics ask about Christianity, Scott answers these objections head on with honesty and transparency.  Lifting up the truth of God’s Word, sound logical principles, and a desire to see human flourishing as part of the goal of life, Scott is well equipped to give us very good answers to our questions, from outside and within the walls of the church. 

In the first chapter Scott draws out the ethical mess we find ourselves in by relating the simultaneous views of considering some things are absolutely wrong while wanting to hold that morality is relative.  Murder, incest, rape are absolutely wrong but don’t mention abortion or gay rights, these are off the table in the realm of right and wrong.  Feelings and opinions are the moral arbiter of truth rather than some fixed standard of morals. (25-26)  In contrast to the prevailing notion that morals are incidental and only personal feelings of the individual, Scott puts forth a view that for a Christian worldview ethics are both universal and knowable (34-35).  At all times and in all places, Christian ethics are right independent of cultural norms, values, and tastes.  Furthermore, Christian ethics are knowable by virtue of God’s Word and being his image bearers.  God has revealed his will for ethical, moral, and personal living, not just one area of life.  Even through the fall of man has bent humanity in the direction of sin and evil, man retains the vestiges of the image of God in his understanding of justice, rationality, and right and wrong.  By creation and revelation, God has not left man in a state of confusion regarding his vision for ethical living.

Scott asks great questions in this book.  One of those questions is, “Can objective morality be adequately grounded apart from God existing?” (57)  I applaud Scott’s sincere honesty in saying that people can live a moral life without respect for God.  Yet, this begs the question about objective morality.  Without reference to a Divine lawgiver, how do we speak objectively about morality, right and wrong?    Scott is right to propose that in a naturalistic worldview, objective morality is impossible to debate because there is no foundational binding position on issues, just preferences and opinions.  I would also add here that the question can be reframed in terms of trust; without reference to God as providing moral objective foundations, whose voice are we going to trust when looking to make ethical decisions and why?  In some parts of the world, morality is guided by the loudest or most violent voice through coercion and manipulation.  But, for the Christian believer, ethics are founded upon the objective Word of God, his revelation of himself, and the image of God that we have been created with.

I find myself applauding Scott’s work here in the numerous examples he provides.  In one case, he makes the point that, “what constitutes a human person is not fundamentally a scientific question but a philosophical one.” (104)  Science can tell us what constitutes a human being by discussing how the body works, but it cannot tell us fundamentally what a person is morally.  The scientist in the debate with Scott conceded this point to Scott’s credit, yet he also maintained that if science can’t answer it, then it’s all an opinion of an individual.  The scientist is trapped in his own worldview that outside of scientific explanations no solid answer is to be found.

I really enjoyed this book.  With plenty of real life examples and solid logic, Scott gets us to think how a Christian ethical viewpoint radically shapes how we view the world, and in turn how we act in the world.


Thanks to Zondervan and Book Look Bloggers for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saving Casper

Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Casper-Christian-Conversion-Conversation/dp/1414364881 Many readers will quickly know the authors of this book from their previous release Jim and Casper Go to Church.  Jim and Matt’s new book entitled Saving Casper focuses on the way we talk about conversion in the church and the devastating ways we have pushed away atheists and other non-believers by our posture.  Both Jim and Matt traversed the national landscape, meeting in churches and asking hard questions about faith, conversion, and life. The basic premise of the book and travel is laid out here in their words, “Part of what Casper and I are trying to achieve when we speak to a group of Christians is to help people move a little bit on their “judgment meter.”  This capacity, while intellectually and often theologically uncomfortable,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Essential Christian Doctrine

  Essential Christian Doctrine , General Editor John MacArthur Pastor John MacArthur has for years been teaching the Word of God in both pulpit ministry, books, and conferences with an aim to displaying God’s revelation to his listeners in a winsome and foundational manner.  This new book, Essential Christian Doctrine takes an entire life of teaching and preaching and encapsulates the main contours of the Christian faith for its readers.  John in a systematic way highlights the most necessary teachings from Scripture including God’s Word, the Trinity, while also including sections on Man and the Future. One of the most helpful ways the authors bring to light biblical truth and theology is the way in which they group together particular themes.  In the section on the Holy Spirit, instead of a complex discussion of personhood, word pictures of the Holy Spirit are introduced in a discernible and profitable manner.  The metaphors for the Holy Spirit include fir...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wisdom for All

Interpreting the Wisdom Books: An Exegetical Handbook by Edward Custis Among the many wonderful books on the OT wisdom literature, this fine new book helps the reader interpret, exegete, and apply God’s Word to his people in succinct and helpful way.  The book is laid out nicely with bolded words that emphasize necessary themes in the study of the wisdom books and short chapters that get to the point of the biblical books.  This series of exegetical handbooks is a great treasure for students and pastors because it synthesizes much of the academic work on a biblical book into digestable portions helpful  for preaching and teaching. The opening chapter on the wisdom books brings out a helpful grid for understanding wisdom literature.  Custis writes, “Biblical wisdom, in contrast to Israel’s neighbors, reflects “Yahwistic theology” through its regular use of terms like “fear of the Lord,” its affirmation of God’s providence, and its recognition th...
Post a Comment
Read more