PrefaceAbbreviationsChapter 1: Ethics and PresenceChapter 2: On the Presence of Christ's PowerChapter 3: On the Presence of Christ's TruthChapter 4: On the Presence of Christ's LoveChapter 5: On Why Scripture Construes Ethical RealityBibliographyIndex of Biblical References/Index of Names
An exploration of how the truth, love, and power of God revealed in Jesus Christ are contemporary to and transformative of human life.
Christopher Holmes is Senior Lecturer in Theology in the Department of Theology and Religion, University of Otago, New Zealand, and an Anglican Priest.
This is an elegant and absorbing essay in moral theology, the fruit
of sustained reflection on the presence of Jesus Christ as the
principle of human life before God.
*John Webster, University of Aberdeen, UK*
‘Avoiding Pelagian views that assume we need to make Christ present
by the way we act, Christopher Holmes here offers us a perceptive
and persuasive vision of a scripturally rooted evangelical ethics
that is shaped at every point by its dogmatic commitment to the
fact that the risen, ascended and advent Lord has not left us to
our own devices but is present in the power of his Spirit as
prophet, priest and king enabling our actions as those who are part
of the new creation. Informed by the thinking of Bonhoeffer, Barth
and T. F. Torrance, this is a book of deep insight, a strictly
theological ethics in the best sense that demonstrates how and why
truth cannot be detached from the living Christ without making
ethics a burden instead of a promising transformation of human
action through Jesus' own inclusive contemporaneous actions as
reconciler and redeemer. This book deserves to be widely read and
discussed.' - Paul D. Molnar, Professor of Systematic Theology, St.
John's University, Queens, New York, USA.
*Paul D. Molnar*
‘Much of what passes for "Christian ethics" today fails to rise
above the level of asking "what would Jesus do?" Christopher
Holmes's Ethics in the Presence of Christ constitutes a frontal
assault on this way of thinking. Taking John's gospel as his point
of departure, Holmes would instead have us ask "who is Jesus and
what is he doing?" Writing in the tradition of Karl Barth, Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, and Paul Lehmann, he takes us into the deep waters
where the Christian life is grounded in nothing but the grace of
God. A work marked by clarity and elegance, and full of surprises.
‘ - Joseph Mangina, Professor of Systematic Theology, Wycliffe
College, University of Toronto, Canada
*Joseph Mangina*
'A tremendously-important and well-overdue book. Holmes' attempt to
discern the present reign of the Word is among the best
introductions to theological ethics that I have read. I commend it
warmly and enthusiastically.' Jason Goroncy, Per Crucem ad
Lucem.
This is not simply another book on Christian ethical method. It
strongly shows that theologians plowing in Barth's furrows are not
simply tone-deaf to problems of human agency. It is that we are
trying to re-think human agency christologically.
*Texas Flood*
This book calls us back to the Trinitarian doctrines which lie at
the heart of our faith. It outlines an approach to ethics which is
at once demanding and refreshing. It is a challenging but very
rewarding read, and I highly recommend it.
*Available Light*
Christopher R. J. Holmes has written a wonderful book - Ethics in
the Presence of Christ - in which he argues that "What would Jesus
do?" is actually the wrong question to ask when considering the
ethics of any decision.
*The Thoughtful Christian*
Ethics is profound and provocative. I highly recommend it for those
prepared to wrestle with a text thatis singularly focused on what
the person of Christ means for ethics (life) today.
*The Messenger*
[Ethics in the Presence of Christ] does make an important
contribution to the literature on Christian ethics by reminding
Christian ethicists that their proposals for ethical agency are not
only formulated on the basis of scriptural reflection or
philosophical study but also on the continuing power of the risen
Christ at work in the world.
*Religious Studies Review*
Ask a Question About this Product More... |