The Retort

Reaction to “The Problem with Ethical Christianity”

January 28th, 2011 by Nate Shandy For The Retort

In the October 22 issue, the MSUB Retort printed an opinion piece titled "The Problem with Ethical Christianity" in which it is asserted that "there is no such thing as 'ethical Christianity.'" As a Christian, I am obligated to address this article. The article in question states that "ethics come from ourselves"--this makes it sound like ethics are a personal decision. If this is the case, saying something is "unethical" means that it is not to your liking, but that is in no way binding on anyone. The truth is, as C.S. Lewis explains at length in "Mere Christianity," that ethics do not come from ourselves, our parents, leaders or society (although all those things have influence over what we come to understand as ethical). While cultures over time and geography have had different ideas about ethics, certain commonalities in those ideas can be observed. Lewis reaches the conclusion that morality is, in fact, transcendent.

But for a moment, let me allow that Christianity might be "unethical." On what grounds is this judgment made? "First, the whole system is based on a self-interested quid-pro-quo." The article then discusses a reward and punishment system. But this is surely not unique to Christianity--every religious system (not to mention government) operates on similar principles! If you obey, you are rewarded (if only by being spared punishment), if you disobey, you are punished (if only by being excluded from paradise). Would the same article have been written about (for example) Buddhism? Or the government of the City of Billings, for that matter? If we say that Christianity is "unethical" for employing punishments and rewards, we must say the same about these other ideologies and institutions, to say nothing of parents and animal trainers, who work the same way.

Is there another reason why Christianity is "unethical?" "Second, Christianity is an ideology of totalitarianism." The article then gives a summary of the Great Commission, but misunderstands its intention. To "make a disciple" is to teach. Did your teachers want you to think exactly the same way as they did? Not if they were any good. But they did want you to understand what they taught. A disciple learns. As the article states "a world where everybody thinks the same thing" would be wicked indeed--but that is not what Christianity calls us to. As disciples, we learn to become more like Christ--imitating is part of learning (we all do this as children), but imitating is action, not thought. The more we imitate, the more we learn. The closer to Christ we become, the more like ourselves we become. This may be difficult to grasp if you don't believe it yourself, but again C.S. Lewis explains at length and much better than myself in "Mere Christianity"--the short version is that since Christ created us--see John 1:3--the closer we get to Him, the more we become who we were created to be.

I could say more, but I have made every effort to be as brief as I could to avoid, as much as possible, editing for length. My thanks to the Retort staff and to you, the reader, if I still have your attention.