First Sunday of Advent (A)

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The Unknown Day and Hour   Lectionary: 1 Reading 1 -  Isaiah 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 122: 1-9 Reading 2 -  Romans 13:11-14 Alleluia -  Cf. Psalm 85:8 Gospel -  Matthew 24:37-44 '... Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.' Introduction  As we gather on this First Sunday of Advent , we also mark the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical calendar and a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas. The word Advent comes from either of two Latin words, which simply mean “to come” (Ad-venire) or “to arrive” (Ad-ventus), and as early as the fourth (4th) century, Christians have had this special time of preparation towards Christmas. Of course, Advent is not merely a countdown to Christmas; Even as we begin the material preparations for the social celebration of Christmas, the liturgical celebrations of these weeks invite us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. But what does the co...
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Review: God and Morality in Christian Traditions

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God and Morality in Christian Traditions God and Morality in Christian Traditions by J. Caleb Clanton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a collection of eleven (11) short, academic essays exploring some of the debate about how human morality is determined, with a specific emphasis on the influence of God in a Christian context. “These essays were originally draft in response to a formal call for papers for a specific issue of the journal Religions entitled ‘God, Ethics, and Christian Traditions.’” Each essay was written by a different [group of] author(s) from a variety of backgrounds, so there is a wide variance on readability and understandability for a casual reader (of which I consider myself to be). Most seem to have a particular slant on the source or orientation of [christian] morality: Natural Law Theory (NLT) which sees morality as part of creature that is ordered to the good, Divine Command Theory (DCT) … aka theological volunteerism, which is essentially that we are moral only in so much as we obey God’s law/commandments … and Virtue ethics (VET), which is the idea of morality based upon promoting what leads to human flourishing, with each author identifying the basic concepts and highlighting some of the limitations. 

Each Essay opens with an Abstract that summarizes the topic, followed by a discussion and ending with notes and references. Most are in clear and accessible language … with a few (such as chapter two) being more typical of philosophical text (wordy and obtuse). Certainly some terms could use a clearer definition or concrete example: such as constructivism vs realism, which to the best of my understanding roughly corresponds to relativism and absolutism within a moral framework. Only one essay seemed to depart from academic discourse to engage in a strange diatribe against same sex marriage … where the main point appears to be that allowing the individual the freedom of their own interpretation, abandons the principle of Sola Scriptura because they don’t interpret it the same way as the author? I am sure there is a fallacy or two in there. In truth I believe it shows the critical weakness on anything based upon a DCT concept … How is the command interpreted and who decides on the interpretation ….

Introduction
Essay 1: Catholicism and the Natural Law [****]
Essay 2: God, New Natural Law, and Human Rights [**]
Essay 3: Aquinas and Scotus on the Metaphysical Foundations of Morality [*****]
Essay 4: God’s Will as the Foundation of Morality [****]
Essay 5: Does Darwall’s Morality of Accountability Require Moral Realism? [*****]
Essay 6: John Calvin’s Multiplicity Thesis [***]
Essay 7: Understanding Moral Disagreement [**]
Essay 8: Epistemological Crisis in the Free Church Tradition [*]
Essay 9: Love and Do What You Want [****]
Essay 10: Militant Liturgies [****]
Essay 11: Correcting Acedia through Wonder and Gratitude [***]
Rounding Up ...

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#God&Morality #NetGalley.

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