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In today's world, many voices, opinions, and ideas vie for people's attention. Many values
and priorities when trying to understand humanity with all the stories they contain is no simple
task. On the quest to live peacefully among people and live civilly issues and discrepancies
occur. Navigating these issues has become the center of many politicians' and world leaders’
agendas. But when the secular world and the principles of the Bible intersect what happens? And
what should Christians do?2
The Bible before the fall had perfection, harmony, and oneness with God. There was no
confusion or misunderstanding of each other. Until to curse of sin entered the world during the
fall. The once whole and perfect union with God broke. Death, disease, hardship, and heartbreak
run ramped through the world. The great divide between following the Holy perfect God and
disobedience begins. Thanks to Jesus our sin has hope of being reconciled, yet as we praise Him
for His death and resurrection, Christians await His return patiently. The severed world still has
the pain of this great loss, but believers have a unique perspective that changes the worldview
they adhere to when it comes to navigating issues that arise.2
The word of God, the Bible is the foundation of truth. It is divinely inspired as mentioned
in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. God is perfect and omnipotent, and the word of God is truth and is how
Christians should navigate life with the Spirit and wisdom principles the Bible offers. Though
many answers God gives through the Bible, not every problem's solution is clearly outlined
within Scripture. So, weighing the values with prayer, scripture, and conversations with other
believers is a strong base of how Christians can navigate ethical issues within today's society.
Finding an approach to navigating issues is one thing, coming to a conclusion is a
different task and one that can be very difficult. Author Scott B. Rae proposes a seven-step
model for making ethical decisions.2In the last two steps he mentions weighing the consequences
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and then coming to a conclusion1. (de Guzman 2016) Though the outcome will probably not be
painless, walking through scripture and weighing the options is what he finds to be the best way
to navigate ethical dilemmas as a Christian.2
Approaching the issue is just as important as the position that is taken. If a poor decision
is made2the actions of a leader most likely align with the decision at hand. How Christians live
on past what society expects is critical to morality itself. The "right" answer is not always the
easiest to navigate or truly come to the best conclusion. But when there are many minds that
understand how to go about these issues, discovering a God-honoring way to go about problems
becomes easier. But teaching others how to do this just as important. A practical was to do this is
teaching virtues and wisdom principles from scripture and using supplemental resources is a
great start when it comes to leading people to treat problems with an ethical approach. Not only
teaching this knowledge, but modeling a virtuous lifestyle is just as important if not more.2
Having a Biblical foundation and teaching from the Bible is a great way for teachers to
ensure that their ideas and content is ethical and moral for the believer. Giving resources and
challenging the group that an individual is leading with content is another great way for leaders
to practically apply their understanding of navigating ethical issues.2These challenges and
resources can be and are weaved within how leaders live and apply their knowledge of abiding in
Christ.
Today's culture has many governing topics that consume the lives of people. Ideas such as
technology, individualism, diversity, and self-discovery truth. There are pros and cons to each
1 Communications, Grainger Engineering Office of Marketing and. 2013. “Attitudes.”
Ncpre.csl.illinois.edu. 2013.
https://ncpre.csl.illinois.edu/ethics/resources/role/instructors/teaching-ethics/attitudes.
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topic within culture today. For instance, God did create humans as individuals so that people can
commune with the Lord and relationally know Him. However, the downside to this method is the
isolation portion of individualism. It is an easy way for pride to sneak in and sever the once good
relationship with Jesus. Many of the other popular ideas within culture have the same effect of
negative and positive ideology because of the broken world that we live in.2
Knowing the culture can help to guide and navigate ethics from a different perspective and
how to move forward from with a Christian Worldview. An article from the Nebraska Extension
argues the importance of cultural competence. The definition goes beyond simply understanding
other cultures but urges readers to stop just "putting up with" differences and be appreciative,
affirm, and include all cultural backgrounds2. The Christian would agree with majority of the
statement. However, the affirming nature that tends to compromise Biblical truth conflicts with
Christian’s teachings. Which leads into the doctrines that believers and leaders should hold when
navigating ethical issues within today's society.
Having a standard to base morality and the law on is extremely important when the Bible
commands the Romans and believers today to uphold the law of the land. Yet they should not go
against what God calls His people to do according to scripture. The emphasis is on the authority
that God must be the final ruler of the law. Yet, scripture clearly lays out wisdom principles for
His people to follow. Using these commands when navigating ethical concerns can be a large
help. Upholding these laws differs Christian ethics from a worldly ethical view.2
2 Guzman, Maria Rosario T. de, Tonia R. Durden, Sarah A. Taylor, Jackie M. Guzman, and
Kathy L. Potthoff. 2016. “Cultural Competence: An Important Skill Set for the 21st Century.”
Extensionpublications.unl.edu. February 2016.
https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/html/g1375/build/g1375.htm.
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A secondary foundational doctrine within Christian teaching is the value of human life.
Genesis 9:6 highlights the humanity of each person the,2imago dei, that every soul has value and
worth to God. It shares the importance of not only living life but protecting human life. When
making ethical decisions the value of life should be put at the forefront of every issue. Today's
society is full of evil that puts all kinds of human life at risk. God truly values the human body
and the soul. So honoring the sacredness of humanity is important when making ethical decisions
because it matters to God.2
Matthew 22:37-40 is a core piece of scripture that encapsulates the value and teaching of
love. Loving your neighbor as yourself is also known as the Great Command. God requires us to
love everyone if His children love Him because it shows the heart of Christ. Ethically it shows
that each soul is valuable and a masterpiece to Jesus Christ. Loving others is not just a verbal
command, but a physical, spiritual, and emotional act of obedience and full living. It morally
reminds Christians that the center of all ethics is found within this specific portion of scripture.
In First Corinthians 10:31, Paul tells the church in Corinth to do everything to the glory of
God. Meaning that choices made on this Earth should honor God and essentially make Him to
focal point for all people. In every part of life, even the seemingly boring tasks and the large
decisions are essential in the followship of Christ. The value of honoring God through life with
actions, words, thoughts, and deeds making sure that every decision brings that glory that the
Spirit deserves.
Loving what is good is another Christian teaching that is a base layer within Christian ethics.
Titus 1:8 encapsulates the value of loving goodness and the importance of loving what is morally
good in a broken world. The verse underlines the attributes elders within the church are expected
to have. Loving goodness or what is good is one that sticks out when it comes to ethics.
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Enhancing life comes by loving what is good and pleasing to God. It also positively inspires
others around us to love what is good. True worth is found within a commitment for the well-
being of all people reflecting the Lord.
Christians should strive to value ethical an approach with specific attitudes that determine
actions and different behaviors. Some of the following attitudes are necessary when navigating
ethical issues from a Christian worldview. Justice should be sought after. Micah 6:8 tells readers
to act justly. Pursuing justice is means having integrity and standing up for truth and fighting for
righteousness. Ethically this attitude levels the playing field for all people because Jesus is a God
of justice. Another principle is integrity. Being honest with what one says they are going to do
and following through regardless of the outcome. Philippians 2:3-4 speaks about humility and
putting others up before self. Coming from a perspective that it is not about the individual, but
service for others. Understanding that the way of self is not always or ever the best. These are
just some of the attitudes that lay a good foundation for critical ethical thinking.
Having scripture as the foundation for understanding and showing others how these actions
effect our lives is critical within the ethics world. In an article from the National Center for
Principled Leadership and Research Ethics, the author describes attitudes as, “closely related to
opinions and beliefs, and are based upon personal experiences, and can be influenced by
interactions with others”.2Meaning how people’s lives are influenced reflects their behavior. So,
when Christians comprehend concepts from above also heavily noted in scripture the life of the
individual shows a distinction within what and how they believe3.
3 Communications, Grainger Engineering Office of Marketing and. 2013. “Attitudes.”
Ncpre.csl.illinois.edu. 2013.
https://ncpre.csl.illinois.edu/ethics/resources/role/instructors/teaching-ethics/attitudes.
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Ethics and theology in today's culture helps leaders discern and navigate ethical issues. The
understanding of the brokenness within the world is a catalyst for seeking to point others to the
healing power of Jesus Christ. He gives His children the word of God to navigate life and to
make ethical choices even if the cost is greater than He would like. Both virtues and attitudes
play a large roll in how leaders’ carryout their decisions and lifestyle. Laying down the
foundation of scriptures that support Christian values guides leaders to gain a wholistic
perspective on what is the most God-honoring way to go about ethical decision making.2
Bibliography
Communications, Grainger Engineering Office of Marketing and. 2013. “Attitudes.”
Ncpre.csl.illinois.edu. 2013.
https://ncpre.csl.illinois.edu/ethics/resources/role/instructors/teaching-ethics/attitudes.
Guzman, Maria Rosario T. de, Tonia R. Durden, Sarah A. Taylor, Jackie M. Guzman, and Kathy
L. Potthoff. 2016. “Cultural Competence: An Important Skill Set for the 21st Century.”
Extensionpublications.unl.edu. February 2016.
https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/html/g1375/build/g1375.htm.
