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Are Christian Ethics absolutist or relative? Let’s take a look at ethical relativism and absolutism.
Ethical relativism states that morality changes with one’s culture, experience, circumstance, and personal preference (Jones et al. 2021, 13). An argument often made for relativism is that what is right for one culture may not be right for another, and that is best. For example, you wouldn’t want to wear shorts and a tank top in Antarctica, but you wouldn’t want to wear winter gear in Florida either. Why would you expect one clothing preference to be better than the other when both were made for their respective climates? Relativism often promotes acceptance and tolerance between people with differing cultures and beliefs. One challenge with this view is that it can become a paradox. If the relativist cannot accurately evaluate reality because of the lense of their culture, doesn’t that mean that their own morality is wrong? Simiairly, if what is right to one relativist is illegal, does that make law unjust? This view could potentially transend into anarchy.
Ethical absolutism is exactly what it sounds like; there are, always have been, and always will be, moral absolutes (Jones et al. 2021, 13). These moral principles apply to everyone at any given time. This helps account for universally valued virtues such as courage and honesty. The difficulty with this ideology is dealing with specific situations. It can also be hard dicerning exactly what morals are absolute.
Christian Ethics defines morality from virtues and principles of the character of God (Rae 2018, 69). It can be applied and integrated with several different approaches, such as virtue, natural law, and divine command ethics. Because of the unchanging chacter of God and the specifically laid out moral laws in the Bible (such as the Ten Commandments), Christian Ethics are absolutist. There are specific laws that are laid out by God (Exodus 20:2-17 and Deut. 5:6-21). Moral obligations can also be determined by God’s character as demonstrated and described by Jesus Christ.
In light of this, something to be considered is ethical subjectivism. Ethical subjectivism is a branch of relativism that says there is nothing objective about morality (Jones et al. 2021, 15). It emphasises that morality is a personal evaluation, so it can change with each individual. Some may argue that Christian ethics can be subjective, as there are numorous different views and interpretations of God’s Word. The immence number of denominations within the church can testify to this. Similairly, because there are instances in the Bible where the will of God seems to contradict previously stated moral laws (Joshua 2, for example), some argue that Christian ethics can have elements of relativism.
However, this doesn’t mean that Biblcal morality is subjective. Details may differ, but that does not mean that every denomination and every viewpoint is correct. According to Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8, God is unchanging, and thus his will is unchanging. We must also consider that we live in a fallen world, where sometimes the only option is to pick the lesser of two evils.
