CHRISTIAN ETHICS. A Case Method Approach

Transcription

1 CHRISTIAN ETHICS A Case Method Approach FOURTH EDITION Laura A. Stivers Christine E. Gudorf James B. Martin-Schramm

2 Founded in 1970, Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind, nourish the spirit, and challenge the conscience. The publishing arm of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions of the Christian faith and mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religious traditions, and To learn more about Maryknoll and Orbis Books, please visit our website at www. maryknollsociety.org. This is a substantially revised edition of Christian Ethics: A Case Method Approach, form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. B. III. Christian ethics. IV. Title.

3 Contents Introduction: Christian Ethics and the Case Method 1 PART I FAMILY Case: Rigor and Responsibility 17 A professional couple active in church and community considers the implications of building a vacation cabin in a poor and environmentally degraded world. Commentary 21 Case: What God Has Joined 31 Friends and professional counselors seek to assist a couple with marital problems stemming from child abuse, heavy drinking, physical violence, and differing reactions to sexual intimacy. Commentary 37 PART II VIOLENCE/NONVIOLENCE Case: A Life for a Life? 51 A Florida state legislator is undecided about a bill to abolish the death penalty, wondering whether the problems with the death penalty system can be effectively reformed. Commentary 57 Case: Vietnam s Legacies 67 A Vietnam veteran puzzles over what to say to his grandson about draft registration and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Commentary 74 v

4 vi Contents PART III POVERTY Case: Homelessness: The How and Why of Caring 93 A social worker who assists the homeless is undecided about her city s proposed anti-panhandling legislation and contemplates what approaches would best address homelessness. Commentary 100 Case: Who Cares about Haiti Anyway? 109 An analysis of foreign aid and intervention in the context of the international community s failure to deliver the aid it promised Haiti after the devastating earthquake of Commentary 115 PART IV THE ENVIRONMENT Case: Oil and the Caribou People 127 A teacher visits a Native American clan gathering in Northeastern Alaska where options are being considered to protect the Porcupine Caribou Herd threatened by oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Commentary 134 Case: Whose Water? 149 build an up-to-date county water plant, a bottling company willing to foot the cost in return for access to water reserves, and environmentalists and business owners opposing the bottling plant. Commentary 158 PART V BUSINESS Case: Sustaining Dover 167 A city council representative and small business owner grapples with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable

5 Contents vii development when Walmart asks for a zoning change so that it can construct a Supercenter in the City of Dover. Commentary 175 Case: Executive Pay: Reward or Excess? 189 A corporate board of directors struggles with approving annual compensation packages for the executive team when the company s other employees are frozen. Commentary 195 PART VI HEALTH Case: How Many Children? 207 A community college class on bioethics discusses the Octomom case, in which a woman gave birth to octuplets following embryo transfer, thus bringing the number of her children to fourteen. Commentary 213 Case: Keeping the Doors Open 223 and attempts to decide whose interests take priority in choosing what should be cut. Commentary 231 PART VII SEXUALITY Case: What Makes a Marriage? 243 Middle-aged siblings gathered for their parents anniversary discuss premarital sex in their own and their children s lives. Commentary 250 Case: Mixed Blessing? 263 Faced with a request by two recent graduates, administrators of a church-related college debate the wisdom of allowing the blessing of same-sex unions on campus. Commentary 271

6 viii Contents PART VIII LIFE AND DEATH Case: A Matter of Life or Death 287 An eighteen-year-old single woman must come to a decision during stages of gestation. Commentary 290 Case: Death, Duty, and Dignity 305 A seminary professor invited to give a public address on Care for the Dying wrestles with what to say ethically about an upcoming state referendum that would legalize physician-assisted death. Commentary 310 Appendix: Teaching Ethics by the Case Method 327 List of Authors and Contributors 337