CHRISTIAN ETHICS, by Neil Messer (SCM, 2006). CHRISTIAN ETHICS & HUMAN NATURE, by Terence Penelhum (SCM, 2000). THE BIBLE FOR SINNERS: Interpretation in the Present Time, by Christopher Rowland & Jonathan Roberts (SPCK, 2008). THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY: A Crisis Considered, edited by Michael Watts (Gracewing, 1993).

We still have many topics missing in our Library, but Bookworm was shocked when Xanthe Duffill pointed out that we had almost nothing about "Ethics", and is grateful for her help with this first attempt to fill the gap. Although most are short, none of these books is an "easy read", and anyone hoping for lists of simple "Thou Shalt/Shalt Nots" is advised to steer clear.

Christian Ethics is a basic text, its author describing it as a "map of the territory", defining ethics as anything where the words "should/shouldn't" arise, which overlaps greatly with "morality", providing one realises that "immorality" means much more than just sex. He believes that in ethics, theory and practice can rarely be separated, and much of the book asks a series of questions relevant to our era, for example, about abortion, economic practices, euthanasia, homosexuality, marriage and war. Rather than giving judgements, it reports on what has been written by different experts with their reasons why, and encourages the reader to write down their own views and refine them in the light of what they have read. It contains a reading list for follow-up, and these and our other texts offer sources for further guidance.

Terence Penelhum (a Canadian professor) accepts that many of today's ethical issues are equally the concern of atheists, agnostics and humanists and that we should usually be able to agree with them; also that the great Eastern religious traditions have been analysing the human condition since pre-Christian times. He nevertheless takes a specifically Christian and contemporary viewpoint based on the fundamental teaching of Christ that we must all try at all times to love God and our neigbours. He raises immediately (p16) the issue that Christian morality is about living everyday life and not about avoiding the fear of hell and gaining the pleasures of heaven in future: "the rewards of the Kingdom

only come if you seek the Kingdom [i.e. to bring it about here and now on earth], not if you seek its rewards [for your personal afterlife]".

He goes on to point out that ethical problems are rarely one-dimensional with universally applicable solutions. For example he cites Jesus pointing out that God may put upon us obligations which take priority over keeping the Mosaic Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28) and His refusal to condemn to death the woman taken in adultery, even though He did not condone her (unproven) sin (John 8:11).

The Bible for Sinners, which has had two favourable reviews in Church Times recently, works from the premises that interpreting the Bible should not be the exclusive privilege of clergy and theologians, that the Holy Spirit speaks to all who will listen (more about this in our new books for January), and that understanding and living the teaching of Jesus is the duty of all Christians. Among the illustrative examples of current ethical issues, it gives a detailed discussion of marriage and divorce, quoting thoughtful arguments from all points of view; but again instead of drawing a "one-and-only" conclusion, gives guidance on the way in which each reader should examine the Bible and his or her own attitudes to this complex subject.

In Through a Glass Darkly, the ethical crisis considered is the Ordination of Women in the Church of England. It is a collection of specialists' essays, many of which make difficult reading. Much of the discussion hinges on the source of "authority" (Chapter IV), the meaning of "Priesthood" and "Ministry" (Chapter IX) and the distinction between "validity" and "regularity" of ordinations (Chapter VI).

The cover picture is Tenniel's illustration of Alice meeting Humpty Dumpty (here dressed as an Anglican Bishop). The linking theme of the book is quoted in the Editor's own essay (Chapter XI):

Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone: "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
" The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
" The question is" said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be the master - that's all."
Alice was much too puzzled to say anything . . . . .

(Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Lewis Carroll, 1873).

Alan Wolfe