The Divine Command theory is a strong part of Christian ethics as it poses a vital belief - the argument is that something is good simply because God commands it and for no other reason. This is one side of Euthyphro’s dilemma and states that we cannot apply reason or verify it in any way. For example, if God were to command a cruel dishonest action such as murdering an innocent man then it would be right simply because he commanded it. Many Christian thinkers, including Aquinas and more recently William Temple, have rejected the Divine Command Theory because they say some things are innately good or bad. Temple said, “In its nature, the moral judgement is quite wholly independent of religion.”
The Roman Catholic Church accounts for the majority of Christians in the world, and is the largest religious organisation of any religion. Within Catholic theology, Natural Law holds a dominant position. Aquinas has emphasised reason as a tool for showing that certain acts are intrinsically right or wrong, as they go against true purpose; certain absolutes, such as sanctity of life, cannot be changed by the circumstances. The Church encourages a range of different approaches, but when it comes to official church teaching, the vast majority of statements, encyclicals etc. are strongly in-line with Natural Law. Within other denominations, Natural Law theology still has a significant impact. Many Christians adopt deontological positions and think we should act according to God's design or purpose for our lives. They may be less influenced by Aquinas in this, and Protestants tend to be less sure about moral absolutes. However, there is still a strong sense of following rules within most Christian denominations. Christians believe Natural Law is God-given and as such has authority in the formulation of an ethical code.
Catholics also consider that conscience plays an important part in Christian ethical decision-making. Here conscience is not seen as some inner voice which will point us in the right direction but something of reason and judgement. Christians regard their conscience as the ultimate guide for making moral decisions because it was given to them by God and represents the voice of the Holy Spirit within them. Prayer worship and the teaching of the Church also assist the conscience, which Aquinas described as reason-making moral decisions.
Very liberal Protestants may have a situationist approach to Christian ethics. Situation ethics presumes it is not necessary to abandon moral autonomy, nor is it necessary to act in an antinomianistic or legalistic way. In any situation people need to avoid subjectivism and individualism, and to use the moral rules of the community, but they should set these aside if love is better served by doing so, therefore being based on the Christian principle of agape – unconditional love. Joseph Fletcher explained this theory in his book about situation ethics and it became apparent that he believed that "love" always takes the priority, even over laws against lying, stealing, adultery and murder. For example, this could be applied in a situation where it would be wrong to use someone for sexual pleasure as there was no love involved.
Virtue ethics is also an important source for Christian ethics. Instead of focusing on acts or ends, virtue theory holds that people should think about becoming better people, and prescribes qualities which constitute goodness. So while a utilitarian seeks to bring about the end with the greatest good for the greatest number, and Aquinas encouraged people to do actions which accorded with the natural law and avoid those which didn't, virtue theorists encourage people to look to self-improvement. This links to love as being the highest of all virtues and also the rationale for all virtues but just in different circumstances. The virtues, for Christian ethics point towards the goal for which we aim, even if we do not achieve it in life.
In conclusion, it is evident that Christians set out to follow the Will of God. They use various sources of authority to discover what the Will of God is and I have mentioned these different types of foundations of the religion in my essay which has proved that whilst most Christians would recognise them as sources of authority, they are likely to place a different emphasis on their relative importance.
