By Rod Benson Is there such a thing as Judeo-Christian values”? The term “Judeo-Christian” is a relatively modern expression. Judaism and Christianity are distinct religious traditions, and political appeals to “Judeo-Christian values” may obscure their differences or distinguish supposedly authentic members of Western society from outsiders. Yet it does not follow that Judaism and Christianity …
The history and politics of the Second Intifada
A Palestinian child throws stones at an Israeli Defence Force tank in occupied territory. The Second Intifada (2000–2005), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, marked one of the most violent and consequential periods in the modern history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. To read the previous article discussing the First Intifada, click here. Military escalation The …
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The trillion-dollar question
News that the world has seen the arrival of its first trillionaire captures public attention because it triggers shock and envy, and pushes familiar questions about wealth into unfamiliar territory. Human societies have always contained rich and poor, merchants and labourers, rulers and subjects. Yet a personal fortune measured in trillions of dollars represents wealth …
Catholic and Protestant approaches to ethics
The question of how Christians ought to live has occupied believers since the earliest days of the church. The New Testament repeatedly links faith in Jesus Christ with transformed patterns of life, calling followers of the way of Jesus to love God, love their neighbours, pursue holiness, embody the character of Christ, and seek to …
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What is Christian ethics?
Ethics is the disciplined study of how human beings ought to live. It asks enduring questions about right and wrong, justice and injustice, virtue and vice, duty and responsibility. More profoundly, ethics seeks to understand what constitutes a good life and what kind of persons and communities we should aspire to become. While every culture …
