• Provides both a short history of Christian ethics and looks at its basic sources as they arise from Judaism, Greco-Roman ethics, and Christianity
• Brings together the history and contemporary discussions in an accessible way
• Discusses failures in the Christian tradition such as crusades, slavery, inquistions, and the Gaileo affair; putting them into a historical perspective and highlighting the challenges they raise for Christian ethics
• Considers Christian ethics in the modern era - what does it mean today?

 
This Very Short Introduction to Christian ethics introduces the topic by examining its sources and historical basis. D. Stephen Long presents a discussion of the relationship between Christian ethics, modern, and postmodern ethics, and explores practical issues including sex, money, and power. Long recognises the inherent difficulties in bringing together 'Christian' and 'ethics' but argues that this is an important task for both the Christian faith and for ethics. 

Arguing that Christian ethics are not a precise science, but the cultivation of practical wisdom from a range of sources, Long also discusses some of the failures of the Christian tradition, including the crusades, the conquest, slavery, inquistions, and the Galileo affair. Placing them in the context of the theory and practice of ethics and their historical persepctive, he notes the challenges they raise for Christian ethics. 

He concludes with a discussion of their implications in the modern era, considering how this affects our lives in the present age.
 
 
REVIEWS:
"serves to bring to the fore some characteristically Catholic emphases often neglected by Protestants. It could serve as a very useful 'very short introduction to Catholic ethics' for those who have been exposed only to the Protestant tradition." - Jonathan Chaplin, Churchman