Reconstructing Christian Ethics 01.1: Other References on Christian Virtues

I'm obviously not the first person to have expounded on Christian virtues.

In Gushee and Stanson's text Kingdom Ethics, chapter 2 is called Virtues of Kingdom People. If you want a serious academic treatment of the subject, this is a must-read. I'm just some guy with a blog; they have an entire bibliography and decades of experience in this field. I will quote here the chapter-end summary, because they say it better than I can:

Seek an ethic that asks about the formation and expression of character and not just the actions we should take (being, not just doing); assess any moral decision in light of how it both reflects and would shape the character of the decision maker, the church, the broader community; ask about what posture and practices reflect the specific characteristics of the Beatitudes and thus respond in participate grace to what God is doing to bring in the kingdom.  

NT Wright's After You Believe is a masterful exploration of this subject. If you want an argument as to why our ethics are based in virtues rather than in rules (or worse, in what we feel is right), if this subject interests you at all, read this book. 

Pre-Christian philosophers advocated for four "cardinal virtues":

• Prudence/wisdom
• Justice/piety/gratitude
• Fortitude/endurance
• Temperance/moderation/self-control
  

Of course, the goal of those philosophers was a self-centered Übermensch, which is part of why the Christian approach was a total rewrite of the entire concept of virtue ethics.

Early Christian teachers added to these the three theological virtues, the ones Paul references over and over and over:

• Faith
• Hope
• Love

NT Wright focuses on those three, along with the nine fruits of the spirit. I think one could easily argue that several of the virtues I list are, properly, sub-virtues of these three. Kindness, mercy, and generosity is a particular aspect of Love and respect, for example. Integrity and self-control are a particular aspect of Faith and endurance. As I said in my previous post, my particular list is not the only way to slice or arrange these virtues. I just find it helpful.

Wright also talks very briefly about four other virtues:

• Humility
• Charity
• Patience
• Chastity
  

At some point in Church history, another list of seven virtues was published that corresponded to the seven deadly sins:

• Chastity
• Temperance
• Charity
• Diligence
• Patience
• Kindness
• Humility
  

There's obviously a good bit of overlap between those lists and mine. I am, of course, by no means certain my list is complete or in any other way perfect. Any of these structures might be helpful.