In his discussions on Christian ethics, Lehnmann defines it as a framework that guides moral behavior and decision-making through the lens of Christian faith and teachings. He emphasizes the importance of understanding ethics as not just a set of rules but as a reflection of one’s relationship with God and others.
Lehnmann makes two key distinctions in his exploration of Christian ethics:
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Descriptive vs. Normative Ethics: He differentiates between ethics that describe how people behave and ethics that prescribe how they ought to behave according to Christian principles. Descriptive ethics looks at actual behaviors and societal norms, whereas normative ethics involves the moral standards set forth by Christian doctrine.
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Individual vs. Community Ethics: Lehnmann also distinguishes between personal ethics, which focuses on the moral choices of individuals, and communal ethics, which considers the ethical obligations and responsibilities of the community of believers as a whole. This distinction highlights the interplay between personal faith and the collective identity of the Christian community.
These distinctions serve to clarify the complexity of Christian ethics as it relates to both personal conduct and communal values within the framework of Christian theology.