That this book reaches this 4^th edition shows its influence. My guess is that’s its one of the most popular ethics textbooks from a Christian perspective available today and has been so for over twenty years. Morality is both in decline and being pushed out of our consciences by today’s amoral culture. Scott Rae brings a biblically grounded view of the major moral issues of our day in this helpful book. Rather than speaking in black and white terms alone, he helps us shine Scripture into the gray areas. While what the Bible explicitly says is strictly black and white, the ravages of sin often back us into confounding gray areas. In other words, we can use some help in sifting things that are not readily apparent.

Another feature of this book is help where the Bible is clear but culture is in rebellion. Standing against the tide requires more than glib answers. As Christians, we want to help people more than merely winning a fight, so we need more than surface-level thinking. Right and wrong and therefore morals can be logically proclaimed. We need to know how to make a difference.

After a fine introductory chapter that explains why morality is desperately needed, we have further looks at how to think of morality, what Christian ethics is, and insights into how to make ethical decisions in the subsequent chapters. The balance of the book takes individual issues and includes things like abortion, biotechnology, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, sexual ethics, and even environmental issues and border control. As you would expect, no reader is likely to agree with every argument or conclusion. I know I didn’t. But how to think about these issues is effectively presented in every case.

This fine textbook reads well, is easy to follow, and would be a boon for any reader. It’s a great title to either work through or have on hand when specific issues arise.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.