Appealing to Scripture in Moral Debate: Five Hermeneutical Rules - Paperback

by Charles H. Cosgrove (Author)

Arguing from scripture is one of the ways that Christians test theirmoral judgments. But are all methods of appealing to the Bibleequally valid and effective? In this book Charles Cosgrove looksat the churchs long tradition of moral debate and uncovers fivecentral rules that can best guide the use of scripture in con-temporaryethical debates.After introducing the nature of moral arguments generally, Cosgrove devotes one chapter to each of the five rules of biblicalinterpretation that make ethical appeals to scripture persuasive. Hesets forth each rules rationale, provides examples of its operation, and subjects it to critique.Based not only on the work of biblical scholars and Christianethicists but also on Cosgroves own experience with debates inclassrooms, churches, and other Christian contexts, this volume isbe a valuable aid to readers who employ moral reasoning inreal-life settings.

Back Jacket

Arguing from scripture is one of the ways that Christians test their moral judgments. But are all methods of appealing to the Bible equally valid and effective? In this book Charles Cosgrove looks at the churchs long tradition of moral debate and analyzes five important hermeneutical rules that guide contemporary use of scripture in ethical argument.

After introducing the nature of moral arguments generally, Cosgrove devotes one chapter to each of the five rules of biblical interpretation that make ethical appeals to scripture persuasive. He sets forth each rule's rationale, provides examples of its operation, and subjects it to critique.

Based not only on the work of biblical scholars and Christian ethicists but also on Cosgrove's own experience with debates in classrooms, churches, and other Christian contexts, this volume is a valuable aid to readers who employ moral reasoning in real-life settings.

Author Biography

Charles Cosgrove is professor of early Christian literature at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois.