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认识现代神学第17讲

主讲:林慈信牧师_校对:刘加立弟兄_文字:XSS姐妹

我们再讲第八章 处境伦理SITUATION ETHICS

上讲我们讲了它一个原则。

现在第二个原则,As its name indicates,顾名思义的,the new morality emphasizes “the situation,” or what contemporary philosophers might call “the existential reality.”新的道德强调的是“处境”,或者有些当代的哲学家称为“存在的实在”,存在性的实在(existential reality)。An act is said to be wrong, not by principle, but by situation.一个行动若是错的,不是因为原则的缘故,乃是因为处境的缘故。In Robinson’s words,根据罗宾逊所说的:“nothing can of itself always be labelled as ‘wrong.’没有任何事情永远都是‘错的’。One cannot, for instance, start from a position,譬如说我们不能从一个立场开始说,‘sex relations before marriage’ or ‘divorce’ are wrong in themselves.‘婚前性关系’或者‘离婚’本质上是错的。They may be in 99 cases or even 100 cases out of a 100, but they are not intrinsically so,他们可能在100个个案里面99次是错的,甚至乎100次都是错误的,但是它们不是本质上是错的,for the only intrinsic evil is lack of love.因为唯一本质上的邪恶是没有爱。”According to this view,根据这个观点来看,Christian ethics is not an unchanging body of fixed teaching.基督教的伦理不是一个不能变的、固定的一套教训。Such a view is said to be inherently legalistic and impersonal.因为这种的观点,被称为是本质上是律法主义的,是不顾虑到人的。

No.3 第三个原则,The ultimate and only criterion of conduct is said to be not an ethical code, but selfless and sacrificial agape love.至高的、唯一一个人们行为的标准,不是一套伦理的规条,乃是无私的、牺牲的爱(agape)。This love is to be modelled after Jesus,这种的爱以耶稣为模范,whom Robinson calls (borrowing the language of Bonhoeffer) “the man for others.” 罗宾逊称耶稣为“为别人而活的人(这个称谓是从潘霍华借来的)”。The only intrinsic evil for Robinson and Fletcher is lack of love.对罗宾逊跟Fletcher来说,唯一本质上的邪恶就是没有爱。The only intrinsic good is love, “nothing else at all.”唯一本质上的善就是爱,没有任何其他的是唯一的、本质上的善。Love is to be the ultimate norm of Christian decision, the only norm of conduct.现在,爱要成为基督徒决策的最高的准则,唯一行为的标准。

No.4 第四个原则,This agape love wills the neighbor’s good, whether we like him or not.这种无私的爱(agape),意志愿意看到邻居的好处,不论我们喜欢他我就不喜欢他。Love is not an emotional or sentimental ethic,爱不是一个情感或者情绪导向的伦理,It is an ethic of attitude, of will,是一个态度上或者意志上的伦理,and therefore it can be commanded.因此,爱可以是一个命令。In the language of Robinson,根据罗宾逊的说法,“love alone, because, as it were, it has a built-in moral compass, enabling it to ‘home’ intuitively upon the deepest need of the other, can allow itself to be directed completely by the situation.唯有爱可以完全被处境所指导,因为它似乎在里面有着一个已经安置的道德的指南针,让他很直接的能够看到对方最深层的需要的。”

No.5 第五方面的原则,Classic Christian ethics declares that the end does not justify the means.经典的基本上伦理宣告,不可以不择手段的,目标不能决定手段。In contrast, Dr. Fletcher says,与此对立的,是Fletcher的立场,他说:“only the end justifies the means.唯有目标能够使手段合理合法。”Unless justified by some end in view, any action is meaningless.任何的行为,除非有着一个目标支持它,不然它是没有意义的。Does an evil means always nullify a good end?一个邪恶的方法是否每一次都否定了一个好的目标呢?No, says situation ethics.处境伦理说,不。Again, it all depends upon the situation in this world of relativities.再一次说,在这个充满着相对性的世界里面,似乎处境而言。For example,比如说,“if the emotional and spiritual welfare of both parents and children in a particular family can best be served by a divorce, then love requires it.假如离婚最能够帮助父母亲和小孩子他们在情感上跟属灵上得到好处的话,在这个家庭里爱就令离婚成为必须的了。”

Certainly, some of the emphases of situation ethics, in a modified sense, resemble biblical Christianity.肯定的是,处境伦理某一些的重点,当我们修改过之后,与圣经的基督教有点相似。With Paul, we must warn against the dangers of legalism.我们要效法保罗,向律法主义的危险发出警告的(加4:8-10,西2:20-23)。With John, we plead the importance of love.我们与约翰一样,还要呼吁人要爱,爱是重要的(约一4:7,11、12,21)。With Jesus, we deplore the mind of the Pharisees,我们与耶稣一样谴责法利赛人的心态,which felt that people were made for rules and not rules for people.他们认为人是为规条而造,规条不是为人所订的(可2:27-28)。We suspect that part of the reason for the warm reception of situation ethics in Asia may be the reaction of young people to the legalism and rule-centered ethic of Confucianism which has bound society there together for so long.我怀疑,其中一个原因,为什么处境伦理在亚洲这么受欢迎,是因为青年人要向儒家的伦理作出反动,儒家的伦理是充满着法律主义,是以规条做中心的,这种的儒家伦理多年来约束着亚洲的社会。Nevertheless,虽然是如此,the Christian who is willing to subject his ethical life to the rule of the sovereign Christ,基督徒若愿意将他的伦理生活伏在基督的主权之下的话,will have radical difficulties with arguments of the new morality.他面对着新道德的论点的时候,会有很多的疑问。Using some of the guidelines for criticism provided by Carl Henry, we would indicate some of these difficulties.我们借用卡尔亨利所提供的一些批判的原则,我们会指出,基督徒会提出怎么样一些的彻底的疑问。

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No.1 第一方面的批判,By freeing moral decision from the authority of divine commandments and objective moral principle, the new morality continually threatens to debase agape into eros.当新的道德要把人们从上帝的诫命和客观的道德原则释放出来,让人用agape(爱)来做道德的决定的时候,这种新的道德不断的冒一个危险,就是无私的爱(agape)很容易成为eros(情欲)。Love’s content is the law,律法才是爱的内容,and cannot be separated from that content without destroying its very character as love.爱不可以和律法分割,不然的话,爱的本质就毁了。As Paul indicates,正如保罗指出,love for neighbor is reflected by the law.诫命反应出对邻居的爱是怎样一个的爱.“The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”.“诫命说:‘不可奸淫、不可杀人、不可偷窃、不可贪心,’还有任何其他的诫命都以这句话做总纲,就是要爱你的邻居如己。”爱不会伤害邻居的,因此爱就是律法的成全(罗13:9-10)。

No.2 第二方面的批判,By narrowing ethical duty to moment-by moment confrontation and response,当新的道德把伦理的责任限制在一刻一刻地面对和回应这个狭窄的范围的时候,the new morality thwarts the Christian requirement of a consistent, predictable pattern of life.就拦阻了基督徒满足一个要求,这个要求是过一个一致性的、一个能够预测的、有规律的生活的模式。

No.3 第三个批判,By tapering the whole of moral duty to agape love,当新的伦理把整个的道德责任说成是无私的爱的时候,the new morality fails to reflect the individual’s answerability to justice in public affairs,这种的新的道德就不能反应出一个个人怎么样在公共事业上向公益(社会公益)负责,and accordingly sponsors a highly subjective approach to social ethics.因此,所提供的是一种非常主观的社会伦理。

No.4 第四方面的批判,By detaching the entire teaching of the Bible from the revelation of the sovereign moral Lord of the universe, and demeaning that teaching to the level of a revisable guideline, and by regarding agape love alone as the fixed content of ethical life, the new morality falls under the judgment of the very Scriptures it apparently honors in its partial and restricted appeals to the Bible.新道德,好像要在某一部分,在一个限制的范围里面诉诸于圣经的,但是它恰恰就落在圣经的审判之下,因为它把圣经的教训和这位宇宙中道德的主宰上帝的启示所分隔了,它也贬低了圣经的教训,成为一些能够修改的指引、原则而已,它也认为唯有无私的爱(agape)才是一个伦理生活不变的内容,因此它是落在圣经的审判之下的。The fact that now and then its advocates invoke the Bible should confer no scriptural dignity upon the new morality.偶尔新道德的推动者引用圣经这个事实,一点都不为这个新的道德带来圣经的尊严的。Instead, it bestows upon the Bible this tribute,反之,我们可以说,这个事实是为圣经带来赞扬,that even at a distance of twenty centuries those who promote a new morality are not wholly able to dissociate themselves from remnants of its influence.虽然过了2000年之后,那些推动新道德的人,也不能够完全与圣经的影响力的残余分家。

No.5 第五方面的批判,The new morality detaches ethical theory from the supernatural Creator and Redeemer of Scripture.新道德把伦理的理论与那位超自然的、圣经里的创造主和救赎主分割了。Robinson builds his system by rejecting God as a supreme, personal, supernatural being, independent of the world.罗宾逊整个系统的根据,是先要拒绝相信上帝作为一位至高的、有位格的、超自然的存有,与世界是独立的,他拒绝这位上帝。In line with Tillich’s speculations,罗宾逊是与田立克的猜测、思想一致的,Robinson contends that,他坚持说,all language about what he calls the Ultimate is symbolical and relative.所有关于至高的、至终的一些的词汇,都是象征性的,是相对性的。God is no longer the sovereign Distinguisher of right and wrong,上帝不再是那位掌主权的、分辨是非的那位主宰,but is merely “the Ground of all Being.”上帝只不过是“一切存有的根基”。This God of situation ethics is too small, too restricted to provide an adequate dynamic for His love ethic.这位处境伦理的上帝太小了、太有限了,是不能够为他的爱的伦理提供足够的动力的。Thusly,这样一来,the new morality predicates the case for love on mythological supports and supplies no firm basis for ethics.新伦理,它的爱的论点的前提,是一些神话性的支撑,所以对伦理没有提供任何坚固的基础。

No.6 第六方面的批判,The new morality reconstructs the Jesus of the Bible by expressly repudiating the gospel testimony that Jesus gave commandments to His disciples and that Jesus viewed obedience to these commandments as a test of their personal love to Him.新道德把圣经中耶稣重新建构过,他的做法是明文的否认福音所作的见证,福音明文的说耶稣有命令颁布给他的门徒们的,耶稣认为遵守这些的诫命是他们对耶稣的爱的一个考验(约15:8-10,14)。By doing this, the new morality forfeits its right to expound authentically Christian ethics.他们这样的拒绝福音书的耶稣的时候,新道德在解释真的基督教的伦理上是弃权的。

No.7 第七方面的批判,Situation ethics is built on an apostate view of human nature and human sin.处境伦理的根基是一个离经背道的人性观和罪观。They assume that “love has a built-in moral compass” so unaffected by man’s sin and corruption that it will intuitively make proper choices.他们假设“爱里面有一个本身就安置的道德指南针”,是没有受到人的罪和败坏所影响的,他能够很直接的使人做出正确的决策。This is a far cry from what Paul says about man’s “moral compass” in Romans 1:18-32 or Romans 3:10-18.这个跟使徒保罗在罗1:18-32,或者罗30:10-18所讲的,所谓的道德指南针,是天渊之别。Love, directed by the human heart, cannot make either wise choices or choices directed to the welfare of others (Matt. 15:19).有人心所指导的爱是不可能做出智慧的选择的,或者做出为别人的福利努力的选择的(太15:19)。Its choices are always self-centered.人心所引导的爱永远是以自我中心的。Martin Luther once said that “reason is a whore.”马丁路德有一次说:“理性是淫妇。” So is love, without redeeming grace.爱若没有救赎恩典的话,同样是淫妇。

No.8 最后,第八点的批判,Situation ethics constructs its program without any attention to repentance, judgment, faith, and redemption.处境伦理所建造的工程是不理睬悔改、审判、信心和救赎的。As one man has noted,正如有人注意到,Robinson leaves the impression,罗宾逊为人留下一个印象,that modern man is so grown up that he has little need now for spiritual help outside of his own natural resources.就是,现代人已经长大了,他完全不需要在他自己的固有的资源以外的属灵的帮助。This author suspects that this noticeable lack may explain the wide attention given to the theories of situation ethics in non-Christian circles in the West and in Asia.我怀疑这方面的缺乏就能够解释,为什么处境伦理在西方和在亚洲的非基督徒的圈子里面是那么受到人的注意的。Situation ethics asks for nothing by way of ethics and it assumes nothing by way of theology.处境伦理在神学上没有任何的假设,处境伦理在伦理上对人也毫无要求。What better system for “the natural man” than this?这样子岂不是最“属血气的人”的最好的伦理系统吗?

End of CHAPTER VIII 第八章结束。

下一讲我们会开始讲第九章,CHAPTER IX THEOLOGY OF HOPE,希望神学

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