New Testament scholar Jeffrey Siker has done a good service to both biblical scholars and theological ethics by examining the actual use of Scripture in eight of the most influential 20th C. Christian theologians  writing on ethical issues.  The student of Christian ethics is struck by  some notable omissions (perhaps, most obviously, that of Walter  Rauschenbusch), but no work can cover everyone and Siker's treatment  invites similar investigations.  He gives capsule summaries of the major  works and themes of each of his exemplars before examining what biblical  passages are regularly cited, how they are used, to what extent the  theologian in question interacted with critical biblical scholarship, and  the conclusions drawn.  His comparisons and conclusions are insightful.     As a Christian ethicist trained also in biblical studies, I noticed one  conclusion of Siker's that was greatly affected by his choice of figures to  examine.  Siker notes that Christian theological ethics is seldom very  informed by close interaction with New Testament scholarship and vice  versa.  He laments the narrow "turf" protection in academics that  is largely responsible for this lack.  While his conclusion and lament both  seem accurate, there are a number of theological ethicists who are giving  more attention to critical biblical scholarship and a number of biblical  scholars giving increasing attention to ethical dimensions of the biblical  materials. In both cases, these numbers appear to be growing, though they  remain small.While not flawless, Siker's work is significant and is  highly recommended.

Scripture and Ethics: Twentieth-Century Portraits PDF

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