#195 Ethics as Worship with Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow

As followers of Jesus, we face a growing number of complex personal, professional and public ethical dilemmas. How, as Christians, are we supposed to navigate all of these changes, wisely apply Biblical principles to an increasingly complex world and do all things to the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31)? What framework should we use in making the difficult moral decisions that we face on a daily basis?

Here’s an important new resource to help with answering those questions and developing and practicing Christian ethics (simply defined: moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity). In their new book Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship, Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow examine the foundations and application of Christian ethics, offering an ethical system that emphasizes the worship of God as motivation, method, and goal of the ethical endeavor. Mark D. Liederbach (PhD, University of Virginia) is professor of theology, ethics, and culture; dean of students; and vice president for student services at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. And Evan Lenow (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is director of church and minister relations at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.

In this book, the authors boil down the Christian ethical system to a powerful inquiry that I have already found helpful in my own spiritual walk and in my ministry: “Will this decision maximize my worship of God?” or (stated differently) “Can I worship God in this decision?” Here are some of the key takeaways from the book and our podcast discussion:

• Why the word “worship” applies to all of life and not just a music set/song service on Sunday morning.
• An explanation of Christian ethics and why we are all ethicists.
• The metaethics or theological foundation of Christian ethics as explained through the paradigm of creation, fall, redemption and restoration.
• The methodological structure of Christian ethics and key considerations in any ethical decision.
• Ethics as worship applied to key cultural issues, including the following: race, ethnicity and kingdom diversity; abortion; Biblical sexuality and marriage and divorce.
• The key clarifying question from the book: “How would God want me to worship Him?”

Ethics as Worship is available on Amazon here and at most Christian book publishing websites, such as Christianbook.com.