Outline of Christian Ethics 165
Outline of Christian Ethics (2011)
C. Kwing Hung, Ph.D.
Contents
Introductions by Pastors 4
Prologue 9
{1} Principles (1): Ethics & Different Perspectives 11
{2} Principles (2): Priority of Norms 17
{3} Birth (1): Abortion 21
{4} Birth (2): Birth Control & Eugenics 28
{5} Birth (3): Reproductive Technology 33
{6} Death: Euthanasia & Suicide 37
{7} Politics (1): Government & Politics 44
{8} Politics (2): Church & State 48
{9} Politics (3): Social Action 53
{10} Society (1): Social Responsibility 59
{11} Society (2): Mass Media & Political Correctness 62
{12} Society (3): Sanctions for Crime & Capital Punishment 69
{13} Work: Work & Business Ethics 73
{14} Human Rights (1): Human Rights & Responsibilities 77
{15} Human Rights (2): Racial Problem & Multiculturalism 83
{16} Human Rights (3): Feminism & Women’s Role in Church 88
{17} Family (1): Marriage & Divorce 93
{18} Family (2): Education & Children 99
{19} Sex (1): Extra-marital Sex 106
{20} Sex (2): Homosexuality 110
{21} International: War & Nuclear Weapons 115
{22} Environment (1): Environmentalism & Global Warming 121
{23} Environment (2): Animal Rights & Vegetarianism 127
{24} Wealth (1): Leisure & Amusement 131
{25} Wealth (2): Hobbies: Smoking, Illicit Drugs & Alcohol 137
{26} Supernatural: Fortune Telling & Spiritism 141
{27} Conclusion: Discernment & Tolerance 147
Epilogue and Acknowledgment 152
Appendix 1: Christianity vs. Secular Humanism 153
Appendix 2: Test Questions (Multiple Choice) 154
Appendix 3: Course Introduction 157
Appendix 4. Main References 158
Subject Index 159
Scripture Index 162
List of Questions 167
Brief Biography of the Author 171
In Memory Of
My Dear Loving Wife
Evangeline May-Ming Hung
(1949–2009)
Introductions by Pastors
Introduction by Rev. Pak Cheung Lo
Without a strong sense of mission, it is difficult to write a book like Outline of Christian Ethics. In fact, the way the author discusses things not only conveys a sense of mission, but also reflects his extensive knowledge. His insights truly permeate throughout the book.
Frankly, it is difficult for me to find time to read even one book, especially a book with serious propositions, except if I can see the faithfulness of the author in practicing his faith. This is exactly what I have seen in Dr. Hung. I have known him for more than twenty years. I appreciate his steadfastness in upholding his faith. In defending truth, he was never vague in distinguishing right from wrong. He is deeply loved within Christian circles. He often preaches from the podium and teaches Sunday School. He has worked in the government for 30 years, and is deeply trusted and respected by his colleagues.
Dr. Hung also loves his family without reservations. This is particularly true when his wife struggled with cancer for 18 months. We were moved by his tireless care for his wife. Furthermore, while experiencing a great test in his family, he, as the Chair of the Board of Directors in Canada, was under tremendous pressure; yet he never flinched. All these testings in life make this book even more readable.
Dr. Hung deeply believes that the truth of the Bible is the only weapon to oppose the torrents of this evil age. So he wrote this book with a collection of his faith and beliefs, hoping to mutually remind and encourage other Christians.
The founding ideal and all the work of the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades are similar to the above: to oppose the torrents of the secular world and to lead the sheep outside the pen back in. Therefore, I concur with Dr. Hung’s intention of listing the basic moral principles in order to help Christians know the truth and stand firm.
Rev. Pak Cheung Lo
Executive Director
Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (New York)
Introduction by Rev. John Fung
Brother Kwing Hung and I both experienced a revival of life in the early 1960s. Afterwards, we organized a Sunday evening prayer group of seven to eight people. We met in the “roof top” garden of my home. In the windy and rainy Hong Kong, we met for three years without missing even one Sunday. The place is really our “heavenly platform” (same as “roof top” in Chinese). We could witness God’s blessing on Brother Hung because of his mature and insightful sharing. We grew together spiritually through prayer, Bible study, and discussions. Discussion topics included the Bible, world affairs, marriage, faith, and service. By the grace of the Lord, our spiritual lives matured quickly.
A few months ago, Brother Hung asked me to read the draft of his book, and I was greatly stunned by what I read—stunned by how perfect and complete the Word of God is, stunned also by the power of the Gospel. In the world, some books are a waste of time, and some books are indispensable (a must-read). This book clearly is of the latter kind.
There are three points I want to share:
[1] Encyclopedic: This book is an encyclopedia in Christian ethics, covering almost all important ethical issues. This book is not an academic textbook. But with Brother Hung’s over 40 years of diligent studies, his long life experience, and at a time when he looked after his sick wife, this book is a valuable explanation of God’s truth. The orthodox faith and principles contained in the book can be practiced immediately today.
[2] Orthodox faith: Brother Hung clearly states in his Prologue: “the Bible is the infallible Word inspired by God, and that the moral viewpoint in the Bible is absolute and suitable for all times.” Again, he holds fast to the divine will and says, “As this book is founded on the Bible, the way to distinguish what is moral and what is immoral is totally based on the Biblical standard.” This contrasts what a local modernist theologian said in 1988: “How can ethical principles written 4000 years ago be valid for today?” But, since the Bible is inspired by God, it is absolute truth, and thus is completely applicable from ancient times to today.
[3] Applicability: This book lists three important points about God’s commandments: [a] Obey God: God demands His children to obey His Word, that is, to consent internally and practice externally. One’s salvation is linked to obedience (Mt 19:17; Ro 6:16; Eph 5:5–6). [b] Seek Guidance from God: Brother Hung mentions a practical way: WWJD—“What would Jesus do?” (Php 2:5) [c] Follow the Bible: The Bible is the reliable and unchanging foundation for our ethical decisions.
In the table in Appendix 1, Brother Hung courageously affirms the Biblical truth. Examples include: [a] Origin of morality: Moral rules are based on the commandments of God. Moral rules are absolute and do not change with time and culture. [b] Extra-marital sex: All extra-marital sex is immoral. [c] Homosexuality: Homosexuality is against the laws of God and is a sin.
Thank God for the completion of this book. I hope that many people will receive blessings through this book so that God may be glorified.
Rev. John Fung
Broadcasting Pastor
Far East Broadcasting Company Canada (Toronto)
Introduction by Rev. Dr. Jason Yeung
Outline of Christian Ethics is a valuable guide for Christians to live a moral life.
Dr. Hung was an elder in Ottawa Chinese Alliance Church where I served in the late 1980s. He is knowledgeable and devout, applying the Bible as the directing principle for everything. He is well-versed in current world affairs, commenting on political changes and being able to detect various anti-God deceptions. He is deeply interested in ethics and has worked through different schools of thought. After a few years of planning, he told me that he wished to summarize his thoughts in this area.
When I received the draft, I was pleasantly surprised. The book is a rich source of information – better than most books on ethics that we can find in bookstores. It does not discuss moral philosophy, so it does not investigate the source of ethics. This book is founded on two areas: the first is the position of the Bible, the second is the practice of Christian living.
[1] Position of the Bible: The book begins with a clear statement on the direction and principles used in the discussions. It is not written for non-Christians but examples used in the book are informative for all. The foundation of deciding on right and wrong is the Word of God: “The Bible is the objective and unchanging source of norms.” Under this precondition, arguments can be reduced to a minimum.
[2] Christian living: Examples in the book are not in the form of authoritarian declarations, but are analyses with consideration of different situations and different possibilities. For example, in the discussion about abortion and birth, this book does not regard positions as absolute black or white. The author upholds the principle of the respect for life and introduces different viewpoints, explaining the definition of a human being, the issue of health, public opinion polls, different ways of preserving life, etc. These are all positive and meaningful. In comparison, the pro-abortion viewpoint uses human rights to trump all other possible solutions. In another example, the complex question about birth is introduced through new ways of looking at the problem, using results of recent research. The discussion on church and state is also brilliant. The book begins with a clarification of the common misunderstanding of “separation of church and state”, pointing out that it should actually be “mutual non-control” of church and state. Unfortunately, North American governments today use the “separation of church and state” to restrict religion.
The content of this book shows a wide range of topics which cannot be fully introduced here, such as society, work, family, sex and marriage, war, environment, and even fortune telling and spiritism. Besides seeking the origin and implication of each topic, the book contains knowledge and principles to help Christians discern. The appendix “Christianity vs. Secular Humanism” is a valuable piece that Christians should study carefully. It presents the worldview of Christians and is a simple comparison of the two different viewpoints with respect to daily life.
However, the author does not apply legalism to judge other people. Dr. Hung is a charitable person. He wishes that everyone would have a joyful life with ideals. This life originates from the goodness of God’s creation, and is the will of God. It is truly appropriate to emphasize the three principles at the end: In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, liberty; In all things, charity.
Rev. Dr. Jason Hing Kau Yeung
Director, Chinese Culture Research Center
China Graduate School of Theology (Hong Kong)
Introduction by Rev. Dr. Peter Au
Dr. Hung wrote this commendable work Outline of Christian Ethics based on experience from life and 30 years of teaching. He humbly called his book an “outline”; yet, the extent of the book is broad and deep, including theoretical analyses and applications. His analytical foundation is conservative evangelical theology. He started from simple discussions and gradually moved to more profound discussions, commenting on various complex phenomena in today’s society and analyzing the right and the wrong in many moral issues.
The field of Ethics came from the Greek word Ethos, which points to the moral character of man and behavioural decisions. In history, it was later called in Latin Ethica or Philosophia Moralis.
In Chinese, the word “Ethics” is translated by two characters—“Lun” and “Li”. “Lun” describes human relationships and “Li” describes the orderly principle. Chinese call ethics “the human way”, aiming to cooperate with the Way of the heaven. Confucius said, “Man can exalt the Way; it is not the Way that exalts man.” Mencius said, “Benevolence is the distinguishing characteristic of man. As embodied in man’s conduct, it is called the path of duty.” Xun Zi said, “The Way is not the heaven’s Way, nor the earth’s Way, but the Way of man.” Yet the ethics in China is interdependent with the philosophy of the Way of heaven. The Way of man can lead to knowledge of the Way of the heaven. Thus Mencius said, “Full-heartedly knowing nature will lead to knowing the heaven.” The book Way of the Means said, “To want to know man, one must not be ignorant about the way of heaven.”
Christian ethics is not based only on the human viewpoint. Ethics does not originate only from human moral conscience. The Bible as the revelation of God is the origin of moral ethics. Moral science of man was created by God; God is the origin and the foundation of morality.
Dr. Hung discusses the ethical viewpoints of the Bible and secular humanism; he then commences an apologetical discussion. His sharp comments often combat with the viewpoint of secular humanism. Dr. Hung does not avoid difficult ethical questions. His analyses are fair-minded and comply with the Biblical viewpoint; they are reasonable.
Dr. Hung does not use purely rational and argumentative methods; he employs the method of light-hearted conversation with the reader. Every chapter is introduced with some stories to stir up the interest of the reader. Furthermore, statistical facts are added to strengthen the persuasive power of the points made. With short highlighted titles, readers can easily follow the main points and the information in the book.
Progressing from small stories to big principles, the readers will be guided into a luxurious garden, which brings to them wonders and fears about the field of ethics. But Dr. Hung holds fast the heart of the readers. He kindly guides the readers to ponder each important ethical question.