Defends Augustine and Aquinas' controversial 'absolute view' of lying: it is always wrong, even when for a good cause.

"This book is a fascinating journey--from Augustine's total ban on lying, through the compromises of philosophers like Plato and Aquinas, to the radical espousal of truth's impossibility in Nietzche. Griffiths takes us into the heart of Augustine's theology to show how the act of duplicity disfigures the image of God in us and exposes human sinfulness. From that perspective, all discussion of lying that is merely based on morality, justice, compassion, or humanism is shown to be inadequate, and truthfulness becomes a gift of God's grace." -- Frances Young, University of Birmingham (England) "Elegantly composed conceptual clarity makes this sounding of Augustine a model for ethical inquiry: as the very paradigm of sin, lying (ubiquitous though it may be) cannot be countenanced if we are to become what we are called to be--animals whose speech reflects the Triune Creator by expressing our life as that Creator's gift. I have seldom been so impressed with a book." -- David Burrell, C.S.C. University of Notre Dame "The great temptation in writing about lying is to find a way beyond the Augustinian dictum that a lie is wrong under any circumstances. Griffiths resists the temptation and does so with intelligence, wisdom, theological acuity, and, one should gratefully add, deep sympathy for human limitations and weakness. This is a challenging and rewarding book, unlike any written in modern times on the topic." -- Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia "Griffiths' exacting and beautifully wrought analysis helps us to understand the centrality of deception in Western thought and practice: the lie resides silently at the center of our structures of speech and theoretical speculation as well as our equivocal practice. Most interestingly of all, he shows how Augustine's unequivocal ban upon lying, so unpalatable to our ears, provides a key to reordered ontology, moral philosophy, politics, and theory of language." -- Catherine Pickstock, University of Cambridge "This book shakes the foundations. Griffiths is a modern-day Augustine in rhetorical power, social analysis, textual rigor, and theological vision. Reading Griffiths requires steely never as the persuasion of his prose, the elegance and rigor of his argument, leave the reader in the dock, with only God as our witness. This is a masterful essay in philosophical theology--erudite, scholarly, and graceful in its simplicity." -- Gavin D'Costa, University of Bristol (England) "An excellent piece of scholarship that will intrigue anyone interested in the issues of morality and ethics." -- Library Journal

What Does the Bible Teach about How to Live in Today's World? How should Christians live when the surrounding culture is increasingly hostile to Christian moral values? Granted, the Bible is our guide—but how can we know if we are interpreting it rightly with regard to ethical questions about wealth and poverty, marriage and divorce, birth control, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, ethical business practices, environmental stewardship, and dozens of other issues? And on a very practical level, how can we know God's will in the ordinary decisions of life? To address questions like these, Wayne Grudem, author of the bestselling book Systematic Theology, draws on 40 years of teaching classes in ethics to write this wide-ranging introduction to biblical moral reasoning, organized according to the structure of the Ten Commandments. He issues a challenging call for Christians to live lives of personal holiness and offers a vision of the Christian life that is full of joy and blessing through living each day in a way that is pleasing to God. Written by Wayne Grudem: Bestselling author of Systematic Theology and the What the Bible Says About series Biblical and Applicable: Teaches readers how to protect 7 central tenets of God's law: God's honor, human authority, life, marriage, property, truth, and purity of heart Accessible: An ideal textbook for Christian college and seminary ethics classes, with straightforward language and a bibliography for the topic at the end of each chapter Replaces ISBN 978-1-4335-4965-6

We are in the midst of a rapidly changing sexual scene. Casual sex between consenting adults scarcely gets a second look, marriage is increasingly viewed as an at-will contract, attitudes toward same-sex relationships have done an about-face, and the family has been redefined in ways that challenge how we effectively minister to those inside and the church. If we as believers value our call to be the salt and light of society, then we must begin to think biblically and strategically about how to engage our sexually volatile culture. Sex, Lies, and the Truth aims to help Christians in all walks of life do just that: It addresses the question of how to develop a Christian ethic in an increasingly post-Christian society by becoming biblically informed and culturally conversant with a topic that promises to be one of the foremost challenges the church will face in the coming years.

This introductory textbook presents Christian philosophical and theological approaches to ethics. Combining their expertise in philosophy and theology, the authors explain the beliefs, values, and practices of various Christian ethical viewpoints, addressing biblical teachings as well as traditional ethical theories that contribute to informed moral decision-making. Each chapter begins with Words to Watch and includes a relevant case study on a vexing ethical issue, such as caring for the environment, human sexuality, abortion, capital punishment, war, and euthanasia. End-of-chapter reflection questions, illustrations, and additional information tables are also included.