Two renowned, award-winning authors in the field of virtue and sexual ethics introduce and then apply their ethical method to such topics as relativism, ecology, bioethics, sexual ethics, and liberation theology. The result is a foundational text for undergraduate courses in Catholic theological ethics.

An introduction to Catholic theological ethics through the lens of its historical development from the beginning of the church until today.

An international meeting in Trento in July 2010 brought together some 500 theological ethicists from nearly 75 countries. This volume represents the "state of the art" in mural theology from around the globe, with contributors from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Divided into three main parts (the past, the present, and the future), contributors include John W. O'Malley (foreword); Monsignor Luigi Bressan, Archbishop of Trento; James F. Keenan; Archbishop Bruno Forte; Mercy Amba Oduyoye (Ghana); Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif, Ma'arif Institut (Indonesia), Paolo Prodi (Italy), Laurenti Magesa (Kenya), Regina Ammicht-Quinn Germany, Alberto Bondolfi (Switzerland), Diego Alonso-Lasheras (Italy), Roger Burggraeve (Belgium), Anne Nasimiyu (Kenya), Bryan Massingale (US), Antonio Moser (Brazil). ric Gaziaux (Belgium), Margaret Farley (US), Benezet Bujo (Switzerland), Brian Johnstone (US), Miguel ngel S nchez Carlos (Mexico), David Kaulem (Zimbabwe), Leo Pessini (Brazil), Pushpa Joseph (India), Margaret Ogala (Kenya), Julie Hanlon Rubio (US), Aloysius Cartagenas (Philippines), Christa Schnabl (Austria), Simone Morandini (Italy), Myroslav Marynovych (Ukraine), Peter Henriot (Zambia), Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich-Freising (Germany), Julie Clague (Scotland), Shaji George Kochuthara (India), and Mar a Teresa D vila (US).

Among the topics treated are: Christian ethics as community ethics Charting the moral life Elements of character formation Character and social structure Decision making The nature and role of biblical authority Uses of Scripture in Christian ethics

Traditionally, Catholic moral theology has been based upon an approach that over-emphasized the role of normative ethics and subsequently associated moral responsibility with following or disobeying moral rules. Reframing Catholic Theological Ethics offers an alternative ethical method which, without destroying any of the valuable insights of normative ethics, reorients the discipline to consider human motivation and intention before investigating behavioral options for realizing one's end. Evidence from the New Testament warrants the formation of a teleological method for theological ethics which is further elaborated in the approach taken by Thomas Aquinas. Unfortunately, the insights of the latter were misinterpreted at the time of the counter-reformation. Joseph A. Selling's analysis of moral theological textbooks demonstrates the entrenchment of a normative method aimed at identifying sins in service to the practice of sacramental confession. With a firm basis in the teaching of Vatican II, the "human person integrally and adequately considered" provides the fundamental criterion for approaching ethical issues in the contemporary world. The perspective then turns to the crucial question of describing the ends or goals of ethical living by providing a fresh approach to the concept of virtue. Selling concludes with suggestions about how to combine normative ethics with this alternative method in theological ethics that begins with the actual, ethical orientation of the human person toward virtuous living.

Spanning five continents this collection will deepen contemporary understandings of, and approaches to, Catholic theological ethics and the global crisis of homelessness. Topics include global strategies for combating homelessness, local ethical responses, and advocacy for special populations such as women, orphans, and veterans.