Originally published in 1968, James M. Gustafson asks the fundamental question, What is the significance of Jesus for the moral life? His answer is in the form of an ethical map, showing the ways in which theological affirmations about Christ relate to moral life in the writings of a number of important Christian thinkers. Gustafson has written a new preface for this edition.
In our country, James M. Gustafson has influenced the development of ecumenical Christian ethics in our day more than any other person. In this classic work he employs his incomparable analytical and critical skills to illuminate how different significant authors have used Jesus Christ to respond to the three fundamental issues of ethics the good, the moral self, and the criteria for moral judgment and action. The last chapter develops his own constructive statement. - Charles Curran, Scurlock University Professor of Human Values, Southern Methodist University