Group Descriptions

This Interest Group provides a forum for papers and conversations centering on the Anglican contribution to the field of Christian ethics or moral theology. Presentations and papers focus on historical and contemporary topics related to our general theme. Participants from all traditions who are interested in joining our discussion, or in offering a contribution, are most welcome. A subsidiary purpose of our group is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas between persons who teach or work within Anglican ecclesial and educational institutions.

The purpose of the Baptist Ethicists Group is to foster fellowship and collaboration among members of the Society of Christian Ethics who identify with Baptist, Mennonite, and other Free Church traditions. Our annual meeting typically consists of dinner at a local restaurant and presentations by members on their current research. We also occasionally hold joint meetings with other groups.

This group seeks to provide a setting for critical reflection for those who are involved in both the church and the academy. In particular, it seeks to strengthen connections between the academic study of Christian ethics and the realities of congregational life, along with stimulating mutually critical interaction between these publics. It is our hope that both intellectual reflection and congregational life will be nurtured by such interaction.

The Covenantal Ethics Interest Group will continue its discussions of biblical, historical, theological, ethical, and social dimensions of the covenantal theme. We continue to be concerned with the fruitfulness of the covenantal theme for social ethics and the ways in which an ethical stance which takes covenant seriously may differ from some other prominent contemporary stances. All are welcome to participate.

The purpose of this group is to organize sessions at the annual  meeting of the SCE that address important and timely topics in Catholic theology that have direct relevance to Christian ethics, and thus that are of interest to not only Catholics but all members of the Society.

This Interest Group meets annually to broaden and deepen our understanding of the interaction of ethics and economics. Our normal procedure is to invite an outside scholar or practitioner (usually an economist from the local area of the SCE meeting) to speak on an agreed-upon topic and then to proceed with discussion of attendant descriptive and normative issues. This allows us to focus on a timely question and to engage with an economist or other expert whom most of us would otherwise know only through the written word.

Born and bred in feminist thinking, in the last decennia the ethics of care has developed into a critical normative ethical approach with many ramifications but one central interest: to put the concept of care into the centre of ethical reflection because care is the (often neglected but) hidden core and motor of humane coexistence. Currently the Ethics of Care-approach is used by scholars who are scattered over different disciplines, countries and religious and scientific traditions. Goals of this interest group includes: 1) Approaching contemporary problems in religion and society through the lens of ‘care’ is of great interest for a more humane society in different areas. 2) It will allow us to connect the inspiration and wisdom of our religious traditions with pivotal topics (political, institutional, social, spiritual etc) that ask for our scholarly attention. 3) It is an excellent opportunity to learn from each other as different scientific disciplines; more than once interdisciplinary work has proved to be a major contributor to renewal of scientific paradigms.

This group gathers members concerned with questions regarding both relationships internal to families, and those between families and the social order. Past agendas have included presentations and discussion on members' research, panels of representatives from church and public policy institutes concerned with children and families, and analyses of recent popular and scholarly publications concerning these issues.

The Health Care Ethics Interest Group meets each year to discuss ethical concerns in the general area of health care. Previous topics include access to health care, assisted suicide, and the approach taken by different faith traditions to theological reflection on health care issues. The group is open to anyone interested in any of these areas. Formal papers are not presented in the interest group, and the group encourages a significant amount of verbal and materials exchange among attendees.

The Junior Faculty Caucus is organized for the purpose of allowing Christian ethicists (pre-tenured Ph.D.'s and teaching ABD's) to help one another navigate our new roles as professors and scholars. In addition, we hope to encourage greater involvement of newer scholars in the Society of Christian Ethics, and to strengthen our communal voice with an eye toward shaping the SCE's long-term goals.

Thinkers of the rank of Erich Fromm and C. S. Lewis have declared that loving and nurturing relationships between persons of the same sex were not so much morally wrong as psychologically impossible. Recently, however, the ethical debate had shifted. Especially in the political struggles over the legalization of gay marriage, feminists and liberationists have sought to define the conditions under which gay relationships might be morally right, psychologically healthy and socially constructive. Just what, if anything, our churches can do to foster such conditions remains a complex issue with far-reaching implications.

Formed in response to growing interest in the role of worship in the Christian life, the Liturgy and Ethics group will provide a working forum for those interested in such questions as 1) embodied participation in worship and the formation of disciples, 2) sacraments and moral life (e.g., Eucharist, baptism), 3) the impact of cultural forces on congregational worship and moral action, historically, and presently 4) constructive theological work on worship’s proper relation to the moral life 5) connections between specific ethical questions (bioethics, ecological ethics, etc.) and liturgy.

This Interest Group seeks to clarify the dynamics involved in the management of our little-understood money system, to recognize its pervasive, potent, destructive impact, to discern how its power could be redirected to bring extraordinary public benefit, and to explore possibilities for bringing to public awareness these extremely important, but currently neglected issues.

There is a diversity of moral ideas and theories used in religious ethics. Whether in social ethics, theological ethics, comparative religious ethics, or applied ethics, ethicists from a broad spectrum of religious traditions and convictions all engage moral theories in one way or another. It is our conviction that many differences in views on particular moral issues are at least partly due to different understandings, critiques and affirmations of various moral theories. This interest group is designed to provide a place for sustained discussion dedicated to critical reflection on both classical and contemporary moral theories and on their use in religious ethics.

This group provides a forum in which both newer and more experienced teachers/scholars can learn from one another about teaching religious ethics courses more effectively. The major goal of the session is to provide participants with ideas and practices that they can use in their own courses. As always, our conversation will include the exchange of pedagogical strategies relevant to the theme. You are invited to bring something to share: a syllabus, case, exercise, or teaching tip.

This interest group on Restorative Justice will explore issues in this area that need the research and reflection of Christian ethicists, especially issues at the intersection of judicial criminal trials, forms of public truth-telling about atrocities undertaken by governments, and the restoration of political community in the wake of such atrocities. The group will share knowledge of significant work already being done in this area and will encourage members to consider addressing some of the pertinent issues in future SCE meetings.

The Student Caucus provides opportunities for students to meet, develop friendships, and discuss issues of mutual concern and interest. All students and others interested in issues related to graduate students in ethics are welcome. For more information, or if you wish to be added to our student e-mail list, please contact the co-conveners.

In an effort to continue the distinct approach to ethics developed over the years at the University of Chicago Divinity School, the University of Chicago Writers Group was started in the early 1990's to enable graduates of the Divinity School's ethics programs to gather each year to discuss new and on-going projects. The group gathers on Thursday afternoon prior to the full SCE meeting schedule to discuss members' work distributed in advance. SCE members who are U. of C. graduates and would like to join the group are encouraged to contact the conveners.

This group was formed within the SCE of those members 1) who work within any of the various ecclesial traditions rooted in the evangelical renewal movement begun by John Wesley, or, 2) theological and ethical reflection is shaped by distinctly Wesleyan perspectives.