Introducing Moral Theology

Provides a theologically substantive yet accessible overview of moral theology grounded in the Catholic tradition that is also illuminative to non-Catholic Christians. As college students develop their identities and construct their worldviews, they commonly wrestle with fundamental questions such as "Why be moral?" Taking into account feedback he has received from students and colleagues, William Mattison has crafted Introducing Moral Theology, a masterful basic text on Catholic moral theology. This work provides a solid overview of classical virtue ethics (i.e., temperance, prudence, fortitude, and justice) as well as the theological virtues (i.e., faith, hope, and love). The book includes study questions, terms and definitions, bibliographies, and case studies on timely, thorny issues such as premarital sex and euthanasia. Readers will also note that Introducing Moral Theology draws deeply on Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae. While written primarily to and from a Roman Catholic perspective, this text will appeal to a wide swath of Christian academics and believers interested in theology and ethics. "Those of us who regularly teach introductory courses in theological ethics know how difficult it can be to present the relevant theories and issues in an effective way. So it is very high praise indeed when I say that Mattison has written a first-rate textbook for beginners in this challenging field. Appropriating Aquinas's organizing principle of the virtues, he draws together the main strands of the Catholic moral tradition in such a way as to reveal its inner logic, and to present this in a clear, accessible, and attractive way. He wears his considerable learning lightly, and while he clearly aims to present traditional Catholic moral teachings, he does so in a way…