"Principles of Christian Morality"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Heinz Schurmann's contribution, which was written as a submission for the 1974 International Theological Commission session discusses the New Testament's influence on morality, via both its statements and interpretations. The author points out that Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) discusses the distinction between practice (orthopraxis) and established beliefs (orthodoxy) and the need of having a fixed point of moral reference. The paper relates that Hans Urs von Balthasar sets forth nine precepts of Christian morality in summary form, exploring Christ as the universal, concrete norm for Christian morality, with the golden rule as a summation of God's law and Christ on the cross as the only salvation from sin.

From the Paper:

"Ratzinger, in an effort to establish a practice for Catholics in a modern context, explored the possibility of the shifting meaning of religious law and commandments (50). The opposite of praxis, Ratzinger states, is the belief "that affirms that there is no such thing as a specifically Christian morality and that Christianity must take its norms of conduct from the anthropological insights of its time" (49). Ratzinger concludes that praxis is indistinguishable from a genuinely believed truth in Christ-that to imitate Jesus Christ is "inseparable from faith" and that "faith's praxis depends on faith's truth" (62, 70). In other words, if one genuinely holds a belief in Christ, that faith will influence one's practices and in turn, will relate the truth with the praxis."

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