Making Moral Decisions: An Artful Abilit

Making Moral Decisions: An Artful Ability[1]
By Joe E. Trull, Editor

            In 1804 a Kentucky Baptist congregation was divided because they could not decide the right thing to do. The moral question was raised whether a man, when captured by the Indians, was justified in lying to protect his family concealed nearby.

            Some believed the man had a duty to lie in those circumstances, while others maintained he should tell the truth even if it meant the sacrifice of his family. The argument was so vehement that the church split into two congregations known as the Lying Baptists and the Truthful Baptists.[2]

            Moral decisions are never easy. One writer lists ten obstacles to overcome before good decisions can be made.[3] How does a Christian determine what is right or wrong? Is there a tried-and-tested formula for analyzing an ethical issue and making moral judgments?

            Our task is to utilize the insights gained from various approaches to moral decision making in order to construct a basic outline for moral deliberation. Our goal is to construct a model that is biblically and theologically sound, ethically credible, and logically consistent.

            The model suggested here claims no uniqueness, for many ethicists employ one or more of these steps in their systems.[4] Nevertheless, each one of the five procedures suggested here is important to the total task. To omit any of these considerations is to risk a serious flaw in ethical analysis. Although the order of the steps has a logical basis, the process of decision making is always dialogical in nature. Ideally the moral agent moves back and forth between each of the suggested procedures, listening and responding, before reaching a final conclusion.

Be True to Your Character—Virtues

            A beginning point in decision making is to develop a mature Christian character. Character is basic to ethical decision making—being affects doing. In the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7), Jesus emphasized that character precedes conduct and morality is a matter of the heart.

            Character is the inner moral orientation that fashions our lives into predictable patterns. The question posed by character is, “What values do you wish to express through your life and practice?” No person approaches a moral choice objectively; who you are determines what you do. Character ethics encourages the cultivation of virtues—moral excellencies essential to the good life. In Lewis Smedes’s words, to become a “pretty good person” requires living with common qualities like “gratitude, guts, simple integrity, self-control, discernment, and fair love.”[5]

            Probably no one more than Stanley Hauerwas has emphasized the role of community in shaping character; “habits of the heart” are shaped by our family, our church, our schools, and our society. Participation in a moral community is the main way we develop ethical character.

            Character ethics supports moral choices in two important ways: first, “a certain sense of calmness in doing the right thing and courage in resisting the wrong,” and second, “a measure of discretion” leaving “final judgment up to the individual.”[6]

            Ethics based on Christian character also gives a certain completeness or wholeness to persons—a spiritual unity at the core of personality. Because what I am affects what I do, nothing is more basic to moral decision making than character. As Jesus put it, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit” (Mt 7:17).

            As important as is character, the ability to analyze ethical issues and make prudent choices is also vital. Both “being good” and “doing good” are essential in ethics. Like the bow and the violin, the two elements work together to produce the music of a life of moral integrity.

Face the Facts–Discernment

            Moral discernment requires an accurate analysis of the pertinent facts. Only some facts are relevant, but all facts are interpreted facts, “felt” facts, and evaluated facts.[7] In addition, significant facts are always filtered through our own beliefs, feelings, fears, desires, and values; only then can we identify them as “the facts of the case.”[8]

            An elementary rule in responsible moral decision making is to know the facts in the case. How do we gain accurate information? Four main procedures are necessary:[9]

Collect data. Asking the right questions is essential—who, what, where, when, why, and how?

1. Determine the circumstances surrounding the issue.

2. Examine the persons involved. Find out who the players in the situation are and understand each one’s point of view and apparent motives.

3. Evaluate the information. Incorrect understanding of the facts can lead you to make a wrong decision. Be aware of personal biases.

4. Explore all possible options. Identify the obvious alternatives, search for other possibilities, and deliberate about the different choices available.

            For example, a current dilemma questions carrying a concealed weapon (handgun) for protection against criminals. To analyze this moral issue, a person should first gather facts—the biblical, theological, and social data about crime and the Christian response to it. What ethical norms apply? Why are crimes against persons committed? What could be done to prevent crime and to protect victims? If a Christian were confronted by a criminal, what are the possible responses? Which one is best?

Follow the Guidelines—Obligations

            Once we understand the issue, the persons involved, and the options available, we are then ready to consider the values that will guide our decision. First we must heed the moral rules that guide us toward good decisions: “Moral rules are not fetters to bind us into moral straitjackets and steal our freedom. Nor do they take all of the risks out of making choices or relieve us of the agony of making decisions when we are not sure which one is right. Rules help us to use our freedom wisely.”[10]

            Behind every rule there is a reason, a value which can be stated as a principle. Ethical principles act like a compass to direct us toward the good. For Christians, ethical norms and principles primarily come from the revelation of God in the Bible. Chief among numerous ethical guidelines in the Scriptures are the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17), the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7), the principles of love for God and humanity (Mt 22:36-40), and justice (Amos 5:24). Other resources that guide us toward the moral will of God include the Holy Spirit, Christian tradition, experience, reason, conscience, and prayer.

            The mature Christian will evaluate the obligations and duties that apply to the issue faced. Sometimes competing values will require a person to prioritize the moral goods, selecting an option that is the greater good or the lesser evil. A Christian should be able to state the norms, values, principles, and other resources that confirm that a right decision has been made.

Consider the Consequences—Goals

            An important test of right choices is to consider what happens afterward—the results. Anyone interested in doing the right think must consider consequences, for bringing good to people’s lives is a major part of what morality is about.

            In one sense, consequences confirm God’s ethical ideals. “The rules of justice and love are God’s own absolutes, which are never up for grabs in anybody’s world . . . . goodness and decency will eventually break down when these rules are ignored. I need a faith that assures me that respect for human life, for truth, and for property produces better results for the most people in the long run.”[11]

            Consequentialism is present in both the Old and New Testaments.[12] Wisdom literature seldom takes the imperative form, but usually gives practical advice about how to achieve the good life (Pr 9:10). Hebrew midwives who “feared God” made their decision to deceive Pharaoh on the basis of consequences: to save the male babies (Ex 1:15-20).

            If what we choose to do brings good results, then we assume we have made a good choice. But how do we know which results are good? Before we depend on results to justify our actions, we need criteria for knowing what is good, better, or best, or maybe what is bad and what is worse.[13] The weakness of teleological ethics is that you never know for sure what the consequences will be.

            Another way to consider the consequences of a decision is to ask a series of questions: Which consequences are beneficial and which are harmful? Which are immediate and which will occur in the future? Which will only last a short time and which will last a long time? Will the consequences help me achieve an ideal or will they involve compromise?[14]

            The question of consequences is usually raised when two values seem to conflict. As Nazis came knocking on Corrie ten Boom’s door during World War II, the heroine of The Hiding Place faced a dilemma. Would she reveal that Jews were hiding in the house, or would she lie to the Gestapo? Her decision involved conflicting values and potential results: to tell the truth probably meant Auschwitz and the furnaces. With much courage and some anguish, she chose a “lesser evil” to achieve a higher good; she lied to the soldiers. Her decision was like Rahab’s misleading the king of Jericho (Josh 2) and Elisha’s deception of the Syrian soldiers (2 Kgs 6).

            Although results matter and we cannot live by moral rules alone, we must also remember we cannot live by results alone either. The “lesser evil” is an evil, not a good. The decision maker should express repentance over the necessity of such a choice and work toward the day when such decisions are unnecessary. The focus on results can also deceive us into believing “our loving lies” are gallant when they actually are meant to save us from trouble.

Act Responsibly

            Making moral decisions is a lot like driving on a crowded freeway. Certain rules of the road must be followed—speed limits, lane changes, and not driving while drinking. However, on any given trip there are hundreds of decisions not covered by the rules. Some situations require you to make your own rules or even change the rules in order to prevent a catastrophe, such as avoiding a reckless driver cutting in front of you. The catch-all rule for driving on a freeway that covers all situations is this one—drive responsibly.[15]

            H. Richard Niebuhr taught that responsible people have three qualities: (1) they are able to initiate action; (2) they are able to respond to any situation; and (3) they are accountable.[16] The chances are that you acted responsibly if you:

• Used discernment,
• Interpreted the question before you answered it,
• Considered whether the act was appropriate,
• Used your imagination,
• Acted in congruence with your commitments and your roles,
• Were willing to let your acts be seen in public, and
• Accepted accountability for your actions.[17]        

            To summarize, then, making moral decisions requires a mix of types of ethics. No single method of moral reasoning covers the entire range of moral experience or fits every moral question.

            In day-to-day situations you may operate by a set of norms and principles. In the face of unique, nonrepetitive decisions you may bring calculation of consequences into operation. If really pushed to the wall by a situation in which you cannot compromise, you may act according to convictions drawn from your character. “As people mature in decision making they achieve an artful ability to make appropriate ethical responses by drawing selectively from their repertoire of ethical knowledge.”[18]

            The “artful ability” referred to above is similar to the skills of a baseball pitcher. In Little League play, a youngster with a terrific fastball can win many games, but if that is his only pitch, he will never play baseball in the major leagues. A skilled baseball pitcher not only has a “repertoire” of pitches, from slider to change-up, he also has a knowledge of the game—what pitch to deliver to which batter at what target around the plate. Likewise, the mature Christian develops the skill to deliver the right “pitch” for each situation to the right target.

            The ability to make good moral decisions is not genetically inbred at birth or miraculously infused at conversion or baptism. Christian discipleship is a lifelong process. The believer identifies with Jesus Christ in a community of faith shaped by the biblical story. Character is formed, conduct is informed, and moral vision is developed—a life of ethical integrity unfolds.

            The most encouraging words for decision makers are the closing words in Lewis Smedes’s classic text: “Nothing you do wrong can get God to love you less than he did when you did things right. Nothing need ever separate you from the love of God. After all is said and done, being right is not the most important thing in the world. Being forgiven is.”[19]

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