ethics
One of my passions in life is teaching and right now I’m in the middle of teaching Ethics in Management (at the University of Phoenix). This course has been one of my favorites because the topic is bubbling over with engaging dialogue. I love involving my students in conversations surrounding the diversity of ethics in American business. When you get a group of people together from different cultures, races, religions, etc. you get lots of different ideas about what is “right” and “wrong.” For some, a mention of absolute truth is intolerant and for others near abominable…
How can one claim to know the absolute truth? Uh, well, I guess you know where I’m going with this. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The definition of Truth, in this instance, is “what is true in any matter under consideration” or, and I love this, “truly, in truth, according to truth.” You see, Jesus IS truth defined. Everything He represents is true; His nature is truth. When we live a life after Christ, we are living the life of Truth. Very cool and very powerful. Now the challenge is to live with the Truth in humility and love for everyone…after all, He is not only Truth but Love as well.
People are fooling themselves when they say there are no absolute truths. For example is it every right to murder or rape a child? We want to believe in relatives because it makes life easier and we can rationalize irrational behavior. Even within the church a belief in the absolute truth of Jesus does not begat right behavior. I think thats possibly where the problem occurs. We state absolute truths but ignore them in practice, Jesus stopped Peter from using his sword further, and healed the centurion who was wounded. Yet we will go to war as a Christian nation, killing not only the “enemy” but other Christians in the process when from Cain through Mosaic law and Jesus, murder is condemned. We should not return evil for evil. We rationalize our actions through the Bible (erroneously I hold) and ignore Jesus in the process.
What a radical and revolutionary idea! If Gods true church could just get hold of this it would turn the world upside down (or would that be right side up) and change lives forever.
Truth, even when argued or outright rejected, doesn’t change it from being the truth just as love, even when it is of the hard to bear and tough version, makes it no less real love. Both are very real and absolute.
Dado
- I agree with you that it is difficult to imagine walking through life without a “True” center. And, unfortunately, you are right that many don’t live as though Christ is their truth. But, you and I can live that way and we help change this perception.
John – Totally agree that Truth and Love are radical concepts when we live them out. Let’s do it!
What about when a bus ethics prof is unethical in his or her teaching? I’ve just blogged on it: http://deligentia.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/politicizing-academics-business-ethics-compromised-in-the-classroom/