The goodness of God – theology, the church & social order

Stephen Long opens his erudite discussion of theology and ethics with the insistence that moral critique must emerge from a particular location, rather than from the fluid values of any “neutral” observer. Long sets out to put theology and ethics–as well as the church–in proper relation to one another. Ethics must be based in theology, not the other way around. Our “finite participation in the infinite makes possible participation in a goodness beyond us.” That goodness comes to us in the flesh of Jesus Christ, and the church is indispensable in drawing all people toward God’s goodness. The church, a social ethic in itself, gives purpose and order to other social institutions, including family, government, and the market.