Format: Paperback Publisher: AcadSA Publishing ISBN: 9781920212407 This publication: 2009

*Prescribed for UNISA's Theological Ethics Course.

What is a good life? is a question asked by many people. Why can't the pursuit of money, power or status provide us with a good life? Why is it that who we are as persons and how we relate to others and our environment is important? Why are a spiritual life and close relationship with God essential? Why are the lives of some of those who claim to be Christians immoral and unappealing?

A person of integrity has to learn the difference between good and right conduct on the one hand, and damaging or wrong actions on the other. This book does not provide all the answers, but it introduces various ethical problems and suggests ways to deal with them.

It offers a model of moral decision-making based on various ethical theories. The model is applied to contemporary ethical problems facing the world, particularly Africa. The issues of leadership, land, the marginalisation of women and children, HIV/AIDS, the environment, the economic problem of debt and the ethical role of the Church in Africa today are discussed.

Authors from various backgrounds who investigated current ethical issues suggest a way forward. They describe how one can learn to make thoughtful and practical ethical decisions, and how individuals and communities can be morally formed. They challenge, inspire, motivate and equip the reader to become a moral agent in their own community and help to build a better life for all.