The Moral Significance of Religious Affections: A Reformed Perspective on Emotions and Moral Formation

Abstract

Drawing on the work of Jonathan Edwards, this essay explores two dimensions of Reformed thought central to considering the emotions' moral significance. First, Reformed theology's singular understanding of virtue and holiness as love to God and neighbor gives rise to a distinctive account of the emotions' place in the moral life. Certain emotions are to be embraced insofar as they have the capacity to be sanctified and thereby made compatible with growth in love to God. Second, Reformed theology historically links the emotions with the will, which is subject to moral necessity. Contemporary Reformed reflection on the emotions must therefore grapple with questions about moral agency and accountability that arise from this account of necessity.In recent decades, philosophical and theological ethicists have increasingly recognized the emotions' importance to the formation and sustainment of moral character. This essay explores the Reformed tradition's potential contributions to emerging scholarly reflection on the emotions' moral significance. The work of Jonathan Edwards is a particularly compelling resource for this study, both because theological ethicists acknowledge and appreciate Edwards's distinctive understanding of virtue and because Edwards wrote in a historical context that raised unique questions about the role of emotions in

Protected by Substitute Consent as a Human Right: A Reformed Perspective

“…26:26; Col. 1:15). 99 Human dignity is not only a status, but also an order, which means that the duty exists to acknowledge and protect human dignity and freedom. 100 Seiple states this truth as follows:…”