Ethical Decision-Making

I believe that most people do not necessarily have an interest in doing what is ethical, but they are enamored with doing what makes them happy. In ministry when ethics have come to the forefront of the conversation, people, almost without fail, start with themselves and what they want in a particular situation. By far the most common starting place is happiness. Most people I engage in conversation want to be happy. The problem begins when we use happiness as a foundation for ethics. I do not believe most people consciously start with a mindset that says “I’m going to be self-centered,” but time after time that is the reality of what they are saying whether they know it or not. To reach their ethical decisions they will rationalize situations. That form of thinking, at best is veiled self-interest. 

TJ