Robinson, Simon J.2019-09-252019-09-252016-12-0219930968-2406http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/160175"In a world which is ever changing, the ethical goalposts seem to be constantly moving, and all too often Christian Social Ethics ends up not simply shooting wide but apparently playing on a different pitch. In both the areas I want to highlight in this paper the Church has been accused of doing just that- of making pronouncements which are strong on prophecy and weak on any understanding of the context of the ethical dilemmas involved. The first is Business Ethics and the second is the contemporary Western debate about genetic research. Business Ethics Having started academic life in the USA, Business Ethics has now become established in Britain with interdisciplinary centres in London and Leeds Universities, amongst others. Though Christian Ethics played a big part in the founding on Business Ethics as an academic subject, there have been questions as to what part it can now play. Some writers have argued that Christian Social Ethics had nothing substantive to add to the contribution of philosophers. Others, including Peter Vardy, have questioned Church pronouncements such as the American Roman Catholic report Economic Justice For All (1986). Quite apart from any disagreements about concepts such as community and responsibility, Vardy argues that the Church cannot apply general principles directly to the world of business"engWith permission of the license/copyright holderbusinessChristian Social EthicsAmerican Roman CatholicChurchPolitical ethicsEthics of political systemsEconomic ethicsBusiness ethicsChristian denominationsArticle