"If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Adapted from 6th Chapter of Theological Foundations:

Concepts & Methods for Understanding Christian Faith.
Mueller, John J. / ISBN 978-0-88489-920-4

If we are living a moral life,
then there will be an abundance of evidence
to answer questions regarding our conviction.
The evidence presented would need to include
events or actions witnessed by others,
not simply your privately held beliefs.

If I say “I love you,”
then I must mean it and prove it in action;
if I say “I trust you,” then I must mean it and prove it in action;
if I say, “I will be there when you need me – I am your friend,”
then I must mean it and actually do it.
It is a matter of religious integrity,
of actions matching beliefs and intentions.
We are not talking about disposable commitments;
we are talking about our cherished beliefs and hopes.
For this, Christians rely on the grace of God to sustain us.

Theology reflects on these daily experiences
of trust and mistrust, fidelity and infidelity, truth and lies.
The discipline in theology is called “Christian morality,”

or sometimes “Christian ethics.”
It is Christian because

it flows from a religious belief

in God’s encounter with us, a love relationship;
consequences result

where “my actions speak louder than my words.”
Whether an action is moral or ethical

is in the response to two interrelated questions:
(1) Is it truly human, or not?
And (2) Does it express love of God and neighbor, or not?

A course in Christian Ethics

addresses these various areas of our decisions
and the formation of our conscience toward what is good.
It takes on the question of our freedom and limitations,
the twin wisdom sources of tradition and authority,
and how to think morally.
An important condition for moral decisions

is the changing situations and circumstances of life.
The challenge of living a moral life requires Christians to

reflect on, examine, and clarify their motives;
consult others;
and pray to God for guidance

to respond as loving followers of Jesus.