Society of Christian Ethics

The Society of Christian Ethics (SCE) is a non-denominational academic society that promote scholarly work in Christian ethics and the relation of Christian ethics to other ethics traditions. Its members are faculty and students at universities, colleges, and theological schools primarily in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Founded as the American Society of Christian Social Ethics in 1959, the society changed its name to the American Society of Christian Ethics in c. 1964 before adopting its current name in 1980.

The SCE sponsors an annual meeting in conjunction with the Society of Jewish Ethics and the Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics. Some papers from these meetings are published in the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics.

Its president as of January 2023 is Emilie M. Townes, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University.

Presidents

 * 1959: Henry Kolbe
 * 1960–1961: John C. Bennett
 * 1961: E. Clinton Gardner
 * 1962–1963: Paul Ramsey
 * 1963: Walter W. Sikes
 * 1964–1965: Prentiss L. Pemberton
 * 1965–1966: Paul Elmen
 * 1966: Victor Obenhaus
 * 1967: Murray Leiffer
 * 1968–1969: James Luther Adams
 * 1969–1970: James Gustafson
 * 1970–1971: John H. Satterwhite
 * 1971: Charles Curran
 * 1972–1973: Edward L. Long Jr.
 * 1973–1974: Charles C. West
 * 1974–1975: Roger L. Shinn
 * 1975–1976: Preston N. Williams
 * 1976–1977: J. Philip Wogaman
 * 1977: Waldo Beach
 * 1978: Walter G. Muelder
 * 1979: Donald W. Shriver Jr.
 * 1980–1981: Douglas Sturm
 * 1981–1982: Daniel C. Maguire
 * 1982–1983: Beverly Wildung Harrison
 * 1983: Thomas Ogletree
 * 1984: Alan Geyer
 * 1985: Major J. Jones
 * 1986: Max L. Stackhouse
 * 1987: John Howard Yoder
 * 1988: Theodore R. Weber
 * 1989: Karen Lebacqz
 * 1990: Larry L. Rasmussen
 * 1991: Peter J. Paris
 * 1992: Joseph L. Allen
 * 1993: Margaret A. Farley
 * 1994: Jon P. Gunnemann
 * 1995: David Hollenbach
 * 1996: Charles H. Reynolds
 * 1997: Lisa Sowle Cahill
 * 1998: Ronald M. Green
 * 1999: Robin W. Lovin
 * 2000: Harlan Beckley
 * 2001: Gene Outka
 * 2002: William F. May
 * 2003: June O'Connor
 * 2004: John Langan
 * 2005: Jean Porter
 * 2006:
 * 2007: Christine E. Gudorf
 * 2008: Darryl M. Trimiew
 * 2009: Daniel K. Finn
 * 2010: Douglas F. Ottati
 * 2011: Stanley Hauerwas
 * 2012: Miguel De La Torre
 * 2013: Allen Verhey
 * 2014: M. Cathleen Kaveny
 * 2015: William Schweiker
 * 2016: Cristina Traina
 * 2017: David Gushee
 * 2018: Diane M. Yeager
 * 2019: Patricia Beattie Jung
 * 2020: Jennifer A. Herdt
 * 2021: James F. Keenan, SJ
 * 2022: Bryan N. Massingale
 * 2023: D. Stephen Long
 * 2024: Emilie M. Townes

Executive secretaries / Executive directors

 * 1959–1963: Das Kelley Barnett
 * 1964–1967: E. Clinton Gardner
 * 1968–1971: Douglas Sturm
 * 1972–1975: Franklin Sherman
 * 1976–1979: Max L. Stackhouse
 * 1980–1983: Joseph L. Allen