Topic: Christian Ethics

Thread: 350–400 words Provide an examination of at least 1 biblical text that can be used as an argument for a Christian’s responsibility to conduct research in an ethical manner. Cite and summarize the biblical text and provide specific application to common research practices and IRB training module material.

Replies150–200 words: Respond to and interact with at least 2 of your peers.

C’s Response

I have always relied upon the book of Proverbs to provide insight on my daily walk and immediately two verses came to mind.   Proverbs 19:2 offers “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses the way” (Proverbs 19:2, The New King James Version).  As a “type A” personality and a “list maker”, I often have to remind myself to slow down.  In fact, when writing one sentence this past week, it took me forty five minutes to make sure all the citations were correct, and moreover, the authors were addressing what I thought they were addressing.  Coming from a sports background where human performance in a game is often measured against a play clock and one is expected to make decisions very quickly to impact a game, this type of slow, intentional and methodical work has been interesting and a challenge.  However, it is necessary to slow down and make very sure you are approaching your research in the correct way.

Subsequently, Proverbs 14:15 provides “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives though to his steps”( Proverbs 14:15, The New King James Version).  This type of research is not one to be conducted quickly nor should one accept in one’s research that everything you have come across is accurate.  From an ethical standpoint, Creswell offers that researchers should “refrain from presenting information that potentially harms participants”(Creswell, 2013, p. 66).  Research should be done methodically and intentionally, however, it should be conducted in a way that one has an intentional plan to address ethical concerns, and subsequently, how one should deal with those concerns if they arise.  As I work with my own students, they will remark “They say…..” and I always inquire “Who are the “They”?”.  Subsequently, they hear a monologue from me about the perils of their internet searches and warning them about the intent of their sources.

Finally, Proverbs is peppered with advice on how to live one’s life.  And I could extrapolate verses that could apply to all scenarios approached in research, but it can simply be boiled down to the “Golden Rule” provided in the book of Matthew “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”(Matthew 7:12, The New King James Version).  As one of my prior professors indicated, we stand on the shoulders of the ones that came before us as we conduct our research.  As those researchers either made mistakes, intentional or not, we learn what to do and what not to do.  And subsequently, we should be deliberate enough in our efforts to get our research right always knowing we should treat others as we want to be treated.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.