PHILADELPHIA -- Christians and others shouldn't leave the discussion of critical ethical issues to specialists in such fields as biomedical ethics and technology.

And when they feel repugnance about developments in such matters as the dominance of consumerism, the prevalence of violence in the media, the loss of civility in society or the breakdown of the family, they should discuss their concerns both publicly and privately.

Those were key points made recently by Dr. Jean Bethke Elshtain, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago. She spoke at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia on "The Ethical Challenges of the New Century: How Do Christians Respond?" Her appearance was made possible as part of the annual Hein-Fry Lecture Series.

Frequently referring to the writings and thought of 20^th Century religious figures Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Pope John Paul II, Elshtain voiced criticism over the modern practice of "slothfulness." She defined slothfulness, a sin not often discussed today, as a tendency "toward acquiescence, a refusal to be self-critical" over such trends as the predominance of economic forces in defining societal values. Such indolence leads to a destructive loss of self and a "denial of the complex joys" that embody the human identity, she said.

She described human freedom as always being in relationship to others, and said that such freedom, appropriately expressed, often "avoids an excessive identity with the culture of one's time." The problem for many individuals today, she said, is that in their slothfulness individuals decide they will not stand apart from the exigencies of their time. "In searching for a new self, they end up denying the self they've got," she said.

Examples are found in biological obsessions, she said. "We are preoccupied with overcoming ailments with will and skill. We search for cures for the human condition. Old age becomes anomalous. We think about the selective destruction of what is abnormal. In human engineering projects we wonder about choosing our descendants, selecting the lives to come. We think of life as being marred by excessive pain and disease without being concerned about who defines what excessive is…"

Other signs of the times, she said at one point, are in the political economy. "We are possessed by what we possess, and everything seems to be for sale," she noted. "We should discover ways to tame the market basis for our society."

These tendencies are a denial of humanity and its limits and a "repudiation of finitude. Pride and sloth shake hands with each other and we tell ourselves that the more control we have the better."

In such an instance, a scientist bent on cloning a human being argues that if a human can be cloned than it must be done, and insists that God wants us to "live forever like God…This is a form of idolatry. We are co-creators -- participants in creation, not dominators of creation," Elshtain said.

In such a climate, individuals should trust the "wisdom of their repugnance. Pay close attention to something you find repugnant and bring the matter to the front of your critical consciousness. Repugnance is the kind of emotion that speaks up to our humanity."

At one point, Elshtain responded to an audience question about a recent appearance on the ABC-TV program, "Nightline," during which she appeared with President Clinton's pastor. Asked to define her position on the program, Elshtain said she believes that beyond the legal questions involving politicians, she feels an issue in society today is "how we assess our public figures today. I think people have a right to expect certain minimal standards of decency when issues threaten to undermine a public persona or office. It's appropriate to be troubled about such matters and to talk about them." But she said there is an increasing tendency today for such public discussions to be limited to the legal arena.

The Hein-Fry Lecture Series identifies lively, pressing issues and offers lectures to stimulate inquiry. The goals are to foster original scholarship, encourage dialogue and give Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seminary faculties, students and others access to leading theologians.