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Ethics Biblical Worldview Scope

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Biblical Worldview Scope Document for Ethics

This scope document is our attempt to answer the question, “What must a student understand and value in order to comprehend ethics from a biblical worldview?” What follows is a list of the topics that we believe are essential for twelfth-grade Bible students to understand and internalize. We anticipate that early in the course students will be required to explain these themes. However, as these themes recur, we plan to require students to evaluate ideas within these themes, formulate a Christian understanding of these themes, and apply what they have learned about these themes to real-life situations. We hope to achieve high levels of internalization when students are required to apply their learning.

Authority

Creation

Because there is only one God who made the world and everything in it, this God is the ultimate authority. He has revealed himself in words, and acts, and further words that explain those acts. Students should be able to explain why God’s authoritative revelation ought to guide all people in their worship and in their ethical decisions.

Fall

Since Eden humans have replaced God’s authoritative word with other authorities. Every religion or ethical system sets up its own authority in place of or alongside God’s revelation.[1]  Many people set up their own reason, intuition, or feelings as authorities in place of God’s Word. The result is the multiplication of false ethical systems.

Redemption

The only hope for sinners is to turn from false authorities and to submit to the authority of the true God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture. Any personal ethical reformation will have to begin with the acknowledgment of God’s authority in Scripture to guide human character, desires, and behaviors. Students should develop the habit of testing all developments in ethical systems, and their own ethical choices, by Scripture.

Action Points

  • Explain how the Old Testament law relates to the Christian today.
  • Explain how biblical wisdom functions in ethical decision-making about issues the Bible does not directly address.
  • Evaluate ethical systems (e.g., utilitarianism, situation ethics) by the standard of Scripture.
  • Apply Scripture wisely to a variety of ethical decisions.

Creational Order

Creation

When God created the world, He made not only the physical stuff of the universe, but He also built into it the structures by which it works. Students should be able to explain that God designed the world to work in a moral way that conforms to His character. God’s law is a statement and an application of these creational norms, and true ethics will involve conformity to the way God made His world to work.

Fall

Fallen humans resist living according to the creational order. Though every ethical system is in some sense dependent upon the creational order, every fallen system twists it in some way. For instance, a principle of teleology can be perverted into consequentialist ethics. The importance of acting with integrity can be twisted into an existentialist philosophy of ethics. Students should develop skills in identifying these distortions of creational order and distinguishing what is creational and what is fallen.

Redemption

As Christians evaluate ethical issues, they need to demonstrate not only what a right course of action is but also why that course of action makes better sense of the world that God has made than the fallen alternatives. Since unbiblical worldviews have shifted the plausibility structures [2] of many people, Christians must shift their worldview away from the twisted ways that many people have come to view the world.

Action Points

  • Defend the idea that God’s creation includes a moral order.
  • Evaluate the various ways in which fallen ethical systems conflict with the created order.
  • Formulate how a biblical worldview needs to shift current plausibility structures.

Man's Chief End

Creation

The Bible provides a number of purposes for which God made humans: to be conformed to God’s image (Gen. 1:26–28), to rule over creation under God’s greater rule (Gen. 1:26–28), to delight in God’s law (Ps. 1:1–3), to fear God (Prov. 1:7), to trust in the Lord with all one’s being and to know Him in all one’s ways (Prov. 3:5–6), to be blessed or to flourish (Ps. 1:1; Matt. 5:3–12), to walk worthy of God and do good works that glorify the Father (Matt. 5:16; Col. 1:9–12), to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matt. 6:33) and then to enter that kingdom (Matt. 5:20), to be conformed to the Son’s image for the Son’s glory (Rom. 8:29), to be holy, blameless, pure, and righteous so that God receives glory (Eph. 1:4; Phil. 1:9–11), to be mature in Christ (Col. 1:28), to attain the Sabbath rest (Heb. 3–4). These various purposes are often summed up as “to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." [3]

Fall

In a fallen world humans make themselves, not God, their chief end. Happiness has long been thought to be the chief end of man. This is not far wrong if one’s happiness is to be found in God. But non-Christian ethical systems will root happiness in doing good to oneself or to others. This error can be difficult to spot because doing good to others is the focus of the second Great Commandment. It is a subtle idolatry. More commonly at present, people root their happiness in experiential satisfaction. The story in the West has been “a history of diminution of the object of love: from the vast expanse of the infinite God, love first tapered to the boundaries of the universal human community, and then radically contracted to the narrowness of a single self—one's own self."[4] In other words, people have replaced love of God with love of self.

Redemption

As students consider various ethical decisions, they need to examine their motivations. Christians should be motivated to act ethically because they desire to glorify God by being conformed to His image, in obedience to His law and for the advancement of His kingdom. Only a life that seeks the glory of God will truly flourish. Students should also be able to demonstrate in evangelistic encounters and ethical debates why the chief end of the Christian faith is more compelling than the ultimate goals of other philosophies.

Action Points       

  • Identify the ends the Bible gives for humans and how these ends contribute to glorifying God and enjoying him forever.
  • Evaluate the ends other ethical systems propose, especially the end of personal, experiential satisfaction.
  • Internalize conformity to Christ, delighting in God’s law, and glorifying God as one’s chief end.

Virtue

Creation

Virtue is “rightly ordered love,"[5] which is another way of saying that virtue is excellence of moral character.[6] Character can grow and develop, but character is not transitory. A person with a virtuous character will have “an active, developing, persisting, and reliable disposition to act, feel, or respond” in morally excellent ways.[7] God’s goal is not merely for people to do the right things. God’s goal is for people to be the right kind of people.

Fall

In many philosophies of ethics virtue remains a significant concern. However, the means by which virtues are attained are often moralistic. In reaction to moralism, many have embraced the cult of authenticity. Students should recognize the choice between moralism and authenticity to be a false alternative to having a character formed in virtue so that one truly becomes what he ought to be.

Redemption

The development of true virtue is not something that individuals can achieve on their own. The work of the Holy Spirit is necessary for true, inner transformation. Students must internalize this reality so that they can grow in virtue. As students interact with others in evangelistic and apologetic encounters, they should reckon with this fact. The people they encounter may be internally disappointed with their own failures in developing virtue. They may have given up on that effort and become satisfied with moralism.

Action Points     

  • Explain the importance of developing virtue.
  • Evaluate authenticity.
  • Develop a plan for growing in virtue themselves.

Wisdom

Creation

O. Palmer Robertson helpfully explains the concept of wisdom: “Wisdom is [1] the ability to understand the basic principles inherent in God's created order, and to live by those principles. [2] Wisdom enables a person to summarize these basic principles in a succinct and memorable fashion. [3] Wisdom is living out the whole of life with a constant awareness of accountability before a loving, gracious, and just Creator and Redeemer.”[8] Proverbs 8:22–31 teaches that God built wisdom into the order of creation. So the wise person must observe the world, through the corrective lens of Scripture’s teaching and from a posture of fearing the Lord, to become wise.

Fall

The fool is the person who lives against the grain of the created order and in resistance to all consequences or instruction related to his or her foolishness. This foolishness can be expressed with great sophistication and can be developed into complex ethical systems.

Redemption

Students show growth in wisdom by learning how to apply the Bible to situations that it does not directly address by drawing principles and paradigms from Scripture and applying them to various situations that call for ethical discernment.

Action Points     

  • Relate wisdom to the created order.
  • Evaluate attempts to live against the created order, and predict likely consequences for doing so.
  • Practice a method of ethical decision-making that makes use of biblical wisdom.

[1] Placing an authority alongside Scripture is a more subtle way of nullifying the authority of Scripture. As Jesus told the Pharisees, their tradition made void the Word of God (Matt. 15:6).[2] The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission defines “plausibility structure” this way: “A plausibility structure is a belief-forming apparatus that acts as a gatekeeper, letting in evidence that is matched against what we already consider to be possible.” “The Role of Plausibility and Community in Shaping Beliefs: Understanding the Significance of Worldviews,” The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (website), September 30, 2022.

[3] This iconic phrase is from the answer to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851), 387.

[4] Miroslav Volf, “Human Flourishing,” in Renewing the Evangelical Mission, ed. Richard Lints (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 17.

[5] Augustine, City of God, 15.22; cf. “From what has been said, ’tis evident that true virtue must chiefly consist in love to God.” Jonathan Edwards, Ethical Writings, ed. Paul Ramsey and John E. Smith, vol. 8 of The Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 550.

[6] Kevin Timpe and Craig A. Boyd, "Introduction," in Virtues and Their Vices, ed. Kevin Timpe and Craig A. Boyd (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 6.

[7] Drawing on wording from Timpe and Boyd, Virtues and Their Vices, 8.

[8] The Christ of Wisdom: A Redemptive-Historical Exploration of the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament (P&R, 2017), 12–13. The three parts of this definition correspond to three wisdom words or phrases found in the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament: chokmah ("wisdom”), mashal ("proverb”), yirat Yahweh (“the fear of Yahweh”). Ibid., 9–12.

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(b) the display of abusive, harmful, racially or religiously offensive or bigoted, obscene, or libelous material.

(c) the use of flaming or trolling

(d) the display of material that encourages criminal behavior that violates any local, state, national, or international law or regulation.

(e) the use of the Service for unauthorized advertising, which includes MLM/pyramid schemes, spam, chain letters, sweepstakes or contests.

(f) the transmission of viruses, worms, or Trojan horses to destroy or limit any functionality of the software or hardware of Teacher Tools Online® and its users.

(g) the display of information about another person without their express consent, or the posting of any copyrighted material that you do not have legal authorization to use.

BJU Press has the right, in its sole discretion, to determine whether content is unauthorized, offensive, harmful, illegal, or in violation of the rights of others.

2. You agree and understand that BJU Press can delete any content that is offensive, illegal, harmful, or in violation of the rights of other.

3. You understand and agree that you can only use Teacher Tools Online® for academic use. You cannot use Teacher Tools Online® for any commercial or business purposes.

4. Any member who demonstrably harasses or abuses another member will be removed from Teacher Tools Online®.

5. Other unauthorized or illegal behaviors include, but are not limited to:

(a) the display of false information about yourself or anyone else

(b) changing, in any manner at all, or reverse engineering any aspect of Teacher Tools Online®. You may not attempt to derive source code from the Teacher Tools Online® service.

(c) the use of any search/retrieval application (e.g., robot, spider) to index any aspect of Teacher Tools Online®

(d) the posting of information that implicitly or explicitly implies that it is endorsed by Teacher Tools Online®

 

5. Inappropriate User-Submitted Content.

 

Teacher Tools Online® prohibits certain user conduct and content described above and, without obligation, will use reasonable efforts to eliminate such conduct and content from the Service. Nevertheless, you acknowledge and agree that (i) Teacher Tools Online® is not and cannot be responsible for any content, information, or materials posted by users on the Service, (ii) you may be exposed to any such materials, information, or content, and (iii) you must bear all risks associated with the exposure to and/or use of any such materials, information, or content, including without limitation any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such materials, information, or content. Without limitation of the foregoing, Teacher Tools Online® has the right to, but may or may not, pre-screen and/or monitor content posted on the Service, and without limiting any remedies, may remove, edit, move, or close, in whole or in part, any content, information or materials, or thread or posting in any chat room and/or similar feature on the Service, at any time for any reason, in Teacher Tools Online®’s sole discretion.

 

6. Links to Other Sites and Resources.

 

The Service contains links to other websites or resources. Teacher Tools Online® has no control over such external sites and resources. You agree that (i) Teacher Tools Online® is not responsible for the availability or accuracy of such external sites and resources, and (ii) Teacher Tools Online® does not endorse nor is it responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, services or materials on or available from such external sites and resources. Any reliance on the contents or services of such an external website or resource is done at your own risk and you assume all responsibilities and consequences resulting from such reliance.

 

7. Copyright Infringement:

BJU Press respects copyright and other laws. BJU Press requires all users to comply with copyright and other laws.

BJU Press does not provide you with file-sharing ability so that you can violate the copyright of third parties.

As a member of Teacher Tools Online®, you agree that you must not use Teacher Tools Online® to infringe the intellectual property of others in any way. The unauthorized reproduction, distribution, modification, or posting of copyrighted work is a violation of copyright law.

You are responsible for your behavior on Teacher Tools Online® and for making sure that it does not violate any copyright laws. If you violate copyright laws, then you may be exposed to civil and criminal liability, including possible fines and jail time.

We respect the intellectual property rights of others, and we ask that our Members and users do the same. It is our policy to disable access to or remove material that we believe in good faith to be infringing on a copyrighted work. We also disable and/or terminate the accounts of users who we believe in good faith are repeatedly infringing copyrighted works. Our Copyright Policy has been developed in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and other applicable laws. By accepting these Terms of Service, you agree to be bound by our Copyright Policy, which is by this reference expressly incorporated into this Agreement.

 

8. Privacy Policy

 

We take the privacy of our users’ and Members’ information very seriously. Our Privacy Policy is available at www.TeacherToolsOnline.com/Privacy-Policy. By accepting these Terms of Service, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy, which is by this reference expressly incorporated into this Agreement.

 

9. Indemnity

 

By accepting this Agreement, you agree, at your expense, to indemnify, defend, and hold BJU PRESS and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, employees, partners, and licensors harmless from and against any and all loss, cost, damages, claims, demands, liabilities, expenses, or tax assessments, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of any claim made by any third party or any action taken by any governmental or regulatory body (including, without limitation, the Federal Trade Commission or any state attorney general), due to, arising out of, or relating to actions or allegations of infringement based on information, data or content you submitted in connection with the service, (i) any fraud or manipulation, or other breach of this agreement by you, or (ii) third party claims, actions or allegations brought against BJU Press arising out of your use of the service or software, (iii) any product, content, information, or materials that you submit, purchase, post, transmit, provide, or otherwise make available through the Service, (iv) your use of the Service, (v) your connection to the Service, (vi) your actual or alleged breach of this Agreement (including our Copyright Policy and Privacy Policy), (vii) your actual or alleged infringement of any third party intellectual property or proprietary rights, or (viii) your actual or alleged violation of any applicable laws, rules, regulations, or rights of another.

 

 

10. Warranty Disclaimers

 

YOU AGREE THAT THE SITE AND THE SERVICE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, AND THAT YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE PROVIDED BY BJU PRESS SHALL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BJU PRESS, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ITS AND THEIR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEBSITE, THE SERVICE, AND YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE THEREOF, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. BJU PRESS MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE CREDIBILITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE; THAT MEMBERS WILL PERFORM AS PROMISED; ABOUT THE TRUTHFULNESS, ACCURACY, OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SERVICE’S CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY SITES LINKED TO THIS SERVICE; ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY, QUALITY, CHARACTERISTICS, LEGITIMACY, FUNCTIONALITY, PRICING, SHIPPING, DELIVERY, SECURITY, OR SAFETY OF ANY PRODUCTS OR CONTENT LISTED FOR SALE ON THIS SERVICE; OR ABOUT ANY PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS OR PRODUCT LITERATURE. BJU PRESS ALSO MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES THAT THE CONTENTS OF THE SERVICE OR ANY PRODUCTS LISTED FOR SALE ON THE SERVICE ARE FIT FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR WILL MEET ANY USER’S REQUIREMENTS, AND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (I) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT, (II) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE, (III) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION AND/OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN, (IV) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SERVICE, (IV) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE, WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SERVICE BY ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (V) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT, OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY PRODUCT OR CONTENT POSTED, EMAILED, TRANSMITTED, SOLD, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE SERVICE. BJU PRESS DOES NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE SERVICE OR ANY HYPERLINKED WEBSITE, OR FEATURED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING, AND BJU PRESS WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. AS WITH THE PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THROUGH ANY MEDIUM OR IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, YOU SHOULD USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHERE APPROPRIATE. ADDITIONALLY, BJU PRESS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS THAT RESULT FROM MEMBERS DIRECTLY CONTACTING OTHER MEMBERS OR FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS RESULTING FROM TRANSACTIONS CONDUCTED OUTSIDE OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING TRANSACTIONS THAT MAY ORIGINATE THROUGH THE SERVICE BUT ARE TAKEN OFFLINE OR OUTSIDE OF THE SERVICE. BJU PRESS AND ITS AFFILIATES, PARTNERS, AND CONSULTANTS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE CONTENT, COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, LEGALITY, RELIABILITY, OR AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION OR MATERIALS DISPLAYED ON TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE®. YOU AGREE THAT THE USE OF THE SERVICE AND ANYTHING THING THAT YOU DOWNLOAD FROM TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE® SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK, DISCRETION, AND RESPONSIBILITY. YOU WILL BE WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT RESULTS FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE OR THE DOWNLOADING OF INFORMATION. TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE® DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY FOR THE CONDUCT OF ANY MEMBER. TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE® WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY INTERACTIONS YOU HAVE WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH THE LMS. YOU AGREE THAT BJU PRESS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS THAT OCCURS AS A RESULT OF SUCH INTERACTIONS AND THAT BJU PRESS _ HAS NO OBLIGATION TO BECOME INVOLVED IN ANY SUCH DISPUTES; FURTHER, YOU RELEASE BJU PRESS FROM DAMAGES OF ANY KIND THAT ARISE FROM SUCH DISPUTES. TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE® OFFERS ALL OF ITS SERVICE ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, WITH NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER. TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE® EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW ALL EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND STATUTORY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF PROPRIETARY RIGHTS.

 

 

11. Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT, SITUATION, OR CIRCUMSTANCE WILL BJU PRESS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OR RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE®, WHETHER OR NOT BJU PRESS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FROM UPLOADED OR DOWNLOADED THIRD PARTY CONTENT, AND DAMAGES FROM THE INTERRUPTION OR TERMINATION OF THE TEACHER TOOLS ONLINE® SERVICES. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF EXCLUSION OF LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN NO EVENT, SITUATION, OR CIRCUMSTANCE WILL BJU PRESS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR AN AMOUNT EXCEEDING FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($500.00).

YOU AGREE THAT BJU PRESS, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ITS AND THEIR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND/OR AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, REPUTATION, USE, OR DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM: (I) THE ACCESS TO, USE, OR THE INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE; (II) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS, DATA, INFORMATION, OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED OR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO, THROUGH OR FROM THE SERVICE; (III) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (IV) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE; OR (V) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICE. SOME STATES OR OTHER JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. BJU PRESS’ LIABILITY TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY SHALL IN NO EVENT BE, IN THE AGGREGATE, GREATER THAN THE LESSER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU TO BJU PRESS DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRIOR TO THE CLAIM OR ACTION ALLEGEDLY GIVING RISE TO SUCH LIABILITY, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($500.00).

 

YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT BY ACCESSING AND USING THE SERVICE AND AGREEING TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU MAY BE WAIVING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO CLAIMS THAT ARE AT THIS TIME UNKNOWN OR UNSUSPECTED. IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVE, THE SECTION 1542 OF THE CIVIL CODE OF CALIFORNIA, WHICH PROVIDES AS FOLLOWS: “A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.” FURTHERMORE, IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT OF ANOTHER STATE OR JURISDICTION, YOU AGREE TO WAIVE IN ADVANCE ANY SIMILAR LAWS OF SUCH OTHER STATE OR JURISDICTION.

 

12. Termination

 

BJU Press can refuse membership to anyone at its sole discretion. In addition, Teacher Tools Online® can terminate the membership and delete any related information of any member at any time for any reason. If BJU Press terminates your membership, then you can no longer use the Teacher Tools Online® service or the services of any of its affiliates.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate, or take any other action or remedy that we deem reasonable, appropriate, or necessary, in our sole discretion, with respect to your Member Account immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason. If we terminate your account, your right to use the Service will immediately cease. You may terminate your Member Account at any time and for any reason, and we will make available through the Service reasonable means for you to do so. When these terms come to an end, those terms that by their nature are intended to continue indefinitely will continue to apply, including but not limited to, ownership provisions, licenses, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

 

13. Miscellaneous Provisions

 

- Ownership of Site. This site, the Service, and all text, graphics, user interfaces, visual interfaces, photographs, trademarks, logos, sounds, music, artwork, content, and computer code therein (collectively, the “Teacher Tools Online® Content”), including without limitation the design, structure, selection, coordination, expression, “look and feel,” and arrangement of such Content is owned, controlled, or licensed by or to Teacher Tools Online®, and is protected by trade dress, trade secret, copyright, patent, and trademark laws, and various other intellectual property rights.

 

Except as expressly provided in this Agreement or otherwise permitted by law, no Teacher Tools Online® Content may be used, copied, reproduced, modified, republished, disassembled, reverse engineered, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, publicly performed, publicly performed by means of a digital audio transmission, encoded, translated, transmitted, or distributed in any way to any other person, computer, server, website, or in any other medium for any purpose, without Teacher Tools Online®’s express prior written consent.

 

- Entire Agreement. The Terms of Service, including Teacher Tools Online®’s Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference above, constitute the entire agreement between you and Teacher Tools Online® and governs your use of the Service.

 

- No Agency. Teacher Tools Online® is not the agent or representative of any site users, nor does it operate under their authority for any purpose.

- Governing and Applicable Law. This Terms of Service Agreement is governed in all respects by the laws of the State of South Carolina, USA without regard to its conflict of law provisions. In the event of any dispute related to this Agreement, the parties will attempt resolution pursuant to biblical principles utilizing negotiation and mediation. If this is unsuccessful for any reason, disputes arising hereunder shall be submitted to state or federal courts in Greenville, South Carolina, and you agree to and consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts. The Service is operated by BJU Education Group, Inc. from its offices in South Carolina, in the United States of America. BJU PRESS makes no representation that materials or content on the Service are appropriate or available for use in other locations. Those who choose to access the Service from other locations do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. Software from this site is further subject to United States export controls. No software from www.TeacherToolsOnline.com may be downloaded or otherwise exported or re-exported (i) into (or to a national or resident of) Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria or any other country to which the United States has embargoed goods; (ii) to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Commerce Department’s Table of Deny Orders; or (iii) in any other manner that violates U.S. law. By downloading or using any software, you represent and warrant that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of any such country or on any such list.

 

- Dispute Resolution_: Any dispute arising out of or relating to these terms or the Service shall be submitted exclusively to confidential binding arbitration in Greenville, SC, except that to the extent you have in any manner violated or threatened to violate BJU PRESS’s intellectual property rights, we may seek injunctive or other appropriate relief in any state or federal court in the State of South Carolina. You hereby consent to, and waive all defenses of lack of personal jurisdiction and forum non conveniens with respect to venue and jurisdiction in the state and federal courts of South Carolina. Arbitration under these Terms of Use shall be conducted pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules then prevailing at the American Arbitration Association. The arbitrator's award shall be final and binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no arbitration under this Agreement shall be joined to an arbitration involving any other party subject to this Agreement, whether through class action proceedings or otherwise. If a suit, action, arbitration or other proceeding of any nature whatsoever is instituted in connection with any dispute or controversy arising out of or related to the subject matter of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover from the non-prevailing party, in addition to any other available remedy, all reasonable costs, including without limitation court costs, attorneys’ fees, and other expenses incurred in such proceeding.

 

- Waiver and Severability. The failure of BJU PRESS to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of this Terms of Service shall be held unlawful, void, or unenforceable for any reason, then that provision shall be deemed severed from this Terms of Service and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions. The severed provision shall be deemed modified so that its purpose can be lawfully effectuated and enforced.

 

- Notices. Teacher Tools Online® may provide you with notices, including, without limitation, those regarding changes to the Terms of Service, product updates, teacher conferences, and other service-related announcements, by email or postings on the Service.

 

- BJU PRESS may change or amend these Terms. If we make material changes, we will notify you, either through the user interface, in an email notification, or through other reasonable means. Your use of the Service after the date such change(s) become effective will constitute consent to the changed terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must immediately stop using the Service. Otherwise the new terms will apply to you.

 

- Future Changes in the Service. BJU Press reserves the right at any time (and from time to time) to modify, suspend, or discontinue providing the Service or any part thereof with or without notice. BJU Press will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Service.

 

- Assignment. BJU Press may assign this agreement to any successor or purchaser of BJU PRESS or all or substantially all of its assets.

 

- Headings. Section titles and headings in this Agreement are for convenience only, and have no legal or contractual effect.

 

- Trademarks. BJU Press, the BJU Press logo, Teacher Tools Online®, Shop Talk, and other BJU Press logos and names are trademarks of BJU Education Group, Inc. You agree not to display or use these trademarks in any manner without prior, written consent of BJU Education Group, Inc.

 

- If any aspect of this agreement is deemed invalid, then the remaining provisions shall still be enforced.

You may not assign or transfer this Agreement or any of your rights or obligations hereunder, and any attempt to the contrary is void.

BJU Press is not responsible for any delay or failure in performance resulting directly or indirectly from causes beyond BJU Press's reasonable control.

Any correspondence about this Agreement will be sent to you via the email that you provided during registration.

14. International Use:

If you are not a resident of the United States of America, then you agree to follow all applicable laws and local rules regarding the transmission of data from the United States or the country in which you live.

We hope that you enjoy your use of Teacher Tools Online®. These Terms of Service are necessary and allow us to offer this Service to you – our valued user. Official correspondence must be sent through postal mail to:

BJU Press Customer Service
1700 Wade Hampton, Blvd.
Greenville, SC 29614

This Terms of Service represents the complete, entire, and exclusive understanding and agreement between you and Teacher Tools Online®. It supersedes all prior, written or oral, understandings or agreements. You understand and agree that you have read these Terms of Service and that amendments can be posted to this Terms of Service. You agree and understand that your continued use of the Service represents your consent to such amended terms.