During the twentieth century, a significant shift occurred in the long-running attempt to define the relationship between Protestantism and politics. Whereas the theological and ecclesiastical discussion concentrated primarily on whether Protestant theology could offer a meaningful contribution to issues of political orientation (and if so, on what basis), in the new Federal Republic of Germany discussions were dominated by a rather different debate: namely, whether Protestantism's political ethics could be understood as a theological social theory, and thus applied in the theological interpretation and critical guidance of given social structures; or whether a Protestant social ethic should only be understood essentially as a critical corrective over against society. Yet these inner-theological debates failed to notice that external social voices were now increasingly and critically questioning whether churches and religious communities (and by extension theological ethics) should play any role at all in the decision-making processes of a secular, ideologically-neutral state. Against this background, the current paper aims to present theological ethics as focussed less on the legitimation or oversight of political action, and more on the task of competently and appropriately mediating between the respective demands of faith and society.

Enthalten in:
Theologische Literaturzeitung; 2010/11 Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Theologie und Religionswissenschaft (2010)

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Serie / Reihe: Theologische Literaturzeitung

Personen: Anselm, Reiner

Schlagwörter: Politik Entscheiden Theologische Ethik Religiöse Überzeugung