In the article the view that was expressed in, inter alia, the Kairos Document, that the prophetic
and reformist approaches in Christian Ethics exclude one another, was challenged. A case was
argued against this view by drawing on Reinhard Kratz’s book on the latest research findings
on prophecy in the Old Testament, James Gustafson’s distinction of four modes of moral
discourse and Walter Brueggemann’s view that prophetic texts are acts of imagination that
offer and purpose ‘alternative worlds’. The conclusion was that the prophetic and reformist
approaches rather complement, overlap and interpenetrate one another. In the last part of the
article an argument was presented that both of the two approaches can be accommodated and
integrated in a Christian ethics of responsibility.
In die artikel is standpunt ingeneem teen
die beskouing wat onder andere in die Kairos Dokument uitdrukking vind, dat die profetiese en
hervormingsbenaderings in die Christelike Etiek mekaar uitsluit. ‘n Saak is beredeneer teen
hierdie beskouing met ‘n beroep op Reinhard Kratz se boek oor die nuutste bevindings oor Ou
Testamentiese profesie, James Gustafson se onderskeiding van vier modi van morele diskoers
en Walter Brueggemann se beskouing dat profetiese tekste verbeeldingryk aan ons die
moontlikheid van ‘n alternatiewe wêreld voorhou. Die gevolgtrekking was dat die profetiese
en hervormingsbenaderings mekaar eerder aanvul, oorvleuel en bevrug. In die laaste gedeelte
van die artikel was geredeneer dat beide hierdie benaderings geakkommodeer en geïntegreer
kan word in ‘n Christelike etiek van verantwoordelikheid.
