A critical systematic-ethical appraisal of the ethical design by Miroslav Volf within the South African context

Abstract

This thesis offers a critical systematic-ethical appraisal of Miroslav Volf’s theological ethics within the South African context. Against the backdrop of persistent social fracture marked by gender-based violence, environmental degradation, economic injustice, and ecclesial disengagement, the study investigates whether Volf’s central ethical categories of embrace, memory, and flourishing can serve as credible resources for public theology in South Africa today. Through a qualitative theological method, the research engages in close textual analysis of Volf’s major works, placing them in sustained dialogue with contextual theological voices and lived South African realities. Drawing additionally on David Schweiker’s multidimensional ethical framework, the study evaluates the coherence, limits, and constructive potential of Volf’s ethics when applied beyond their original context. The thesis argues that, when critically reinterpreted and contextually grounded, Volf’s theology offers a compelling moral imagination capable of addressing deep-rooted ethical fractures while resisting reduction to abstract reconciliation or moral idealism. The study ultimately proposes a contextually responsive ethical framework that contributes to contemporary South African theological reflection and public moral discourse.