Christian ethics and secularisation : business as usual?

dc.contributor.authorDe Villiers, D.E. (Dawid Etienne)
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-22T10:50:04Z
dc.date.available2018-10-22T10:50:04Z
dc.date.issued2018-07-04
dc.descriptionThis article is based on the Johan Heyns Memorial Lecture I was invited to give on 24 May 2017 at the University of Pretoria.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIt is now 49 years since Johan Heyns’s Sterwende Christendom? [Dying Christendom] was published (1969) in which he traced the history of secularisation and its impact on the theology of his time and 36 years since the publication (1982) of the first volume of his Teologiese etiek [Theological ethics] in which he discussed the impact of secularisation on ethics. In this article, the topic of the impact of secularisation on Christian ethics is revisited. Account is taken of research conducted on the secularising impact of modernisation since then. Although empirical research points to the fact that it is not true that modernisation inevitably leads to the complete demise of religious faith and ethics, and also not that there is today absolutely no room for religious influences in the different social orders, it does not mean that it is a case of business as usual for Christian ethics. It cannot be denied that modernisation has a significant effect on the shape of Christian ethics in the contemporary world. And it can also not be denied that in most contemporary liberal democratic societies, including South Africa, the public role of Christian ethics is restricted. Some of the challenges – and opportunities – present-day realities pose to South African churches and their members are identified and discussed. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: On account of the pluralising and fragilising impact of modernisation on Christian faith, the discipline of Christian ethics should today criticise the absolutising of Christian ethical beliefs and encourage Christians to actively support consensus seeking on moral values in the workplace and in society.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentDogmatics and Christian Ethicsen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2018en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.ve.org.zaen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDe Villiers, D.E., 2018, ‘Christian ethics and secularisation: Business as usual?’, Verbum et Ecclesia 39(1), a1796. https://DOI.org/ 10.4102/ve.v39i1.1796.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1609-9982 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2074-7705 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.4102/ve.v39i1.1796
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/67010
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherAOSIS OpenJournalsen_ZA
dc.rights© 2018. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_ZA
dc.subjectChristian faithen_ZA
dc.subjectChristian ethicsen_ZA
dc.subjectSouth African churchesen_ZA
dc.subjectSecularisationen_ZA
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-10
dc.subject.otherSDG-10: Reduced inequalities
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-16
dc.subject.otherSDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-17
dc.subject.otherSDG-17: Partnerships for the goals
dc.titleChristian ethics and secularisation : business as usual?en_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
DeVilliers_Christian_2018.pdf
Size:
2.57 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Article

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.75 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: