Cleverer than we thought: the change in discourse of the Georgian Orthodox Church

This paper will focus on three episodes of contemporary church-state relations in Georgia, in particular, the conflicting interaction between law and religion in the public space. The first episode will be an open confrontation between the church and the state over the law on Registration of Religious Minority organizations (2011) which allowed the religious minorities to freely register; second: the Law on Self-governance (2013) which Georgian Orthodox Church considered ���a threat to territorial integrity of Georgia���; and lastly: the Law on Anti-discrimination (2014) which was deemed ���legitimization of Sodomic sin���. By reflecting on the three examples where for the first time after the collapse of Soviet Union, the Georgian state openly confronted the church and made a decision notwithstanding its position, I will attempt to argue that the role of the Orthodox Church in influencing the law making process is in gradual decline. However, on the other hand, by presenting the results of an ethnographic study conducted in 23 eparchies and perishes in 7 regions of Georgia in 2014, I will also show that church has adapted to its declining role over policy making, and to regain its political influence it gradually started to employ a civic rather than ethno nationalist discourse on matters of religious freedom while engaging with government. The paper will suggest that both unilateral decision-making of the state and civic shift in the discourse of the church constitute an important change in understanding church-state dynamics in the post-communist Orthodox Christianity dominated society.

Being Open, Being Faithful: The Journey of Interreligious Dialogue

What does Christian identity mean in the face of religious pluralism? In some ways, the frontier of global Christianity lies not in repairing its past divisions so much as bravely facing its future in a world of many other faiths and conflicting convictions. Being Open, Being Faithful is a brief history, astute analysis, and trustworthy guide for Christian encounters in this pluralistic environment. A central argument of this perceptive book is that interreligious dialogue has moved so far as to fundamentally change the attitudes and openness of world religious traditions to each other, promising a future more open and less hostile than one might otherwise think. The book presents and reflects on the recent history of interreligious encounter and dialogue, and it traces the manifold difficulties involved, especially as they are experienced in Roman Catholic and World Council of Churches' engagements with other faiths. Yet, it goes even further: along with the history of such encounters, Being Open, Being Faithful examines the issue of Christian discipleship in the context of interfaith engagement, the operative models, the thorny issue of core theological commitments, and what might be the shape of Christian identity in light of such encounters.

Handbuch der Evangelischen Ethik

Die wissenschaftlich-technischen Entwicklungen mit ihren riskanten Folgen, die Globalisierung und die zunehmende Individualisierung der Lebensentw��rfe stellen fr��here Selbstverst��ndlichkeiten in Frage und werfen neue ethische Probleme auf. Das Handbuch der Evangelischen Ethik bietet einer breiteren ��ffentlichkeit kompakte Informationen zur Urteilsbildung in den wichtigsten Handlungsfeldern. F��hrende Fachleute orientieren zuverl��ssig ��ber die Grundlagen und Teilgebiete auf dem aktuellen Stand der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion und im Gespr��ch mit Philosophie, Rechts-, Sozial- und Naturwissenschaften. Der Band enth��lt je einen Beitrag zu: Grundlagen und Methoden der Ethik, Rechtsethik, politischer Ethik, Ethik des Sozialen, Wirtschaftsethik, Ethik der Kultur, Ethik der Lebensformen, Bioethik des Menschen, Bioethik nichtmenschlicher Lebewesen und Umweltethik.

Ethik des Sozialen

Der Beitrag stellt den Gegenstand, die normativen Ans��tze, Themen und Problembereiche der Ethik des Sozialen vor. Ein erster Abschnitt dient der begrifflichen Abgrenzung und Bestimmung der Ethik des Sozialen, die von der klassischen Sozialethik zu unterscheiden und in den Zusammenhang der Bereichsethiken einzuordnen ist. Der zweite Abschnitt dient anhand der Grundbegriffe von Freiheit, Gleichheit, Solidarit��t und sozialer Gerechtigkeit einem ��berblick ��ber die unterschiedlichen normativen Ans��tze in diesem Bereich. Im dritten Abschnitt werden konkrete Problemfelder der Ethik vorgestellt und er��rtert. Dabei geht es um materielle Teilhabe, die anhand von Arbeit, Armut und Reichtum thematisch wird, um Partizipation, die anhand von Bildung und Bef��higung er��rtert wird, und um Anerkennungsfragen, also Probleme von Wertsch��tzung und Diskriminierung. Der vierte Abschnitt bietet eine Auswahl grundlegender und weiterf��hrender Literatur.

Protestantisches Ethos als ���Killer-App"? Die umstrittenen moralischen Ressourcen des Protestantismus und die Nachhaltigkeitsfrage

Der Artikel thematisiert und problematisiert die Beitr��ge protestantischer Theologie zu einer Ethik der Nachhaltigkeit.

Sich erlaufen. Pilgern als Identit��tsst��rkung

Against the background of an unexpected upswing in pilgrimages, this article states the thesis that pilgrimage enables a strengthening of one���s identity. In addition, the problem of a fragmented and indefinite identity is sketched, with reference to Zygmunt Bauman. In contrast stands a model of identity (connected with Albrecht Gr��zinger) in which one contributes to a tradition in which one already is situated. In its main part, the article investigates the various factors of pilgrimage that contribute to this process of gaining one���s identity. Thus, a route frequented as much as theWay of St. James forms an already patterned space that offers the pilgrim traditioned roles to adopt. Walking, as a characteristic element of pilgrimage, is interpreted as physically generating and distinctively opening the space in which pilgrims understand themselves in the world. It also can be shown how walking as a form of physical being that leads from an instrumental relationship to one���s body to an immediate being in living one���s life, conveys certainty about one���s self and the world, activates one���s potential to overcome challenges, and provides self-empowerment. The author makes a strong case for a definition of pilgrimage oriented to an understanding of the hardship of crossing a foreign land, which is an image of a goal-oriented understanding of existence. The resulting poles of self-assurance and self-estrangement in pilgrimage are, in connection with Wilhelm Gr��b, interpreted as an expression of a truly known but at the same time distanced self-understanding. Pilgrimage is therefore a form of physical self-interpretation in which people learn to view and be aware of their self-familiarity. Finally, against the background of this representation, criteria are elaborated for organizing a pilgrimage journey that is conducive to identity.

Grenzen des Machbaren. Was Pilgerwege erfolgreich macht

Auch in Deutschland versuchen immer mehr Touristiker vom Pilgerboom zu profitieren. Die neuen Wege werden oft nur wenig genutzt. Wer versteht, was Pilgern ausmacht, kann auch erfolgreich agieren. Auf Basis eines empirischen Forschungsprojektes entfaltet der Beitrag das Spezifikum des Pilgerns als einen bestimmten Erfahrungsmodus: Pilger erfahren sich selbst eingebunden in den Zusammenhang des Seins, einen sie tragenden Grund. Es geht um ein Unverf��gbares, dem sie sich ��berlassen, weil es Gewissheit stiftet. Dies setzt dem touristischen Inszenieren enge Grenzen. Werden diese beachtet, entstehen nachhaltige und erfahrungswirksame Pilgerwege. Schlagworte: Pilgern, Erfahrung, K��rper, Natur