William Schweiker

The purpose of this book is to formulate a way of thinking about issues of power, moral identity, and ethical norms by developing a theory of responsibility from a specifically theological viewpoint; the author makes clear thereby the significance for Christian commitment of current reflection on moral responsibility. The concept of responsibility is relatively new in ethics, but the drastic extension of human power through various technological developments has lately thrown into question the way human beings conceive of themselves as morally accountable agents. It is this radical extension of power in our time which poses the need for a new paradigm of responsibility in ethics. Schweiker engages in an informed way with what is therefore a highly topical discussion. By developing a coherent theory of responsibility, and inquiring as to its source, the author demonstrates the unique contribution which might be made by Christian thought to moral questions in the next century.

"Dust that breaths argues for Christianity's continuing relevance in meeting the challenges of humanistic reflection in the global age. In it, Schweiker discusses and expands upon the distincitve arguments for theological humanism that he has developed with passion and eloquence. Part I develops the resoures of Christian theological anthropology in response to debates over the nature of religious identity, the labor of conscience, the meaning of the soul in religious and scientific discourse, and other topics. Part II engages prominent contemporary theologians and philosophers (including Paul Ricoeur, Iris Murdoch, Paul Tillich, Juergen Motmann, and others) in order to claify the distinctive shape of Christian humanistic commetment."--Jacket.

"Ratified by the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1993 and expanded in 2018, "Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration," or the Global Ethic, expresses the minimal set of principles shared by people-religious or not. Though it is a secular document, the Global Ethic emerged after months of collaborative, interreligious dialogue dedicated to identifying a common ethical framework. This volume tests and contests the claim that the Global Ethic's ethical directives can be found in the world's religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions. The book features essays by scholars of religion who grapple with the practical implications of the Global Ethic's directives when applied to issues like women's rights, displaced peoples, income and wealth inequality, India's caste system, and more. The scholars explore their respective religious traditions' ethical response to one or more of these issues and compares them to the ethical response elaborated by the Global Ethic. The traditions included are Hinduism, Engaged Buddhism, Shi'i Islam, Sunni Islam, Confucianism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Indigenous African Religions, and Human Rights. To highlight the complexities within traditions, each essay is followed by a brief response by an expert in the same tradition. Multi-Religious Perspectives on a Global Ethic is of special interest to advanced students and scholars whose work focuses on the traditions listed above, on comparative religion, religious ethics, comparative ethics, and common morality"--