Protestant ethics, since the fifties of last centrury, has moved from foundational and eschatological terms, provoked by sociohistorical selfreflection, to recognize human rights as basic frame of reference for realistic christian ethics. In consequence of this swing, conceptual, theological affinity to modern principles of human freedom as well as distinction to the realm of »public law« are challenging a new discussion of »public« theology in encounter of Christianity with Islam.

Present discussions regarding »prominent« ethical issues time and again focus on the question whether firm ethical and religious beliefs should be privileged vis a vis the democratic rules of the distribution of power and the formation of majorities. The »ethics of the structure of power« teach us to consider the seemingly only formal rules to be »good«, for they allow to have open discussions between different views of»the good life«. The distinction between these two realms of»good« pose a problern to (...) religious ethics and need to be considered in the ethics of democracy. (shrink)

There's no new knowledge about »homosexuality« by science of medicine, natural science or historical science. On the contrary the ethical structure of the debate is to clarify. The author studies the problern in the aspect of the conflict between self determination and institution. In this point of view the ethical opinions changed. The author points out the revised lines for ethical judgement in the churches.

A critical edition of the text of the famous lecture on the significance of Protestantism for the genesis of the modern world (1906/1911), together with further texts on the cultural significance of Lutheranism and Calvinism from the same period.

The article discusses the topic- based upon the confessional situation of Common Europe- under which political conditions the historical stability ofthe profile of confessions in Europe is changing. Further on this topic is beeing discussed with regard to the cultural consequences of Christianity refering to economy, democracy and >>multiculturalism« and it is more concretely explained refering to the speciallegal order of churches. This deals with perspectives and limits of Europe in future.