Pluralism has become the defining characteristic of modern societies. Individuals with differing values clamor for equality. Organizations and groups assert particular interests. Social movements flourish and fade. Some see in this clash of principles and aims the potential for a more just human community, while others fear the erosion of enduring culture. Yet beneath this welter stand powerful and pervasive institutions, whose distinctive norms profoundly shape our moral commitments and character—notably the family, the market, the media, and systems of law, religion, politics, research, education, health care, and defense.
Drawing on scholarship from five continents, many disciplines, and diverse religious perspectives, this series examines the impact of these various institutions on moral education, character, and values. As globalization carries the shifting dynamic between individuals and institutions into every part of the globe, the contributors hope that this conversation will help address the increasing challenges confronting our pluralist societies and our world.
The Impact of the Market
Jürgen von Hagen, Michael Welker, John Witte, Stephen Pickard (Eds.), The Impact of the Market on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2020).
In the theoretical, empirical, and historical contributions to this volume, theologians, economists and market practitioners discuss the many tensions between market economics, ethics and the Christian religion, thus adding to the fruitful and much needed dialogue between economics and theology.
With contributions by Jason Brennan, Michael J. Broyde, Ginny Seung Choi, Samuel Gregg, Peter Lampe, Manfred Lautenschläger, Frank J. Lechner, Klaus Leisinger, Katrin Gülden Le Maire, Piet Naudé, Paul Oslington, Stephen Pickard, William Schweiker, Virgil Henry Storr, Jürgen von Hagen, Michael Welker, Kaja Wieczorek, and John Witte.
The Impact of Religion
Michael Welker, John Witte, Stephen Pickard (Eds.), The Impact of Religion on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2020).
The overwhelming majority of the contributions in this volume deal with the Christian religion, as pluralistic societies today thrive substantially in Christian environments.
Contributions by Peter Carnley, Gregor Etzelmüller, Johannes Eurich, Jennifer Herdt, Admiel Kosman, Piet Naudé, Waihan Ng, Friederike Nüssel, Bernd Oberdorfer, Martin Percy, Stephen Pickard, Raja Sakrani, William Schweiker, Philipp Stoellger, Milton Wan, Renee Ip, Michael Welker and John Witte.
The Impact of the Law
Michael Welker, John Witte (Eds.), The Impact of the Law on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2021).
This volume addresses whether, how, and where laws (variously defined) teach values and shape moral character in late modern liberal societies. Each author recognizes the essential value of state law in fostering peace, security, health, education, charity, trade, democracy, constitutionalism, justice, and human rights, among many other moral goods. Each author also recognizes, however, the grave betrayals of law in supporting fascism, slavery, apartheid, genocide, persecution, violence, racism, and other forms of immorality and injustice. They thus call for state laws that set a basic civil morality of duty for society and for robust freedoms that protect private individuals and private groups to cultivate a higher morality of aspiration.
With contributions by Rüdiger Bittner, Brian Bix, Frank Brennan, Allen Calhoun, Robert F. Cochran, Jr., Kenneth John Crispin, Jean Bethke Elshtain, E. Allan Farnsworth, James E. Fleming, M. Cathleen Kaveny, Ute Mager, Linda C. McClain, Reid Mortensen, Patrick Parkinson, Thomas Pfeiffer, Robert Vosloo, Michael Welker, and John Witte, Jr.
The Impact of Academic Research
William Schweiker, Michael Welker, John Witte, Stephen Pickard (Eds.), The Impact of Academic Research on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2021).
This volume addresses whether, how, and where academic research has an impact on ethical education, character formation, and the communication of values in late modern pluralistic societies. It reflects the great impacts of a global network of research universities, with the enormous range from the natural sciences to mathematics, historical and theological investigations. It offers praises of the institutionalized impact of the search for truth and the defense of tested truth-claims, but also skeptical voices with respect to the ethical impact of academic research today.
With contributions by Stefan Alkier (Frankfurt), Rüdiger Bittner (Bielefeld), Celia Deane-Drummond (Oxford), Bernold Fiedler (Berlin), Andreas Glaeser (Chicago), Gary Hauk (Atlanta), Jörg Hüfner (Heidelberg), Michael Kirschfink (Heidelberg), Andreas Schüle (Leipzig), William Schweiker (Chicago), Michael Welker (Heidelberg), and John Witte, Jr. (Atlanta).
The Impact of the Family
John Witte, Michael Welker, Stephen Pickard (Eds.), The Impact of the Family on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2022).
The family is humanity’s oldest and most basic social institution, but today it is fragile, fractured, and fraught in many liberal lands. This volume gathers scholars from sociology, psychology, history, religion, ethics, law, and medicine from five continents to analyze the complex nature and place of the family in character formation and human flourishing. The chapters study the impact of catechesis, schooling, work, and discipline on the development of individual moral agency and responsibility. They document the critical roles of family love, trust, fidelity, and story-telling in shaping the moral character of all family members from infancy to old age. They describe effective strategies of resistance and resilience for family members who face abuse, divorce, death, chauvinism, racism, and homophobia. And several chapters challenge modern arguments and policies that aim to flatten if not abolish the marital family, even while they call for family law reforms.
Contributions by Enola G. Aird, Helen Alvaré, Robert N. Bellah, Margaret Jane Brining, Michael J. Broyde, Marcia Bunge, Stephen Carter, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Robyn Fivuush, Patrick Hornbeck, Andreas Kruse, Nadia Marais, Gordon Mikoski, Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Patrick Parkinson, Katja Patzel-Mattern, Sabina Pauen, Stephen G. Post, Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, and Thomas Xutong Qu.
The Impact of Education
Stephen Pickard, Michael Welker, John Witte (Eds.), The Impact of Education on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2022).
This book investigates the impact of education on the formation of character, moral education and the communication of values in late modern pluralistic societies. Scholars from four continents and many different academic fields are involved. While the basic framework for the contributions is informed by Christian traditions, the disciplines cover a significant range, including theology, education, psychology, literature, anthropology, law, and business. This makes for a rich variety of thematic concentrations and perspectives. Readers will quickly sense that the educational foundations and trajectories of any given country are pervasive and have a significant reach into the fabric and shape of the society and its values, making education a barometer of the well-being of a people and their culture. The result is a volume that will inform, stimulate and challenge our understanding of the role of education in contemporary societies.
Contributions by Chung-Hyun Baik, Ashley Rogers Berner, David S. Cunningham, Joachim Funke, Charles L. Glenn, Robert W. Hefner, Darcia Narvaez, Stephen Pickard, Irene Pieper, Jo-Anne Reid, Heike Springhart, Anne W. Stewart, Michael Welker, and John Witte, Jr.
The Impact of the Media
Michael Welker, Jürgen von Hagen, John Witte, Stephen Pickard (Eds.), The Impact of the Media on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2022).
Pluralism has become the defining characteristic of modern societies. Individuals with differing values clamor for equality. Organizations and groups assert particular interests. Social movements flourish and fade. Some see in this clash of principles and aims the potential for a more just human community, while others fear a cultural erosion. Yet beneath this welter stand powerful and pervasive institutions, whose distinctive norms profoundly shape our moral commitments and character.
Specialists on media and communication, journalism, television, theologians, economists, sociologists, philosophers and ethicists discuss the many functions and challenges the media pose to the communication and orientation in late modern pluralistic societies. Contributions come from Germany, the UK, France, the USA, South Africa, and Australia.
The Impact of the Military
Stephen Pickard, Michael Welker, John Witte (Eds.), The Impact of the Military on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2022).
In an often violent and dangerous world military defense systems exercise a major role in the ways societies and nations function, develop their aspirations, protect themselves, promote their identities and shape their destinies. As we are only too aware at this time in global history, conflict, war and peace are deeply entangled and often morally ambiguous.
This timely volume of essays offers contributions from Europe, Africa and Australia. It raises fundamental issues about the indispensability of the virtues in the military; the relationship between military and the public good; the nature of combatants and a soldier’s responsibilities for humanity and peace; moral and spiritual injury; and new challenges for pastoral care in the armed forces.
The Impact of Health Care
Michael Welker, Eva Winkler, John Witte, Stephen Pickard (Eds.), The Impact of Health Care on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2023).
Pluralism has become the defining characteristic of modern societies. However, institutions and their norms profoundly shape our moral commitments and character – notably the family, the market, the media, and systems of law, religion, politics, research, education, health care, and defense.
In the theoretical, empirical, and historical contributions to this volume, specialists on medicine, medical ethics, psychology, theology and health care discuss the many challenges that major transformations in their areas of expertise pose to the communication and orientation in late modern pluralistic societies. Contributors come from Germany, the USA and Australia.
The Impact of Political Economy
Piet Naudé, Michael Welker, John Witte (Eds.), The Impact of Political Economy on Charakter Formation, Ethical Formation and Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2023).
In our late modern societies, a tension arises between an almost chaotic pluralism and relativism on the one hand and a »constructive plurality« on the other. The latter acknowledges the normative codes emanating from key social systems like law, religion, the family, education, the market, the media, the academy (sciences and humanities), health care, and defence and politics.
In this volume, a multi-disciplinary team of experts from Germany, Italy, Australia, the UK, the USA, and South Africa bring their conceptual, empirical and historical insights to bear in three broad sections: »The moral dimension of social systems«; »The interaction of religion, law and education with political systems«; and »The moral (mal)-formation evident in case studies on the global financial crisis and social media«.