Research suggests that there is a relationship between religion and business ethics. When looking at the South African society and the statistics that says that 80 percent of the population is Christian but on the other hand we are confronted within this country with increasing incidents of corruption in private companies as well as in public services. Why would that be the case? This study seeks to understand if Christianity or the local church really makes an impact on the lives of its members. The research starts of by looking at behaviour in general and what constitute to good ethical decision-making. In the study on Christian ethics it becomes clear that there is a strong appeal in the Bible on ethical behaviour. The Bible goes as far as to claim that, when in a relationship with the Lord, the followers will show His character in the way they live at home and the way they behave and make ethical decisions at the workplace. This study used focus groups to research the role of the local church in changing behaviour. The study finds that Christianity per se does not change the behaviour of church members. The church members‘ definition of the church largely determines the impact the church will have on their lives. In the study on the Christian ethics it was clear that ethics were seen as something that was formed in communities and not by rules or regulations. It was not a case of people telling others what to do and what not. It was more a case of mentors that helped others to live differently in community with others. The study finds that when the local church is build on relationships and if there is a strong sense of community, the church has a huge impact on the lives of its members. This suggests that the local church should be more focused on strong and intimate relationships and not so much on the church as organisation or institute. This is also important for the businesses that will employ these members because they will make better ethical decisions.

The purpose of this research project was to establish in what way Christian entrepreneurs, in this case owner-managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, drew on their Christian faith – as an identity-creating construct – in the day-to-day running of their businesses. Religion was identified as one of the significant contributing elements that form part of individuals’ underlying values that are used to make numerous value-based decisions. Because SME owner-managers that adhere to the Christian faith constitute a fairly large segment of society in the Western World, a study of this nature can be regarded as a worthwhile undertaking that provides valuable insights related to how and to what extent this particular group of economic actors merge religious convictions with business operations. The research was set up in such a way that SME owner-managers in South Africa, who were self-proclaimed Christians and broadly defined as members of the Protestant tradition, constituted the sample participants. The methodology regarded as most suitable was a qualitative, grounded-theory approach whereby interviews were conducted along the lines of a semi-structured interview schedule. An openended exploratory strategy was adopted that allowed respondents to convey their thoughts and ideas pertaining to the research phenomenon from their personal perspectives. A number of conceptual and linguistic frames offered by the respondents – that gave language to the way they rationalised their faith in the context of managing their businesses – were recorded. A total of sixteen major themes and an additional eight sub-themes emerged from the data. The themes recorded and analysed were: faith, grace, calling, stewardship, kingdom, holiness, discipleship, discernment, love, relationship, anointing, inseparable dimensions of life, the Christian life journey, money, cultural perspectives and biblical principles, including the centrality of the Bible, integrity and honesty, sowing and reaping, humility, forgiveness, power of the tongue, importance of prayer and the centrality of Christ. The research findings revealed that a correct understanding of the Christian identity as well as a correct application thereof is crucial in successfully incorporating Christian ideals in the market. Full integration of the Christian identity plus an internalisation of God’s purposes and principles create an inner sense of direction that is less focused on external moral guidelines and codes of conduct – the phrase living from the inside out’ seems appropriately fitting to describe a group of economic actors who pursue their business careers with a sense of calling coupled with a belief that their commercial whereabouts are distinctively linked to a transcendent objective. In addition, general business administration guidelines, where the issue of religious affiliation per se is of no particular consequence, allow for the integration of the value concepts uncovered through the study by way of the corporate governance framework as contained in the King III report – particularly with reference to business practice interventions related to the formulation and implementation of core organisational values and moral codes.

Objectives. Scholars have debated Max Weber's theory of the relationship between religion and capitalism for almost 100 years. Still, the debate is clouded by confusion over Weber's claims about religious doctrine and over the supporting evidence. The purpose of this study is to clarify Max Weber's claims regarding the concept of the calling and the related "anti-mammon" injunction and concept of "good works" and substantiate with historical evidence the religious doctrine Weber describes. Methods. Comparative analysis of early Protestant Lutheran and Calvinist documents from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was used to flesh out a history of ideas to determine whether evidence exists to support Weber's claims related to religious doctrine. Results. Historical analyses revealed that the concept of the calling pre-dated Luther in the Bible. Luther's innovation was not in his use of the word beruf but in his application of the concept of the calling to the common people and his teaching of that idea. The idea of sanctified work was key in both Lutheran and Calvinist documents. There was an increased emphasis on work and encouragement to accumulate wealth in Calvinist documents. Conclusion. Weber's etymological evidence surrounding Martin Luther's use of the word beruf in his German translation of the bible is idiosyncratic and not important to the transmission of the concept of the calling. Luther's application of the concept of the calling to the laity and idea of sanctified work, however, is the foundation on which the Protestant ethic rests, as Weber claims. Weber's other claims regarding the concept of work in early Protestantism are also supported here. Weber did not overstate the implications for societal transformation in early Protestant theology.

本文嘗試分析馬克斯·舍勒在現象學視野之下對於天主教神學和社會思想的詮釋來探索天主教會在資本主義和世界大戰等現代性文化的壓力之下真正有效的自我更新方式。舍勒運用現象學的思維方法，通過強調經驗的自身性特徵，論述發生式的意義生成和反應-對抗式的意義生成之間的差別，恢復了天主教在批判精神和確證精神之間的平衡，這與新經院體系、圖賓根天主教學派、新托馬斯主義等流派在純然適應或純然對抗的極端思維中理解天主教會與現代社會關係的做法非常不同，也幫助天主教會克服了"保守-激進"的二元論思維的束縛。具體而言，本文將從以下四個方面論述舍勒的天主教思想：1）從知識社會學的角度分析舍勒對宗教更新的本質、宗教知識的文化學特徵以及宗教世界觀的情感結構的論述，總結出公教精神以自身性的原初性思維對抗實證性思維的過程，以及天主教的整體性文化特徵和貴族主義的情感基調；2）從政治現象學的角度分析舍勒的基督教民主、基督教社會主義、基督教自由等理念，尤其是他以態度民主代替情緒民主、以先知性論述社會主義的原始精神、以意志自由和能力自由的區分來論述宗教自由絶對意義的做法，從而用天主教的宗教視角審視了現代政治文化的弊端；3）從社會學的角度分析舍勒以共感而不是以同情為基礎的宗教集體主義，並將之作為天主教在一戰之後乃至於整個現代社會中帶有尖銳批判性的社會學貢獻，並依此建構天主教會戰後理想的和平理念和社會建設的任務；4）從倫理學的角度分析舍勒如何從時常被鄙棄的情感性、身體性等直觀生命經驗中找出先驗的價值奠基力量，並以之作為與在禁慾和縱慾的極端力量牽引之下的現代資本主義倫理殊為不同的自然倫理學的基礎。最後，本文還將比較舍勒與二十世紀中期的天主教新神學運動和梵二神學的論述，指出舍勒的現象學方法中所體現出來的現實主義和人類學轉向，是與天主教神學從梵一會議到梵二會議的歷史演變邏輯一致的，因而會為天主教會未來的發展帶來更多潛在的借鑒意義。 / This thesis mainly focuses on how German philosopher Max Scheler applied his special phenomenological perspective to penetrate into the self-renewal of the Catholic Church and its social teachings under modern society context, including capitalism and World War etc. Scheler, who emphasized the self-given and realistic characters of experience, distinguished the original-given mode from the counter-react mode in the process of constructing meanings, and rehabilitated the balance of introspective self-criticism and extrovertly instructive confirming of catholic spirit. This phenomenological perspective of Scheler is regarded as a sharp distinction from other Catholic schools like the Catholic Tübingen School, the Scholasticism in the 19th century and later, the Neo-Thomism, as their understandings of the self-renewal of the Catholic Church were somehow guided under the extremism-oriented romantic idealism or authoritarian ideology. To some sense, Scheler’s method actually gave an end to the ongoing historical debate of the "conservatism-liberalism" or "nominalism-realism" dualism, and widened the horizon to approach the understating of real "one": ecumenism. For details, this thesis will analyze Scheler’s phenomenological method in understanding the self-renewal of the Catholic Church with four sections: 1 ) from the dimension of sociology of knowledge, an analysis of Scheler’s interpretation of the essence of the evolution of religious knowledge, its social cultural characters and "its inherent emotional structure as well; an comparing study of religious self-givenness with positivism, and also an comparing study of Ganzheit knowledge and Sammlung knowledge, with which the Christian aristocratism will be drawn and discussed; 2) from the dimension of political phenomenology, an analysis of Scheler’s conceptions of Christian democracy, Christian socialism and Christian freedom, from which the difference with electoral democracy, Marxist socialism, and left-wing liberalism and the special religious narratives of the Catholic Church in political fields will be given; 3) from the dimension of sociology, an analysis of Scheler’s religious collectivism on the basis of empathy rather than sympathy, this kind of collectivism was saturated with phenomenological intentional theory and was carried forward in the proposing the after-WWI re-construction tasks for the Catholic Church by Scheler; 4) from the dimension of ethics, an analysis of Scheler’s percipient contentions on the a-priori ethical value of some long-disdained conception, like body and emotion, by giving a laudatory reconsideration to which, Scheler criticized asceticism or the erotic-individualism-oriented capitalistic ethics. In total, Scheler concentrated the unique value of the Catholic Church in breeding the personal and social ethos with its special religious spirit which is quite similar to the orient wisdom from China. Lastly, this thesis will also draw a comparison between Scheler and the theologians in the Nouvelle Théologie Movement in the middle of the 20th century in order to conclude that the realistic and anthropological turn in Scheler’s phenomenological method was actually identical with the theological development from the Vatican I council to the Vatican II council, so Scheler’s phenomenological understanding of self-renewal of the Catholic Church and its social teaching would potentially shed more light on its future development. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 李晶. / Parallel title from added title page. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2016. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 195-210). / Abstracts also in English. / Li Jing.

As the century and millennium draw to a close, radical changes affect all areas of human life. Such changes challenge the church to respond to new developments in the secular world. One such development (a long time in the making) is that the everyday life of every human being on the planet is being affected more and more profoundly by a kind of generic capitalism that prefers to remain faceless and anonymous but which prosecutes it interests with a brutality and ruthlessness that take no account of human beings who are themselves neither powerful nor influential - but who may reside on land replete with the kind of natural resources which constitute the essential raw materials necessary for capitalist expansion. It is not only human life that suffers in this rapidly changing world: forms of planetary life suffer. In the context of what we have said about global market dynamics, we are compelled to ask ourselves searching questions about the relationship between God and humans, humans and other human beings, and hnmans and other forms of planetary life. This will partly be an historical investigation into what Korean churches and South Africau churches might share with each other on the basis of experiences of suffering caused by past structures and systems. By understanding the past, historians hope to be able to understand the present and to make predictions and preparations for the future of suffering people. Solidarity is one of the most effective weapons in the struggle against the oppression of the poor. Suffering creates an absolute necessity for solidarity. By examining what the Korean church and the South Africa church did and said in their struggle against military dictatorship and racial discrimination, we shall find the basis for solidarity as a political, social and spiritual weapon. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Summaries in German and English / Text in German / Der Wettbewerb ist eine der prägenden Kräfte der Arbeitswelt. Gestaltet wurde die gegenwärtige Wettbewerbsordnung im deutschsprachigen Raum massgeblich von den neoliberalen Ökonomen Alfred Müller-Armack, Walter Eucken und Friedrich August von Hayek. Diese Literaturstudie untersucht die Wettbewerbsordnung dieser drei Ökonomen, deckt ihre ethischen Prämissen auf und diskutiert diese aus theologisch-ethischer Sicht. Im ersten Teil wird der vielschichtige Begriff Neoliberalismus sowie der Wettbewerb wirtschaftsgeschichtlich eingeordnet und die ausgewählten Texte einer wissenschaftlichen Textanalyse unterzogen. Tabellarisch und nach Themen geordnet werden die Thesen der Einzeluntersuchungen zusammengefasst. In fünf Themenbereichen zeigen sich signifikante Überschneidungen bei allen drei Ökonomen. Diese ausgewählten fünf Themenbereiche werden im zweiten Teil theologisch-ethisch diskutiert. Damit theologische Ethik und Ökonomie zu einem konstruktiven Austauschverhältnis gelangen können, wird vorgängig die Reichweite und Grenze einer biblisch-theologischen Arbeitsethik diskutiert. Zudem wird die biblische Perspektive zur Arbeit und zum Wettbewerb eruiert. Abschliessend werden der Kirche wie auch der Wirtschaft Impulse zur Gestaltung einer menschenwürdigen Arbeitsethik gegeben. / Competition is one of the distinctive forces of the working world. Amongst German speaking scholars, the current Wettbewerbsordnung (Engl.: order of competition) was shaped to a great extent by the neo-liberal economists Alfred Müller-Armack, Walter Eucken und Friedrich August von Hayek. This literature study examines the Wettbewerbsordnung of these three economists, uncovers their ethical premises and discusses these from a theological ethical point of view. The first section puts both the complex term ‘Neoliberalism’ and competition into an economic historical context. It also contains a scientific analysis of the chosen texts. The theses of the individually examined texts are summarised in tabular form and classified by subject area. In five areas, all three economists present significant overlap. In the second section, these chosen five areas are discussed from a theological ethical perspective. In order to enable a constructive exchange between theological ethics and economics, the analysis of the abovementioned five areas is preceded by a discussion of the scope and limits of a biblical theological work ethic. Further, this Master thesis traces the biblical perspective on work and competition. In conclusion, ideas are suggested both for the church and the economy on how to create a humane work ethic. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Theological Ethics)

No description available.

No description available.

As the century and millennium draw to a close, radical changes affect all areas of human life. Such changes challenge the church to respond to new developments in the secular world. One such development (a long time in the making) is that the everyday life of every human being on the planet is being affected more and more profoundly by a kind of generic capitalism that prefers to remain faceless and anonymous but which prosecutes it interests with a brutality and ruthlessness that take no account of human beings who are themselves neither powerful nor influential - but who may reside on land replete with the kind of natural resources which constitute the essential raw materials necessary for capitalist expansion. It is not only human life that suffers in this rapidly changing world: forms of planetary life suffer. In the context of what we have said about global market dynamics, we are compelled to ask ourselves searching questions about the relationship between God and humans, humans and other human beings, and hnmans and other forms of planetary life. This will partly be an historical investigation into what Korean churches and South Africau churches might share with each other on the basis of experiences of suffering caused by past structures and systems. By understanding the past, historians hope to be able to understand the present and to make predictions and preparations for the future of suffering people. Solidarity is one of the most effective weapons in the struggle against the oppression of the poor. Suffering creates an absolute necessity for solidarity. By examining what the Korean church and the South Africa church did and said in their struggle against military dictatorship and racial discrimination, we shall find the basis for solidarity as a political, social and spiritual weapon. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Summaries in German and English / Text in German / Der Wettbewerb ist eine der prägenden Kräfte der Arbeitswelt. Gestaltet wurde die gegenwärtige Wettbewerbsordnung im deutschsprachigen Raum massgeblich von den neoliberalen Ökonomen Alfred Müller-Armack, Walter Eucken und Friedrich August von Hayek. Diese Literaturstudie untersucht die Wettbewerbsordnung dieser drei Ökonomen, deckt ihre ethischen Prämissen auf und diskutiert diese aus theologisch-ethischer Sicht. Im ersten Teil wird der vielschichtige Begriff Neoliberalismus sowie der Wettbewerb wirtschaftsgeschichtlich eingeordnet und die ausgewählten Texte einer wissenschaftlichen Textanalyse unterzogen. Tabellarisch und nach Themen geordnet werden die Thesen der Einzeluntersuchungen zusammengefasst. In fünf Themenbereichen zeigen sich signifikante Überschneidungen bei allen drei Ökonomen. Diese ausgewählten fünf Themenbereiche werden im zweiten Teil theologisch-ethisch diskutiert. Damit theologische Ethik und Ökonomie zu einem konstruktiven Austauschverhältnis gelangen können, wird vorgängig die Reichweite und Grenze einer biblisch-theologischen Arbeitsethik diskutiert. Zudem wird die biblische Perspektive zur Arbeit und zum Wettbewerb eruiert. Abschliessend werden der Kirche wie auch der Wirtschaft Impulse zur Gestaltung einer menschenwürdigen Arbeitsethik gegeben. / Competition is one of the distinctive forces of the working world. Amongst German speaking scholars, the current Wettbewerbsordnung (Engl.: order of competition) was shaped to a great extent by the neo-liberal economists Alfred Müller-Armack, Walter Eucken und Friedrich August von Hayek. This literature study examines the Wettbewerbsordnung of these three economists, uncovers their ethical premises and discusses these from a theological ethical point of view. The first section puts both the complex term ‘Neoliberalism’ and competition into an economic historical context. It also contains a scientific analysis of the chosen texts. The theses of the individually examined texts are summarised in tabular form and classified by subject area. In five areas, all three economists present significant overlap. In the second section, these chosen five areas are discussed from a theological ethical perspective. In order to enable a constructive exchange between theological ethics and economics, the analysis of the abovementioned five areas is preceded by a discussion of the scope and limits of a biblical theological work ethic. Further, this Master thesis traces the biblical perspective on work and competition. In conclusion, ideas are suggested both for the church and the economy on how to create a humane work ethic. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Theological Ethics)