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[German Version] I. Terminology – II. Religious Studies – III. Systematic Theology – IV. Social Sciences – V. Practical Theology I. Terminology The term fundamentalism was used originally as a self-description by a coalition of conservative Protestant groups that emerged in the 1870s in the USA. In 1919 this coalition united to form the World's Christian Fundamentals Association. The first written attestation of the term was in the title of a series published in the USA between 1909 and 1915 entitled The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth. Citing the verbal inspiration an…

[German Version] I. Philosophy of Religion Even prior to the age of Greek philosophy, riches, honor, power, health, longevity, etc. were considered the epitome of well-being, “bliss” or “salvation” (Ger. Heil). For centuries well-being was treated as synonymous with happiness (Gk eudaimonía, Lat. felicitas, beatitudo). Today the term happiness usually excludes the transcendent dimension, and …

[German Version] I. Philosophy – II. Dogmatics – III. Ethics I. Philosophy The process of clarifying an uncertain, unclear situation that demands a reaction is essentially linked to decision as a choice between several possibilities of action. The scope of the term ranges from the more distanced judicial decision to the personal life decision. What is variable here is the amount of rational basis and the affective involvement of the subject in the decision. In psychology, decision is not regarded as a determination of the ego or as an act of choice, but as an event that leads from a situation of central impact and existential disorientation into one of a relatively new order and coherence. For life decisions it is important that there be a sense of the compatibility of the various possibilities in the situation with a basic outline of one's future not yet experienced as such. S. Kierkegaard emphasized decision by not linking it primarily with a concrete alternative but by contrasting it with indifference. The “aesthetic,” non-binding gamble with possibilities should be overcome through decision in favor of a serious and conscious acceptance of the reality of the self. In the first half of the 20th century, under the influence of existential philosophy, there was an assumption that it was a freely operating subject, loosed from ties to a particular outcome, that sought a decision. The drive for decision became a watchword of the time (Karl Löwith) and led to the problem o…

1. Term and Problems Forgiveness is the readiness to pardon faults (Guilt). More than restitution or repayment, it seeks to restore fellowship. The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer refers to it as something that God does and that we ought to do in return. But what does Christian forgiveness mean when seen in the light of social, political, philosophical, psychological, and religious theories for the overcoming of guilt? Our own dealing with guilt is confronted by the external pronouncement that the guilt of sin against God an…