Hungarian Church Press, 1968 (20. évfolyam, 2. szám)

1968-06-01 / 2. szám

HDP Vol XX Special Number

1968 No 2- 8 -(7628)

I

THE WORD OP GOD AND OUR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TODAY l) Secular ^ypes of Humanism and the Humanism of the Gospel

a) The '‘humánum'' as the Basis of Social Ethics

The problem indicated in the title will be dealt with in the context of the ethioal concern of the Church for social, problems, with special reference to the themes discussed at the 1966 World Conference on Church and Society, While dealing with the question of humanism, we are to keep in mind that this question is embedded in this context* Even when our following discussion will reach stages of apparent abstraction, we are to remember that the ultimate goal of our investigation is the practical concretization of our ethical findings«

The true motive prompting our inquiry into the nature of humanism is the same as that of the dialogue between the Church and the world; search for the common ground on which thv cooperation of Christians and non-Christians may proceeds We make our approach to our theme with the belief and expectation that it will be within the scope of our theme that we shall find the trustworthy basis for our cooperation as well as the common ends that should guide our Joint efforts, We are Justified to have this belief and cherish this lx>pe by the fact that, in the second half of the XXth century, Christians as well as non-Christians share the conviction once formulated by one of the bestknown representatives of the humanistic ideals of the antiquity, Seneca; homo res sacra hominis« It is here that we may find our common basis and envisage cur common goal: the humanization of society, of the patterns cf social life3

The connection between the problem of humanism and the themes of the World Conference on Church and Society is quite obvious» It was the theological and ethical position of Christians with regard to the problem of revolution that became the central theme of the Geneva conference; it was at this conference that the "theology of revolution" made its first appearance in a largo international gathering of the churches« The documents commenting on the conference indicate that this theme indeed occupied a central place on the conference agenda, And the key word of the theology of revolution is the . humanization of the structures of society., The requirement thus formulated was incorporated in the official report on the conference. Thus, for instance, the Report of the First Committee reads; "co? Christian theology must expound and defend the meaning of the word "human" as the criterion of economic and social change"a - The connection of the problem of humanism with social

ethics - precisely within the scope of the themes discussed ty the Conference on Church and Society - is quite obvious0