Religion and the Human Future An Essay on Theological Humanism

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Our Endangered Garden

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who claim to speak in the name of God. From the perspective of theological humanism, the distinctive calling of human beings is to turn power into responsibility and thereby to assume the commitment to tend the fragile garden of this earth.


The rest of this book clarifies various aspects of human responsibility for the integrity of life. In this chapter we have tried to provide a context for Conclusion

that discussion in terms of the condition and dynamics of globalization. We have also noted the specific contribution of theological humanism to combat various endangerments to human and non-human life. At the heart of that contribution are duties and their relations (respect and enhance), the
good that can and ought to be served by responsible action (the integrity of life), and, finally, an inclusive scope of concern. People have the hard task of and conflicts of the age. That difficulty, we conclude, is another way of deciding in difficult cases how responsibly to meet the challenges
speaking about the distinctive calling of human beings in our global times of endangerment to life.

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