Volume 41, Issue 1

The term »Cross« constitutes the identity of all churches, even the protestant one. If this terrn »Cross« is no more comprehended, the church runs to a crisis of her social representation and her own constitution. The »Kruzifix-Urteil« confirms these signals of a crisis and announces a change in the BRD from a religiously neutral state to a layicistic state

Modem theory of law in a certain extent needs theological foundation. The dialogue of both law and theology, however, requires specific presuppositions in theological understanding. Paul Tillich's Systematic Theology in its peculiar character of combining theological »paradoxon« and openess for cultural recognition meets these demands

Is it imaginable and convenient to apply the economic pattern of the so called »homo oeconomicus« on extraeconomical spheres? The author examines the question. The attraction of the pattern »homo oeconomicus« is the question of the logic of decision in situations of defiency (rational choice and expense-profit calculations). The author follows the key of the question at the reach and radius in differt spheres of application, for example the analysis of criminality and delinquency. Only in the extension of the social frame situation is an economic reductionism of the social reality and the mutiple ways of human acting avoidable

»Civil society« with its main elements of »social democratic citizenship« and subsidiarity is an analytical approach to the present situation of democracys and offers an perspective to surrender the democratic deficit and the crisis of the welfare state in the Member states of the European Union. The concept of »Civil society« bases on an active citizenship and give intermediary civil actors, especially the charitable social welfare associations and democratic movements, the chance to reflect on their position to the govemment on the one side and to the citizen on the other side in order to take account of the citizen' s civil, political and social rights

The author casts a retrospective glance at the stations of the fifty years old discussion about the mandate of ecumenical deacony. Today two basic conceptions are marked off: the conception of a prophetic deacony, informed by the leading notion of »justice« on one side, and the conception of a caritative deacony, informed by the leading notion of »reconciliation« on the other. The author discusses the tention between these concepts in their theological foundations and takes a look at the significance of these concepts in situations characterized by »complex emergencies«. Therefore he explores criterions and standards, on which the mandate of ecumenical deacony could be orientated for the future

The author examines the reasons of the rising expenditures in the Public-Health-System. He pointsout the different ways and strategies for solving this problern and tests out criterions for the radius and realistic capacity of solidarity and responsibility in an ethical perspective: Solidarity is not only a single matter of those, who are depending on solidarity of the society

After Second World War Hans Joachim Iwand (1899- 1960) reacts upon the experiences during the time of Nazi-Germany with a conception, which deals in a new way with the questions of political ethics. In this conception Iwand criticized the bipolar and traditional pattem of »State and Church« and explores »Society« as a selfcontained and autonomaus theme for political ethics. It is remarkable to see, how lwands approach to »theologia crucis« and the notions of the term »consciene« are now transformed in an pneumaticological way, that opens the ethic for a conception of public responsibility

The autor directs attention to a basic distinction for the method of treatment of understanding the term »justice«. The theological notion of justice is accuracy to differentiate from the ethical notion. The author points out this distinction at the example of one of principles of justice: »suum cuique« (Ulpian). In a strict theological perspective »justice« tends towards »agape« -in an ethical perspective »justice« tends towards the regulation of right and legal procedure