니버의 사회윤리에 관한 공공신학적 해석

Abstract

There are so many studies on Christian social ethics of R. Niebuhr. This paper is a proposal of new interpretation which concerns on his public perspective. Especially, this paper based on public theology of Max. L. Stackhouse. With this subject, this paper has some clues: (1) L. Rasmussen's view on Niebuhr as a public theologian or a theologian of public life, (2) M. Marty's guide Niebuhr as a public theologian, (3) Max. L. Stackhouse's Niebuhrian approach to Christian social ethics. On these basis, this paper tried to regard Niebuhr as an origin of public theology in contemporary meaning. Moreover, this paper applies Korean theologian Koh Bumseo's view of Niebuhr's Christian social ethics. According to Koh, Niebuhr has three points of view on social ethics: (1) Christian social ethics have to concern for social realities. (2) Christian social ethics must pursue the approximation of agape through social justice. (3) Christian social ethics have to treat the social structure as an important factor. Now, this paper mixed some clues of Rasmussen, Marty, and Stackhouse's view points and Koh's insights to understand Niebuhrian concept of Christian social ethics. So, this paper has focus on three points: (1) Niebuhr's concern for social realities could be connected with the anti-sectarian approach of public theology. (2) Niebuhr's concern for social justice could be connected with the concept of public concern of church in public theology. (3) Niebuhr's emphasis on social structure bears the concern for the political-economic structures in public theology. In conclusion, this paper proposed a possibility to interpret Niebuhr as a forerunner of public theology, the Christian social ethics in global era.