Christ‐Centered Concreteness: The Christian Activism of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. were both pastors and theologians who wrestled with the meaning of Christ‐centered faithfulness for their time. They were advocates of social justice and human rights who resisted the temptation towards a secularizing two‐realms split that makes Christianity a private life religion; they defied contemporary laws and cultural norms, and they faced opposition to their work from many of their fellow Christians. We may learn from their prophetic witness for Christian faithfulness in our contexts by paying attention to their respective interpretations of the way of Jesus.     

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Asian Contextual Theology in relation to Minjung and Prajna of Inter‐being

Abstract: Dietrich Bonhoeffer remains an influential figure in inspiring Asian contextual theology of minjung (the poor). In addition to political reading of minjung, a Buddhist wisdom (prajna) offers a basis for understanding of religious dimension of minjung. However, there has been no discussion about Bonhoeffer's legacy of theology after Auschwitz in critical dialogue with Asian contextual theology.     

A Theology of Christian Spirituality – Samuel M. Powell

Book reviewed:
A Theology of Christian Spirituality , Samuel M. Powell, Abingdon Press 2005 (0-687-49333-1), vii + 227 pp., pb $26.00/£19.99     

The Roles of Religiosity and Spirituality in Moral Reasoning

To better understand the influence of religiosity and spirituality on moral reasoning, 1,037 college students completed a survey including demographic questions, a religiosity measure, a spirituality measure, and Forsyth's Ethical Position Questionnaire. Religiosity and spirituality positively correlated with moral idealism, whereas spirituality negatively correlated with moral relativism. However, religiosity and spirituality accounted for a very little variability in moral reasoning, suggesting that they do not directly influence moral reasoning. In addition, female participants reported higher spirituality, but there were no gender differences on a spirituality measure. Future research is needed to examine other factors that may influence moral reasoning.