Conflict, Ethics, and Spirituality – serie

From Violence to Peace introduces us to three monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – and the distorted image of a God who is praised when committing violence. Instead peace should be the soul and lungs of all religions. Religion is not the source of violence; violence is constellated through human manipulation. There is an urgent need for self-awareness, the sine qua non for all transformation so that western countries can move away from this distorted image or dominant religion or “new opium.” Several concrete observations are proposed with the book ending with a call to a wider vision of transcendence, an openness to a larger frame of reference, that is, of meaning and an enlarged vision of the role of religion’s passion to bring spirit and forgiveness to public life and provide a vision of moral order.

This book is a collection of essays presented at the conference on “Sustaining Ethical Leadership: An Interdisciplinary Conversation”, Ottawa, Canada, 2009. The driving idea behind the conference was to encourage an interdisciplinary enquiry regarding the nature of ethical leadership in contemporary times and to work out its implications in various domains of human life and action. Contributors examine the concept of ethical leadership from different intellectual and philosophical standpoints, and provide with an insightful analysis. They touch upon social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of ethical decision making, emphasizing the importance of intellectual clarity and moral integrity in the process. The book is divided into three parts, each focusing on a specific aspect of ethical leadership. In the first section the theoretical and philosophical issues pertaining to the foundations of ethical leadership are explored, whereas the second and third sections bring out the practical and contemporary challenges regarding the manifestation of ethical leadership.

The diversity of family models presents great challenges for contemporary Christians, from ethical point of view, as well as the spiritual level and the living together. Family patterns are in continuous mutation which is a potential source of conflict. Many scholars, including sociologists, theologians, psychologists, and philosophers take this subject to heart. They meet to discuss a number of issues concerning the family: the forms of contemporary family, the future of the family or families, their challenges and needs. This book is to promote conversation about the family between secular perspectives and Christian approaches. In three parts, this volume deals with current research in the field of human sciences. The first part discusses the structural dimension, treating the impact of attachment theory, analyzing the investigations concerning family separation and taking into consideration contemporary parenting ethical issues. In the second part, relevant ethical, pastoral and psychological issues related to contemporary tensions in the field are processed. As for the third part, it seeks the indices, the spiritual and therapeutic pathways in the heart of the great diversity that is lived. La diversité de modèles familiaux contemporains présente de grands défis aux chrétiens, de point de vue éthique, spirituel ainsi qu'au niveau du vivre-ensemble. Les modéles familiaux sont en mutation continue. Par ce fait même, cette mutation est une source potentielle de conflit. Plusieurs penseurs, sociologues, théologiens, psychologues et philosophes, prennent à cœur ce sujet. Chercheurs, universitaires et practiciens se réunissent pour échanger sur de multiples questions concernant la famille contemporaine plurielle, ses formes, son avenir, ses défis et ses besoins. Ce collectif favorise la conversation au sujet de la famille entre les perspectives séculières et les approches de la tradition chrétienne. Dans ses trois parties, il tient à l'articulation très précise des recherches actuelles dans le domaine des sciences humaines. La première partie évoque une dimension plus structurale et traite des impacts des théories de l'attachement, analyse les enquêtes concernant la famille et la séparation et prend en compte des questions éthiques contemporaines autour de la parentalité. Dans la deuxième partie, des questions éthiques, pastorales et psychologiques liées aux champs où elles s'exercent sont traitées. Quant à la troisième partie, elle cherche des indices, des chemins spirituels et thérapeutiques au cœur même de la grande diversité qui se vit.