Christianity and society, Christianity and politics

The aim of the research is to explore the complex relationship between Christianity and the socio-political principles of modernity. While this relationship has often been described as a conflict between the ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ foundations of society, it has by now become obvious that (1) Christianity is very difficult to treat as a prototype of ‘religions’ in general; (2) during its long history, Christianity was just as much ‘this-worldly’, social and political, as it was ‘trans-worldly’ or transcendent; (3) and for this very reason, it played a decisive role in the formation of such modern moral, social, and political concepts as individual liberty, human dignity, human rights, the rule of law, the separation of powers, or democracy. The project therefore attempts to clarify the Christian origins of such concepts and the moral foundations of modern societies, to analyze the ‘the rise of the state as a process of secularization’, and to put Christian political thought in a broader context.

Researchers:
Ádám Darabos
András Jancsó