Christian faith from its very beginning was thoroughly shaped by the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this respect, the unity of love, faith and hope formed Christian life or at least always remained a critical measure of it. This hope was in many ways reformulated in diverse cultural contexts and intellectual climates. It gave people confidence to take great risks in withstanding and restricting the destruction and diminishing of life. This hope for a divine life spanning across human life and death encouraged people to turn to the very disadvantaged and poor in order to enhance their life both spiritually and practically. In so doing, Christians ‘witness’ as part of creation to the faithfulness and caring love of God for this creation.
The pilgrimage from this world to a heavenly realm however, can also weaken the “faithfulness to this earth” and severely limit the human aspiration to enhance this life in its fullness and richness. Confronted with many forms of a fundamental critique of religion, many religious traditions have either radically reduced their hope in a life and world transcending this world, or, quite the opposite, have severed the ties between their hopes and a world shaped by the sciences and human aspirations to transform this world.
What is submerged, what is implicit, and what is not sufficiently examined? Where can “Enhancing Life Studies” make a difference? Where do we want to shift scholarly attention?
With Enhancing Life Studies we will shift and refocus the religious debate about hopes and eschatology by asking: What conceptions of a counter-world (broadly understood) help to imagine, to shape, and to promote the enhancement of this life – by opening up the spiritual resources and making people spiritually guided stewards for the enhancement of life?
In “Enhancing Life Studies” we want to face a double challenge: First, we need to discern and reformulate notions of counter-worlds by learning from the insights provided by the science and religion debates (i.e. religious naturalism). Second, we want to move beyond that debate by taking up the specific challenge of analyzing and exploring the powerful, deeply grounded but widely overlooked link between counter-worlds and the social, personal and spiritual forces in favor of enhancing life. We ask what aspirations for enhancing life assume implicitly a strong notion of counter-world and follow spiritual laws? Furthermore, how is the spiritual enhancement of life by hope, grace, and gratitude intimately connected to courageous and bold initiatives for enhancing life in the fields of economy, technology, art and law – and eventually acts of charity and giving? What makes people spiritually guided stewards for the courageous enhancement of life?
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