Catholic social ethicist says Christian values are key to overcoming world’s dilemmas 

COLOGNE, Germany — “Today in the world we are dealing with ethical and social dilemmas that threaten all of human existence,” says author and social ethicist Dr. Elmar Nass, chair of Christian Social Sciences and Social Dialogue at Cologne University of Catholic Theology in Germany. “The secularization of society is taking away the Christian compass that has been our society’s foundation for 2,000 years: the Gospel of Jesus. This presents incredible danger for liberty and human dignity, and we must fight to strengthen the Christian ethics and values our society has always been based on.”

In his new book, “Christian Social Ethics” (Rowman & Littlefield), Nass looks at how Christian values are key to understanding and overcoming many of the global issues threatening our society today, and he presents a full-throated and robust argument as to why Christians must stand up to secularization.

In this groundbreaking work, Nass presents a powerful Christian social ethic system that can not only restore our society in the short term but can also be applied as a template for overcoming new challenges that will arise in the future. Topics he examines include totalitarianism (China), war (Ukraine), racism and social justice, inflation and world economic policy, the pandemic, mass migration, even the danger posed by the rise of artificial intelligence and transhumanism.

“I want to show people that Christian values are incredibly relevant to solving society’s problems at a time when many are searching for answers to them,” he adds. “This is not just a discussion for the church; if Christians want to rebuild a social society based on our values and principles, then we all need to be involved in the social discourse.”

Nass holds the chair of Christian Social Sciences in Cologne. He was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome in 1994, holds a doctorate in theology and social economics, and is a habilitated social philosopher. He is an external scientific expert on welfare issues for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and scientific advisor to the CDU workers’ wing. He is a board member and/or advisor to numerous socio-ethical societies, publishes on value issues of the social order, and has been nominated for the Prize for Philosophy and Social Ethics of the Redler Foundation Hamburg in 2021/22.

“Christian Social Ethics” is available now at major online outlets and through Rowman & Littlefield.