The philanthropic service, a fundamental feature of Christian teaching and a prerequisite in a contemporary secular society Cover Image

The philanthropic service, a fundamental feature of Christian teaching and a prerequisite in a contemporary secular society
The philanthropic service, a fundamental feature of Christian teaching and a prerequisite in a contemporary secular society

Author(s): Vasile - Doru Fer
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion
Published by: Facultatea de Teologie Ortodoxă Alba Iulia
Keywords: Christian anthropology; axiological principles; Christian values; gracious dimension; social activism; streamlined structure

Summary/Abstract: The philanthropic service belongs to the dimension of serving one’s neighbor, being one of the fundamental features of Christian teaching. Philanthropy, a term with deep Christian roots, used to designate the love of God to man, but within the Church the philanthropic service is a crucial task devoted to both God and people. Unfortunately, even more significantly than ever, the contemporary society dominated by pluralist, secular and mercantile developments, faces situations in which non-values are considered referential units, man nowadays giving us the impression that he is disconnected from the evangelical precepts and ancestral traditions, so that the complex phenomena of secularization are favored to be quickly fulfilled, having a great impact on the times we are living in. In the face of the abuse of reason that has secularized the world, the Church is called to proclaim eternity and to show, through its life, community and interpersonal love within social relations, philanthropic service remaining an imperatively necessary condition in society nowadays.

  • Issue Year: XVIII/2013
  • Issue No: 1 - Suppl.
  • Page Range: 371-384
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: English