Transformation of the Christian ethics of the beginning of the XXI century

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze paradigmatic transformations in modern Christian ethics. The methodology of the study is to use methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, as well as phenomenological and hermeneutical approaches. Scientific novelty consists in understanding the transformations of modern Christian ethics as a transition from deontology to aretology, which is connected with the crisis of theoretical and practical legitimization of Christian morality. It was found that in search of new legitimization, leading theorists of Christian ethics at the beginning of the 21 century Nicholas Thomas Wright and Richard B. Hays refer to the ethics of virtues as a paradigm for the development of diverse strategies of personal and collective morality. Conclusions. It has been proved that in modern Christian ethics there has been a transition to a postmodern way of legitimizing moral norms, which is connected with the development of bible studies, theological hermeneutics, ethics of virtues, narratology. It is proved that the concepts of modern Christian ethics are determined by two metanarratives: the biblical history, which involves the participation of Christian communities in the eschatological celebration of good; the vision of the modern ethicsofthelawinallitsvarietiesasadeviationthatovercomesthepost-secularstateofsociety.It is shown that both narratives are associated with significant utopian exaggerations about the present and future of society. De facto, the Christian ethic of the beginning of the 21 century has become a means of legitimizing the most diverse moral practices of Christian communities since the prerequisites of the ethical theory in narratology provide for unlimited freedom in the choice of moral strategies of behavior at the level of development of the individual and society.