Broadening the Reign of God in Every Sphere: Understanding Christian Action between Church and State in Schleiermacher’s Philosophical and Christian Ethics

Abstract

Abstract This article investigates Schleiermacher’s ethics in relation to two important questions in public theology: how should a Christian negotiate their religious and civic identities in between church and state and how should this relationship direct Christian life and action? In his Philosophical Ethics, the spheres of the state and church carry distinct roles and responsibilities toward attaining the highest good. In his Christian Ethics, the conception of broadening action in the outer sphere prescribes how Christians ought to expand the reign of God. Integrating insights from both sources shows Schleiermacher’s commitment to the church as the central medium of communication for expanding the redemptive work of Christ through a collective embodiment of God-consciousness. This work can come alongside the state’s work for national unity but it is never beholden to it because Christians are ultimately called to a greater mission to expand God’s reign in all spheres of human community.