Solidarity, Rights and the Image of God: Ethics and Christian Anthropology

If the idea of human dignity rests, theologically speaking, on the divine image, the idea of human rights rests on the consideration of what is justly or properly due to that divine image. Ultimately, human solidarity is grounded in a shared and equal dependence, and a shared and equal claim to be seen in the light of God's reflection in the created world. This final lecture outlines a theology of human rights based on this model of responding 'fitly' or 'justly' to the claim of divine presence, and a theology of solidarity that interprets this in terms of the mutual assurance of goods or well-being or life-giving, so that a theological ethic of solidarity becomes ultimately an ethic shaped by the reality of the Body of Christ.

This year the Bampton Lectures will be given by the Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams PC, FBA, FRSL, FLSW. A former Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of Wales, Rowan Williams has written extensively on faith in the public square. In these lectures, Dr Williams will return to the theme of solidarity, exploring its roots in Catholic Social Thought and exploring how a solidarity-shaped ethic might serve to address some of the issues at the heart of our public life.

The lectures will take place on Tuesday 27 February and Tuesday 5 March 2024. For graduate students, there will be an additional seminar to discuss the themes of the lectures. Further details are available from the Faculty of Theology and Religion.