Toward a covenantal ethic for family life in Taiwan: A dialogue between Christian ethics and Taiwanese ethics (China)

The family values of contemporary Taiwanese society were primarily shaped by Confucian ethics that were developed in a premodern and agricultural society. Although they remain influential in many regards, they are also gradually losing their moral adequacy. This dissertation demonstrates that covenant is a moral structure that is indigenous to Taiwanese culture and can be revived and reformed in order to achieve the goal of constructing a family ethic suitable for modern Taiwanese society.; The dissertation includes the three tasks of constructing a social ethic: the descriptive, evaluative, and prescriptive. First, I give an in-depth analysis of the evolution of family ethics in Chinese history and trace the cultural roots of the major causes of two of Taiwan's most serious family problems---extramarital sexual relationships and intergenerational conflicts.; Second, I make a critical reappraisal of covenant ethics in both the Judeo-Christian and Chinese traditions to serve as a moral ground for evaluating the current social ethos of the family. The materials drawn from Judeo-Christianity include the Sinai and Noachic covenants, the covenant in the Book of Malachi, the Lord's Supper as the New Covenant, and covenant theology in the Reformed tradition. The materials for Chinese covenant ideas were draw from the tradition of meng in the Chou dynasty (1111--249 BC) and literature and studies of sworn brotherhoods in medieval and modern periods.; At the end, the dissertation concludes with four prescriptive recommendations on constructing a covenantal ethic for family life in Taiwan. First, a modern interpretation of the meanings and purposes of family life is urgent in contemporary Taiwanese society. Second, parents should see parenting as a voluntary and benevolent act without asking for repayment by their children; concomitantly, adult children are morally obligated to help their elderly parents. Third, justice is an indispensable element in a covenantal relationship and the traditional practices of revenge and vigilantism by the covenant parties must be abolished. Fourth, the virtues of forgiveness and reconciliation found in Christian traditions should be incorporated to construct a family ethic in Taiwan.