Euler Renato Westphal

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Euler Renato Westphal

Euler Renato Westphal (born July 2, 1957) is a university professor, writer and Lutheran theologian.

Biography

Dr. Westphal has a Bachelor's degree in Theology by Escola Superior de Teologia – EST (Portuguese: Escola Superior de Teologia) (Superior School of Theology), also he studied in Missions Seminar St. Chrischona Pilgrim Mission (German: Pilgermission St. Chrischona) (Basel, Switzerland – 1978–1982). He practiced pastoral work for eight years in Missão Evangélica União Cristã – MEUC (Portuguese: MEUC)(Evangelical Mission Christian Union) in Rio do Sul and Blumenau in Santa Catarina. He was also the founder of the Centro de Recuperação Nova Esperança – CERENE (Center for Recuperation New Hope) and of a social work turned to low budget families, the Bom Amigo (Good Friend), in Blumenau.

Since 1990, he has dedicated himself to full-time teaching at Faculdade Luterana de Teologia – FLT (Lutheran College of Theology) and at Universidade da Região de Joinville – UNIVILLE (Portuguese: UNIVILLE)(University of the Region of Joinville). In 1997 acquired his Doctorate in Theology, in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul. He is professor of Systematic Theology in FLT. His works include researches on the philosophy of science and Protestant theology. Westphal is also a researcher in Bioethics, especially in UNIVILLE. He was also member in the advising group of IECLB's presidency from 2003 to 2010 (Portuguese: IECLB).

Dr. Westphal has experience in the theological area, with emphasis in Lutheran confession, and performing especially in the following themes: Protestant theology, ethics and bioethics, hermeneutics and cultural patrimony and society. He has five published works. The themes deal with Protestant theology, liberation theology and bioethics as well as in philosophy of science, contemporary thought and hermeneutics. He performs in the research lines of Patrimony and Sustainability of the Master’s in Cultural Patrimony and Society in UNIVILLE, Master's where he is also a professor at.

His research project is entitled “Epistemology of the Cultural Patrimony: hermeneutical aspects of the immateriality of the material patrimony”. He has 51 published texts in journals and magazines. Currently, he has various scientific articles and chapters of books published. Dr. Westphal accounts for various orientations of conclusions in graduation courses, of Master’s and co-orientations. He is a speaker of his researches’ themes. He is also part of the research group “Teologia Pública em Perspective Latino-Americana” (Public Theology in a Latin-American Perspective) from EST (Superior School of Theology), São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul. In January and February 2012, he performed as guest professor in the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität (University of Jena) in the city of Jena, in Germany. The focus of his performing as professor consisted in approaches on theology, pedagogy and cultural anthropology. He performed in the College of Theology and of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena.

Works

  • WESTPHAL, Euler Renato. Ciência e Bioética: um olhar teológico. São Leopoldo: Sinodal, 2009. (Science and Bioethics: a theological perspective).
    • This book is the result of a research developed in the group of Theological Ethics and Society, and the line of study is entitled “contemporary theology in latin-american perspective”, by the Superior School of Theology (Escola Superior de Teologia – EST), São Leopoldo/RS. This work's thesis is that modern science is an expression of religion, for it carries within fundamental dimension which are present in Christianity, such as: salvation and hope for eternal life. Health has been transformed as a form of salvation. The search for longevity through ways of cloning and embryonic stem-cell researches is founded in the promise for longevity and eternal life. It has also made approaches in connection to ethical and bioethical questions in the Brazilian social-political context, such as decision about anencephalic fetus, stem cell research and ethics in public health parting from a critical point of view from iluminism. The author presents a critical approach about science from Werner Heisenberg and Stephen Hawking in a dialogue with Hannah Arendt. This approach has the objective of surpassing the dichotomies between religion and science. It is necessary to rediscover the converging structures between nature´s book, science, and revelation´s book, the Scriptures. Modern Science, though critic towards the Christian tradition, was born and developed on traditional Christian soil. Particularly the Protestant tradition. This work contemplates the view on research with human beings in a dialogue with the philosopher Jürgen Habermas and Emmanuel Lévinas. In the discussion between science, philosophy and theology the pursuit is to establish relationships of mutual and critical learning, as well as consider the respect to differences between the scientific statutes of the different areas of the human knowledge.


  • WESTPHAL, Euler Renato. Brincando no paraíso perdido: as estruturas religiosas da ciência. São Bento do Sul-SC: União Cristã, 2006. v. 1. 155 p. (Playing in the Lost Paradise: The Religious Structures of Science).
    • Playing in the Lost Paradise is a book that investigates the relationship between Theology and Bioethics. It emphasizes the similarities between contemporary science and religion, both in the instruments and procedures with liturgical functions, and in the messianic and eschatological expectations. Health, salvation and seeking eternal life are dimensions of a profound debate that goes beyond the distracted dazzling with so many novelties and modern scientific discoveries. Biotechnology, medicine and the market have become the fundamental values in decisions about life, death, good, evil, the dignified, the undignified, the useful and the disposable. “What counts and what is considered ethically good is the scientific development and the application of medical technology to overcome illness at any cost. “The praxis of health services has become every time more technological at the cost of human relationships and links,” states the author. The loss of the meaning of suffering is only a symptom of the crisis of a model of civilization that cannot see that there is hope in the midst of the reality of death. The author understands that: “Pain can be minimized with analgesics, whereas suffering expresses, beyond physical pain, a profound crisis of meaning about the suffering, the meaning of life and the meaning of dying. It is necessary to recuperate the dimension of suffering as a physical, psychic, social and spiritual phenomenon. The care of people who go through suffering also includes the overcoming of traumas and conflicts in human relationships.” Thus, it is not rare that people become sick due to unresolved conflicts. There are people that can only die, as forgiveness of their guilt is experienced



  • WESTPHAL, Euler Renato. O Oitavo dia – na era da seleção artificial (The Eighth Day Review) . 1. ed. São Bento do Sul: União Cristã, 2004. v. 01. 125 p. ISBN 85-87485-18-0. ( The Eighth Day in the Era of Artificial Selection–An Analysis about Post-Modern Thinking, Its Aesthetic Expressions and its Scientific Praxis).
    • The author proposes an analysis about scientific and technological advances in the contemporary world fostering a multi-disciplinary dialogue. The central thesis is that post-modernity deepens and broadens possibilities, and also the problems found in modernity. Science is found in the logic of modern society, which was deepened by post-modernity. Modernity and post-modernity are expressions with distinct variations of the same problem. Both of them, in their own ways, are governed by the ethics of irrationality, profit and consumption. Technological advance has aesthetic, anthropological and above all, ethical implications. Thus, the new faces of techno-science presented by post-modernity are able to create and re-draw human beings. It is amazing that there is a profound relationship between science, aesthetics, ethics and religion, although this is not always perceptible. For the author, humble science wants only to be science and should give up the idea of wanting to become a new religion. The author is in favor of technological development, as it is added to the accumulated experience of humankind. In this context, responsibility means solidarity with the generations to come, when one considers the impact that scientific activities of the present have on future generations. Concretely, this means that one cannot use biotechnology with the intention of altering negatively the future of the species. However, biotechnology, in certain moments, is put in the place of God, genetically defining the future of other beings, without seeing the damage that this could bring. Ethical responsibility is solidarity with the beings of nature that existed before us and that will continue to exist in the future. Starting from this premise it is acceptable to use therapy to correct illnesses and deficiencies of nature. In this regard, the author proposes rescuing the dignity of human life and creation, because they are gifts from God. Thus, true science cannot have the pretense of being a religion that promises immortality, salvation and eternal life.


  • WESTPHAL, Euler Renato. O Deus Cristão: Um estudo sobre a teologia trinitária de Leonardo Boff. 1. ed. São Leopoldo: Editora Sinodal, 2003. v. 1. 351 p. ISBN 85-233-0732-X

References


External links

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