Luthers re-Aristotelisation of Christian ethics. Pleading for an evangelistic theology of happiness

Human happiness is not really the main topic of Protestant ethics. It was and is rather typical for Protestant ethics to block out this topic. Contrary to this still valid common sense the article wants to rehabilitate the question of happiness based on the insights of reformatory theology, namely with reference to Luther's doctrine of justification. It shows that Luther's complete separation of secular ethics from the human need for certainty of salvation can actually function as a basis for an ethics of happy human life: Because people cannot earn salvation by their own moral merits, the secular ethics has to be ruled by human reason and its interest to enable a life worth living-a situation which reminds of the Aristotelian approach to ethics. A Protestant ethics of happiness, seen through these eyes, makes it possible to examine and to criticise secular ideas of happiness, be it popular, popular scientific or scientific. On the other hand it aims to interpret the doctrine of justification as a theory of happy human life. So the importance of this core of Lutheran theology can be proved by using a topic which today is highly relevant.