Maier Church and Theology in Germany Today

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Church and Theology in Germany Today 13

hurch and Theology

in

ermany Today

Gerhard Maier

If you were to have been in Germany around 1960 and were to make a second visit

today, you would scarcely be able to recognize the place.

Not only that, but you w ould have foun d at that time th e e territories, where today

you would find only one. In those days, we had the Federal Republic of Germany (F RG ),

the commu nist-led German Dem ocratic Republic (G DR ) and the city of Berlin, which

was jointly administrated by the Allied powers. We are thankful that today this area is

one reunited country, this unity having been achieved without any bloodletting

whatsoever.

However, in addition to the political developments, there have been many other

changes affecting us as Christians.

To

begin with, the numb er of Germ ans bel on g~ ng neither to the Evangelical

Regional Churches (evangelische Landeskirchen) nor to the Roman Catholic Church has

significantly m creased. Whereas this group was only marginal in size in 1960 , it now

amounts to approximately 30% of the population, that is to say roughly

25

million

people. Some of these belong to the major non-Christian religions, for example the

Muslims. There are now nearly

3

million Muslims in Germany, and their number is

increasing. We speak today of a multireligious society. At a later point in this paper we

will have to consider how the churches are reacting to this development.

t

any rate,

there are urban areas today in w hich mo re people take part in the worship services

in

the

mosques than In the worship services in

the

churches.

This developmen t was accompanied by a large surge of persons leaving the churches

in the early 1990's. For example: In 1992 alone, approximately 360,000 persons

cancelled the~rmembership in the Evangelical Regional Churches. Northern Germany

was particularly affected, especially the North's larger cities, such as Berlin, Hamburg,

Brernen or Leipzig. For the most part, those canceling their membership remained

w~ th ou t religious affiliation. Th e membership in the-so-called free churches also

declined because of cancellations. On the who le, the free churches play only a small role

as far as their size is concerned, though they do provide important spiritual inspiration.

Some numbers: Approximately 80,000 persons are Baptists, about 60,000 are

Methodists, not many when compared to approximately million Mus hm s. Later we will

also have to cons ider how the churches are reacting to this development.

It was especially disappointing for the Evangelical Churches that the population of

the

new regrons

that is to say the former GDR, has by and large remained estranged

from the Church. Many had expected that follow ing reunification there would b e a wave

of persons entering the church. Ho wever, not only did this wave fail to materialize. It was

Professor Dr. G erhard Maier is Pralat of the Evangelical Chu rch W iirttemberg and

serves in the city of Ulm . This paper was presented at the International C onfere nce of

Lutheran Bible

Schools

n d Institute held in Erfurt Germany July

7 11

1998.



14

issio

Apostolica

precisely In these new regions that the number of church withdrawals, and thereby the

number of unchurched persons, Increased the most. In the Region of Thuringia, the

heartland of the Reformation, which until

1945

was virtually entirely Protestant, only

20 still belong to the Evangelical Church. In Leipzig, where Martin Luther's famous

Leipzlg Disputation took place and Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked, only 11%

of the population is still Protestant. In Augsburg, home of the famous Augsburg

Confession, the number is

18 .

Typ ical is the following occurrence, related b y a teacher:

Together with his school class, he visited a church. One girl saw a crucifix and asked:

Who's the man nailed onto that wood?

In view of these developments, it is hardly surprising that the financial state of the

churches Germany is anything but invigorating. Fewer members means purely and

simply less money. However, there are many factors play~ng role here. For example,

the current economic recession in German y has prompted a number of persons to save a

bit of money by can celing their church memberships. At the sam e time, it is important to

state clearly that when it comes to mem bership w ithdrawals, financial considerations are

not the only motive. The lack of any emotional bond to the church plays a much larger

role. It is equally im portant to point o ut that in spite of the fact that our churches are now

forced to cut back economically, they still have a solid financia1 base when compared

with churches elsewhere in the world. We do have to endure a painful reduction

n

our

activities. But presumably, w e will reconsolidate on a low er level.

Of

particular concern to me is the ambivalent relationship between church and

society. On the on e hand, the churches are still held

in

high esteem in the public eye. For

me as a Region al Bishop, visits to schools, with local and regional governmen t officials,

but also to the federal army o r to eco nomic an d socio-political institutions, suc h as

employer associations or labor unions, are generally positive experiences. But on the

other hand, there is a certain latent antipathy in the society, which is not to be

overlooked. There are few institutions which come in for so much emotional rebuke or

even ridicule as the church . Whereas people in general are open to the initiatives of the

church, particularly those of a diaconal nature, and often openly expect to receive

pastoral care, the social climate is on the whole less friendly.

The so-called Crucifix Decision marks a significant social turning poin t.

In

1995,

our Federal Constitutional Court, that is to say Germany's highest court, ruled that the

crucifixes in Bavarian classrooms constitute an inadmissible intrusion into the public

sphere. By state order, it was n o longer permissible for them to be hu ng on the w alls of

school classrooms. As the laws regulating the relationship between church and state in

Germany are of an entirely different nature than in the USA or in France, this decision

meant a comp lete turnabout in the legal situation. To this day, no one understands how a

crucifix displayed in a classroom could cause harm either to pupils or to their parents.

The petition of a single famlly has resulted in millions of parents in Bavaria being forced

to accept the removal of the crucifixes. Moreover, there are several other issues in the

realm of public life which give rise to conce rn. Blasphemy and the taking of the name of

Jesus Christ

in

vain are generally taken in stride as artistic, political o r journalistic

expressions of opinion. There is

de facto

little protection of Christian religious



Church and Theology in Germany Today 5

sentiments. Many consider the religious sentiments of minority groups to be better

protected than are those o f the church-belonging majority.

Is the decline of the church's public influence balanced by its inner strength or at

least inner stability? Reg retfully, it is hardly possible to say so . Rather, it appears that the

church is living on borrowed time. Conspicuous is the loss of biblical orientation on

many different levels. In Germany, the home of the Reformation, it is a dangerous sign

indeed Nearly all church administrations decry the decline in basic biblical knowledge

among their members. As Christian education has now been brought up to a high

standard, this phenomenon must be due to the fact that in everyday life the Bible no

Ionger has any role to play. For families to hold devotions in the home has becom e very

unusual indeed. Our call to diaconal service is firmly anchored m the minds of church

memb ers, but not the call to missionary endeavor. Winnlng persons for faith in Christ is

for many members an unfamiliar aspect of church work for which they have no

motivation. According to the m ost recent statistics, Germany has fewer missionaries than

Korea and only a few more than Norway, although Germany has some

27

million

Protestant church members as opposed to 1 million in South Korea and million in

Norway. Over and again it is pointed out that the churches more often address social

problems than matters pertaining to mssion, evangelism or pastoral care. In my own

Regional Church, that of Wiirttemberg,

I

can see the loss of biblical orientation in the

membership decline of the pietist, faith-awakening fellowships. It is estimated that not

more than

2%

of the church members participate in such fellowships.

When we speak of the loss of biblical orientation, the dominance of historical-

critical thinking in theological research must also be mentioned. Fortunately, the

preaching and the daily work of the churches employ the historical-critical method less

than our theological education practice would lead one to think. Gerd Liidemann, a

theological professor who recently renounced Christianity, therefore accused the

churches of hypocrisy. Certainly, there are also conservative theologians who side with

the historical-critical method. The categories "historical-critical" and "liberal" are not

simply interchangeable. On the other hand, when critical method is applied to biblical

texts, a deep personal bond in the sense of conscience formation is called Into question

and often permanently harmed or changed. Had it not been for historical-critical

theology, the church would have been spared many wounds. However, there has been a

fundamental change as compared to the 1960's and 1970's. Whereas historical-critical

exegesis wa s at that time the orde r of the day, it is now necessary to justify its use. An

increasing number of theologians now reject the historical-critical method either in part

or outright.

Let us dwell for a mome nt on the theological developm ents of recent years. Exegetes

such as Bultrnann, Kasemann, Fu chs, and Cullman n have only marginal influence today.

Moltmann, Pannenberg, and Ratzinger on the Catholic side have become much more

influential. The great schools of thought which dominated German theology in the first

half of this century have now faded. The General Secretary of the World Council of

Churches, Dr. Konrad Raiser, recently remarked that the voice of German theology also

carries less weight internationally these days. However, to be fair, it is must also be

mentioned that this year

150

theological

professors

took

issue

with the

Common



16 Missio postolica

Declaration of the Roman Catholic and the Lutheran Churches on Justification. They

stood up for a m ore exact wording and a critical assessment in l ight of the Reformation.

In this way, they have made an important contribution in favor of open and publ ic

discussion and for more carefully differentiated statements of the Lutheran Churches.

What are the reasons for the current crisis

in

our theology?

I

see one reason in the

fact that theology is often the theology o f a particular group o r special interest. This is the

case, for example, with feminist theology. But the

psychological/exegetical

school also

works from a framework which is too narrow and contradictory. This approach will not

be able to develop firther or to prevail over against traditional crit ical theology.

I

see

another reason for theology's failing to provide the churches with clarity in ethical

questions, this being due to the sub jective nature of theological research today. For every

issue, be ~t homo sexuality or the family, the mark et econo my o r the asylum pr oblem , the

nature of the state or ecumenics, there are varying and often contradictory position papers

and research assessments. Ho w w e are ev er again to achieve a basic consensus on ethical

and ecclesiastical issues is a critical question indeed. The inadequacy in state and social

ethics is particularly painful. Church leaders are therefore driven to make their decisions

independently o f the so hopelessly div ided theological realm-a situation which hardly

strengthens the influence of theology. Allow me also to mention a third reason for the

crisis in theological thinking: The increasing difficulty of translating theological concerns

in a way w hich does justice to the new public consciousness. As was recently remarked:

"People today are unaware of sin." The discussion unleashed by the Declaration on

Justification is a case in point. "We are no longer able to communicate the message "-

This com plaint can be heard f rom church practit ioners as well as those doing theology.

At the beginning of this paper, we touched several t imes on the question of how the

churches are reacting to these developments. preliminary answer: The churches are

astutely ob serving the situation an d have excellent analyses at their disposal. Topics such

as "Where Is the Church Going" or "The Future of the Church" are being treated over

and aga in. There are projections based on current developments and any number of

scenarios for the mid-21" century. However, the therapies, which necessarily should

follow upon the diagnoses, tend to be res ~g ne d o fate. We have too m any visions of

doom and too few projections of growth. This seems to me to be the central point in the

churches' reactions. Yet the external conditions for church growth could b e described as

excellent.

We now reach a point at which we must consider the other side of the current

realities: That of the positive awakenings.

Let me begin with a simple fact relative to the loyalty of our present church

members. Since 1 993, the wave of m embership withdrawals has been o n the decline. Th e

free churches have in part larger waves of withdrawal to contend with than do the

regional churches. At least in southern Germany and in Saxony, churchgoers still attend

worship faithfully, in spite of decades of experimentation. In Wiirttemberg, parishioners

are currently protesting against parish mergers and annulments, pleading rather for the

preservation of their ancestral and familiar parishes. In view of all the catastrophes and

disappointments which almost continually have sought out the Ev angelical Chu rch since

19

19-now some 8 years ago -it could hardly be expected that million persons out of



Church and

Theology

n

Germany Today 7

a total of 80 rmllion inhabitants of the

FRG

still remain faithful to one of the two large

churches.

Turning now to the hopeful signs of new awakenings, we focus on the evangelist ic

events of Pro C hi st which have taken place repeatedly and which certainly deserve

mention here. Persons distant from the church fmd their way to faith. Church

congregations discover their evangelistic task. It is remarkable that parishes of the

Evangelical Regional Churches, altogether

650,

were the largest group participating in

the most recent Pro Christ event. Ano ther sign of hope is the initiative, New

Beginning, which in many areas of Bavaria and Wiirtremberg has met with an

astonishing response. Wh en the New Beginning is put into motion, all households are

telephoned and asked if they would be interested in receiving a brochure. If this question

is answered positively, the household is visited by a lay member and invited to join a

Bible

fellowship

group . By way of this initiative, many new hom e fellowships have

sprung up, lay church workers won, and persons brought to take interest in church

events.

Generally speaking, there are many lively home fellowship groups in our churches.

Though they often go unnoticed by the media, they are nonetheless important for the

inner life of our parishes. The h om e fellowships are particularly fruitful whe n they take

up concerns and insights of earlier awaken ings and of the pietist movement.

In addition, trips and retreats

with

missionary perspective offer excellent

possibilities. Nearly all central organizations of our pietist fellowships as well as the

evangelical youth organizations and other institutions sponsor such offerings. cruise

on the Mediterranean o r on the East Sea glves many persons the opportunity to

experience being a Christian from another perspective. A change o f surroundings can get

some fresh air into the soul.

I

have experienced a number of times myself how young

Christian teams inexpensively rented a 4-star ski-hotel, did their own cooking, offered all

services right up to the swimming poo l, and then introduced a well-designed B ible study

as part of the program. As a result, persons already having a faith commitment

experienced spiritual growth, and those who were not yet Christians received a warm

invitation.

Also to be observed is an increasing interest in the cure of souls, or pastoral care.

People are increasingly asking for counseling services. In parishes where counseling is

being offered, it is much in demand. Pastors are still considered to be persons of trust,

with whom one can speak in times of spiritual need. Perhaps doctors and psychologists

are being sought out more.

I

am, however, not convinced that their position in

comparison to the pastors and church workers is really as strong as is often claimed. In

any case, the cure of souls has become an issue of increasing importance for pastors.

Another fun damentally new developmen t is that of additional, more flexible worship

services. In our regional churches we now experience the phenomenon of mission-

minded groups which employ modem methods, establishing themselves as a fellowship

within a larger church parish. These groups are holding worship services in the late

afternoon or evening which are anything but stiff, with high musical input, witnessing,

special offering projects and sometimes approaching specific target groups. Young

families or outsiders,

for

example,

can

make up

such

target

groups.

have myself



18 Missio

postolica

experienced in a small village that at

4:

p.m. in the afternoon there was not a free seat

to be had, that all present participated enthusiastically and were later inwardly moved by

the worship serv ice. Here, the biblical truth has not been ch eapen ed but rather placed o n

a lamppost.

Discussion groups are another excellent possibility. If my observations are correct,

more and more persons who have left the church, and sometimes even those who belong

to other religions, are seeking out such discussion groups. Generally speaking, it

s

a

highly remarkable development that not only religiously indifferent persons, but also

over and again those wh o are hungry for religion are leaving the churches. In this second

group there are many wh o d o not wish to b reak off contact entirely. This extremely large

field of persons who have withdrawn their membership challenges us to go new ways in

the proclamation of the Gospel, though it is not yet sufficiently clear how we should go

a bou t t h~ sask. Living together in the multi-religious society opens another large new

field of possibilities. But here again, we in Germany are not yet sure how best to

approach this situation.

In closing,

I

would summarize the situation as follows: We in the Evangelical

Church in Germany live in a country full of demands and opportunities. Rarely have the

external conditions been better for the proclamation of the biblical Gospel. Th e history of

the coming years will therefore primarily be determined by our willingness to let

ourselves be given the courage and the motivation to cany out this proclamation.

Humanly speaking, it will depend on our own convictions and on the glow of faith, love

and hope w hether we enter through the op en doors or dejectedly sit

it

out in a side-room

of history. I

therefore close with the sober and at the same time in comparably reassuring

words of Paul

in

1. Cor. 15:58: Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, alw ays

excelling in the work o f the Lord, because you kno w that n the Lord your labo r is not in

vain.

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Maier Church and Theology in Germany Today