Theology in an atheist land

Eastern Germany is one of the most atheist regions in the world. Local institutes of Catholic theology are tying to come to terms with this situation, and concentrating on the fundamental questions of theology, as explained by EBERHARD TIEFENSEE in the monthly “Herder Korrespondenz” for November. His article is summarized here by Irene Vogt. “A student from Leipzig, who had to apply for a residence permit in Zurich, aroused great astonishment when he replied with a simple ‘none’ to the question about his religious confession. It came as a surprise to him too”. The anecdote, described by the sociologist of religions MONIKA WOHLRAB-SAHR , is cited by EBERHARD TIEFENSEE , professor of philosophy at the University of Erfurt, at the start of his analysis of theology in Eastern Germany. The episode epitomises for him the challenge that Catholic theology has to tackle in the ‘new Länder’ : “that of beginning first of all a dialogue on God in an environment where most people have forgotten that they have forgotten God. The political change in 1989 ought to have been followed by a change at the religious level – a process that is still in course”. Since there does not seem to exist any religious feeling worth noting outside the Church in East Germany (East Germans don’t even seem to be interested in the Dalai Lama), “the distinction between religious sentiment, Christianity and ‘ecclesiality’, necessary in other contexts, here seems obsolete”. Therefore a sociological view of the church is being revived, although this is almost a mortal sin after the discovery of the invisible religion of THOMAS LUCKMANN . “In this context the Eastern part of Germany seems however an exception, due to the high percentage not only of those who profess themselves atheists (25%, cf. World Values Survey 1995-1997), but also of those who declare themselves ‘undecided’, ‘indifferent’, ‘non-practising’, etc. and who are drawing international attention”. A UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY TASK. For decades experts had concentrated on questions in conflict with the Marxist-Leninist state doctrine not only in the Evangelical Church, but also in the “Philosophisch-Theologische Studium Erfurt”, the seminary founded in 1952 and the only higher institute of Catholic theology in the former German Democratic Republic. Yet the theological faculties in East Germany had always been able to maintain close contacts with the Western world and, thanks to this, after 1989 succeeded in reaching the standard of Western Europe far faster than corresponding institutions in other states of Eastern Europe. Considering both the history of the Church and the current situation throughout the world, “the task of evangelising East Germany – says Tiefensee – is unique and extraordinary: never before has the Good News been brought to a population without any religion whatsoever. Especially in the Protestant Church (probably due to its past as a people’s church) a decidedly missionary effort is encountered at the university level”. Tiefensee then describes the three faculties of Catholic theology in East Germany: the major faculty at Erfurt and the two smaller ones at Dresden and Halle. THREE PRIORITY ASPECTS. Three aspects of theological discourse, according to Tiefensee, should be underlined in the eastern region of Germany. The request for “a concrete theology that enters actively into dialogue with the humanistic, cultural and social sciences”. At Erfurt this need has given rise to the Interdisciplinary Forum of Religion , a platform of dialogue between university teachers and research students of various disciplines that “in one way or another have something to do with the theme of ‘religion'”. “The concentration on central themes of religion”. In the past (in the time of National Socialism and ‘real’ Socialism), the debates were influenced by a ‘fortress’ mentality. But now this impenetrability due to the physical mobility of members is disintegrating; this demands a focus on the questions of religion, spirituality and Christianity in general. “It is not enough to know Latin to make Charles learn this language; one ought first of all to know Charles” (Chesterton). In this way we wish to make the point that theological study must be formulated according to a particular cultural and social context. A project of cultural research, “a cultural turn of theology”, is taking shape. The re-interpretation of the diaspora. For long the Church in the diaspora seemed to be a “vanguard”, an outlying post of the Church of the country of origin, on which it was also dependent. Now, however, “a constructively critical atmosphere dominates: the objective of mission – says JOACHIM WANKE using the metaphor of the sower of seed – seems to be the feast and not the harvest, which always remains insecure”. The teaching abilities of the faculty are sorely put to the test, but the number of students is constantly growing. The first steps in a process adapted to the new religious situation have been taken.