Hello All
I exist yet! After traveling very much at the beginning of this year - Oxford in January, Sudan January to March, U.S. in March, Cuxhaven end of March beginning of April - I am again an evening in the home of Marburg.
recently had the honor of appearing in the ZDF in the documentation of Elmar Theveßen on "Religious Fundamentalism" in which he was facing Islamic fundamentalist evangelical Christians. His effort to differentiate was recognized, he emphasized several times that Christians refuse violence, while the Islamists legitimize and glorify. Nevertheless, in my opinion alone to bring together in a show suggestive, that is, there is a correlation or implying an equality or similarity, which is then relativized.
Well, I still came off well, as I became more established as a "thoughtful dialogue partner," and only pointed out that there is a new religious openness in our country, so rather than "competent partner" (Evidence of E. Theveßen ), similar to Bishop Wolfgang Huber. In any case
inspired me to this film today, in my blog excerpts of an article of mine about to be published, a chapter in the book "The E-factor. Evangelicals and the Church of the future (ed. by Ulrich Eggers Mark spieker that). I can reason, and will not the entire article print only a few quotations as "teaser".
Before I am doing right now, a greeting to you who read you the actual. Since I so rarely makes use my blog, I almost think that no one started this blog.
But - the message out of the woodwork: I'm fine!
Greetings
roland
The E-factor
Roland Werner
targeting Evangelical
the evangelical consensus on the breadth of the kingdom of God make fruitful
I.
What for me, "evangelical"? And why I'm convinced part of the movement with which these Name puts up?
evangelicals traces
It is not easy on the tongue, the word "evangelical." He was noted that there is a foreign word, or more precisely a loan word, the product of a translation of the English word "evangelical." As such, it should be on German actually be rendered as "gospel according to", or simply as "Protestant." After all, this correlation also applies to other terms, this means the "Evangelical Lutheran Church" in English simply "Evangelical Lutheran Church. The international "Evangelical Alliance" means in German voices "Evangelical Alliance". It would take "evangelical" really "evangelical" the proper translation of the English term.
But have managers within the chosen in the middle of the twentieth century, more formative "evangelical" movement to characterize this as a mark of their common loan word. Perhaps they had the term "evangelical" is not clear enough, because the latter had undergone a change of meaning. The original meaning, "the gospel according to" is often not the first mental association with this word. For many Contemporaries called "Protestant" rather "non-Catholic" or "not so dogmatic" or "enlightened, liberal and yet church. This admittedly impressionistic analysis reveals at least one thing: concepts are not always easily and clearly, but are important and more powerful, can shape that can connect, but also reveal divisions apart and lead.
"evangelicals" is dynamic
result of the evangelical movement as much good even in England, but within the Anglican Church. There was in the wake of the whole United Kingdom-wide Methodist revival, a spiritual renewal of the Church of England ". Those who wanted to return to the roots of the gospel and put an emphasis on faith and the inner awakening of the individuals were "evangelicals" called, in contrast to several decades later emerging Rekatholisierungstendenzen the "High Church". It was understood, "evangelical" primarily from the word meaning and said a right on the New Testament-based Christianity that affected not only in the personal following of Christ, but also attracted concrete and practical consequences, in two respects:
was One the turn to Next, straight to the socially disadvantaged, should be given the active assistance, with the attendant struggle for social change and more equitable conditions to ensure the dignity, freedom and opportunity of the individual. So it is not surprising that the decades-long has been initiated, but in the end successful campaign to abolish slavery in the British Empire by leading "Evangelicals" such as Wilberforce and Lord Shaftesbury and persevered.
The second thrust of this movement was the desire to make the biblical Great Commission impact to "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28, 18-20). This impulse was both within Great Britain and in the global horizon implemented and led over time to the emergence of the "young churches" especially in Africa and Asia. The "evangelical" Christians within and outside the Anglican church, together with related meaning Christians in other countries, z, B. the cosmopolitan Pietists South and West Germany, the missionary efforts of the Free Churches, and not least the American Board of Presbyterian, thus formed the face of the Protestant branch of the universal Church.
The dynamics of the "Evangelicals" was involved in the development of many international associations prevail. Not least the International Federation of YMCA (Christian Association of Young People) was from this impulse, established in 1855 in Paris, the World Evangelical Alliance in 1846 in London, both precursor and godparents of the until 1948 founded the World Council of Churches, who finds himself in a direct line of the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910, the were also in turn by evangelical missionaries, pastors and theologians, led by John R. Mott convened and designed.
The "older" evangelical movement that I would set up in the time between the two world wars, had therefore a tremendous impact on the shape of Protestant Christianity to the present day ....
.... Historically, it was the first contrast the catholicizing tendencies within the Anglican Church. There were the "Evangelicals" who fought to preserve the Reformation doctrine of the Church of England.
A second front was the question of the role of the so-called amateurs, that is of Christians without special ordination. But here she sat down for refomatorische rediscovery of the "priesthood of all believers" and the subsequent appointment to the witness and ministry of all Christians. Together with Christians of the Free Churches, which has been playing the "dissenters" in the United Köngreich a much stronger role than in the denominational rugged and small state-run Germany, took the "Evangelicals" of the Church of England can claim to seek the simple, clear, central to Christianity and embody.
They thus constituted a ferment against magisterial power claims of church hierarchies, and pushed for the democratization of the church, the early Christian ideal of unanimous fraternity against a weltfömigen, politically with the state intertwined and stressed on its sovereign decisions involved in church hierarchy, in which the bishops at the same time "Lords" in the upper house and some were more aristocratic pastime than to the care of the flock entrusted to them seemed to be interested. The "Evangelicals" embodied - not only in the Methodist movement - in addition to the voice of the "simple gospel" the voice of the "common man" on the road.
Another front position was obtained for the "evangelical" Christians, even in mainland Europe, logical. Since they did not see the essence of the community in the church structures, but in the believing men that they were working across denominational nature. In a time when some was not even between "reformed" and "Lutheran" churches table fellowship, and in the Free Churches in part, at least in Germany, forbidden or were often severely hampered, at least, met the "evangelicals" from various religious backgrounds "brotherly" and with one accord to common prayer, common interpretation of the Bible and ultimately joint action.
were they to be pioneers in this ecumenical awareness, among other things, because it is the "high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 seriously and inspired them to unity could ......
But overall, the evangelical movement had written to another area to the cause: the fight for the authority of the Bible as the standard for faith and life. It is not wrong to say that this new battle front from the outside was imposed because deviating only to the extent to which parts of the churches of the Protestant Reformation recent consensus "had" to accept the "evangelical" Protestant, this important issue.
The new emphasis on "right teaching" or the attempt to safeguard the recent pan-Protestant consensus that the "Scripture alone" and underlined that "all Scripture" and pushed the entire evangelical movement willy-nilly, but a bit in the more "conservative" area, at least in the Bible question. Were the Evangelicals so far rather the "progressives" for social justice, world evangelism and unity of all Christians entered, they were now at least in matters of faith rather "conservative". In the Anglo-Saxon it was my observation to many places, this distinction between "socially progressive" and "values conservative" hold on, while especially in Germany, which was a bit "system-conservative" and "fundamental" than the more pragmatic Anglo-Saxons, the evangelical movement as a whole a change to a fundamental conservatism made, which expressed itself in political issues.
was reinforced that determination nor the intra-evangelical debate with the so-called "Pentecostal" which was particularly vehement in Germany and in the so-called "Berlin Declaration" 1909 to a division into "pro-Pentecostal" and "anti-pentecostal" Evangelicals led. In the series were also charimatische risers n the churches again and again using the "Berlin Declaration" fought. This time's disposal seems even today after so that the terms "evangelical" and "charismatic" often understood, at least in Germany as direct opposites, as they are in the Anglo-Saxon countries, although not identical, yet uses inclusive and to each other due and in the other groups on continuous call. Overall, it is again the more confessional-oriented evangelicals, the two fronts, "charismatic" and understand "liberal" as an antithesis to their own opinion ...
....
An evangelical consensus?
But the above differences, so striking and externally effective they are often perceived and presented to determine, at least in my view of things, not the center of evangelical concern. The historical outline can help us to take the into view, which can give the evangelical movement will continue to exist and hope perspectives. This is the evangelical movement was just then their strength , If they develop itself as a "movement" is understood as a pulse, indicating a dynamic consensus, and from this fundamental task of the church as a whole and the world community seeks to change.
the "evangelical consensus," which is what makes up the core of this church historically effective pulse, I would like to summarize in a few key messages.
"Evangelicals are" simply means "orthodox" to believe in Jesus Christ
Evangelical Christians are distinguished in that they take on the historic core of the Christian faith seriously, keep and use as a measure of faith and life want. To this extent, the evangelical movement, a movement that wants to penetrate to the roots of Christianity, and in this sense, a revival of the historic core of this is.
eigenliche This is the strength of the evangelical movement: She wants to be biblical in the sense of a direct reference to the Holy Scriptures. Thus, the evangelical movement opens up the possibility for fruitful dialogue with the historic churches of all denominations. Just as when reformers in their dispute with the medieval Catholic Church is nothing "new" position, but, given the historically incurred additions and improvements, especially the Roman papacy, the general wanted to harness recognized, biblical and early Christian beliefs and practices, so will the evangelical movement in the core nothing more than that: According to the Gospel and thus be in the best sense of the "orthodox". Compared with traditional time-spiritual or religious movements of Christian doctrine, they will make all the Christians together in the foreground.
"Evangelicals are" means personally want to follow Christ
The direct reference to the Bible, evangelical Christians accept the call to repentance, as he stood in the center of the preaching of Jesus: "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand . Repent and believe the gospel "(Mark 1, 15) personally seriously. For it can lead only to faith in Christ deliberately chosen following Christ. The word "person" is so important to them: personal faith, personal discipleship, personal testimony are terms that appear frequently. It says "personally" not "private" or "individualistic", but "the entire, fully oneself." Certainly, this emphasis on the individual risk to misunderstand faith individualistic, that is divorced from a community of believers. But in practice the opposite of the Case: the "personal" faith into the community of those who follow Christ as well, no matter what church or religion they are rooted.
"Evangelicals" are looking for the unity of believers in prayer and common witness
That was from the beginning, a hallmark of the evangelical movement. Thus it is developing a potential to affect church across. So it is no wonder that for example in the U.S., the movement of "Evangelical Catholics" out there, and that the "charismatic" branch of Evangelicals has reached not only the Roman Catholic Church, but to the Orthodox churches into effect. This is
the evangelical movement-based ecumenical in the best sense of the word, as it common in the guidance of Jesus Christ and devotion looking at him. Of course, this focus on Jesus even a criticism of certain specific developments, both in doctrine and practice within the historical and new churches is included. Thus, "evangelicals" safe Marian devotion, or the recognition of only in recent centuries, resulting dogmas such as the so-called Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption of Mary can not support it. This means that the concentration does not rule on the "common" also limits, but necessarily also be defined.
"evangelicals" do something in this world move
The dynamics of the evangelical part of Christianity has to do with their belief that the Great Commission (Matthew 28, 18-20) as a legacy of Jesus is to be taken seriously. They also see themselves as "in the world," but not "of the world" (John 17) as "people of God" (1 Corinthians 3, 9), ie as an active collaborator in the good and salutary purposes of God in this world.
especially the impulse that was into it given by the Lausanne Covenant (1974) in the evangelical world movement has helped to give the original holistic view the Christian mission could again dominate large parts of the evangelical movement. Thus, the triad of word, work and power of the Spirit (Romans 15, 18-19), so of missionary efforts (word), social, charitable and political efforts (works) and charismatic experience and empowerment (power) has been rediscovered. What is drifting apart in some places can thus be linked to be seen and held.
The Evangelical movement is what it should be, if these poles that embodies: a born from experience the love of God's personal relationship with Christ in the dynamics of the Holy Spirit which leads the world in action and moving in the Holy Scriptures Find inspiration and scale.
....
I live in hope that describes the here displayed a basic "evangelical consensus" that saves us from useless grave conflicts and on the track is where we can win the future.
Strengthened by concentration and flexibility
The evangelical movement is far from the end of their history. Many predictions about the future of the Christian Church in the 21st Century indicate that it will have three main characters - the "orthodox" church figure, the Roman Catholic Church and the evangelical-charismatic Christianity, including of the fastest growing because of all the movement, the Pentecostal churches, while the "liberal Protestantism" will sink into insignificance, however. The hour
the evangelical movement is there, not only in other continents, but also in Europe. Here, their strength lies in the fact that it is not tied to a particular church form, but represents an inner impulse which can develop in both national church, as in free-church structures, although this is certainly easier than that.
Stark is the evangelical movement to be just when it retains this flexibility and adaptability, in other words, if it is concentrated focused on their core issues: Unity of believers in Christ, authority of the Bible, World Mission and Evangelism, application in the world on behalf of Jesus and for him experience-oriented faith, which is expressed in prayer and in listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
led does the "Augustine's advice"
The evangelical movement well to heed the sentence that the church father Augustine is attributed: "In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in ommibus caritas" - "In the essentials unit in the dubious freedom in all things love. " They could protect them from internal and Selbstzerfleischungstendenzen to the force , To mature is indeed in a position, even in a post-modern and partly to find against hearing-Christian society and to give positive guidance. Action and spiritual foundation, mission and collection are equally necessary to give a voice to the evangelical movement and form.
Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant both
The evangelical movement is at the heart of Christendom. With its emphasis on the authority of the Bible is in the true sense of the word "orthodox." Orthodoxy is for them a great good, evangelical Christians see themselves called to fight for the "faith which was given once and for all the saints is "(Jude 3).
With its emphasis on the unity of all hearts to believe in Christ, of all religious boundaries, it is truly "catholic", that is all comprehensive. With their missionary and diaconal vocation world it is country and across time.
And with its strong roots in the Protestant tradition and its emphasis on the Bible and is deeply evangelical.
... Finally
born seven observations and requests from a female point of view of evangelical Christianity:
......
Evangelical Christians therefore can not rest until the Gospel to every creature "is proclaimed and all the people the opportunity have heard in their own language and culture, the word of God and to live a living community and to experience.
also give themselves evangelical Christians are not satisfied if, and that lack of freedom, injustice, violence, inhumanity, indifference, hatred, hunger, war, corruption and what it still might be destructive to the lives of the people determined. They stand on the other hand, proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ and work in the force darreicht the Holy Spirit to them, to renew the world. But not like she could create paradise here and now, but as a testimony to the coming kingdom of God.
Evangelical targeting
To be evangelical means to me no more and no less than to be "really" evangelical. Specifically with a goal toward which means the kingdom of God and the individual perceives and respects. To be evangelical means to me, from the Gospel and live it again and again to find the source of living water, which is none other than Jesus himself
(end of excerpts)
As I said - the full text in the book "The E-factor "and is also in the antepenultimate" grain of salt ", published in the magazine of the Young Offensive Christians ( www.ojc.de ) (which must be obtained for free).
