Dylan S. Belton

The relationship between non-human animals, the shared-world (Mitwelt), and human animals is characterized by mutual interdependence. However, since around the 19^th century, technical-industrial development has led to the extensive human exploitation of other animals and our shared-world. In the face of humanity’s destructive violence, Christian theology is called upon to reflect upon what kind of treatment of other animals and the shared-world is truly Christian. While this question most directly affects other animals and the shared-world, it also indirectly affects future human beings who will suffer severely from climate change and species extinction.

The vagueness of the term antisemitism – especially with regard to its origins – renders it controversial. It was first introduced and deployed in 1879 as the programmatic self-designation of a political-social movement – the “Anti-Semitic league” (“Antisemitenliga”) – whose goal was to combat Judaism. Currently, the term is mostly used colloquially either as a noun (antisemitism, antisemites) or as an attribute (antisemitic). It serves its purpose as a tried and tested term that remains discursively effective and whose role is to identify expressions, attitudes, and practices that are rooted in an antisemitic attitude or that can be interpreted as antisemitic. It is, however, disputed whether and to what extent religiously motivated anti-judaism, national anti-Zionism, and politically motivated hostility toward Israel can all be subsumed equally under, and thought about by means of, this colloquially used “container-term” (Containerbegriff).

Baptism is a ritual practiced in all Christian churches that combines in itself various theological interpretive dimensions. The denominational traditions emphasize these dimensions differently. Diverging practices with regard to infant baptism in particular – but not only this – create difficulties for a mutual recognition of baptism. Ecumenical dialogues have so far made numerous suggestions for how to solve these difficulties.

• Ecclesiology
• Sacrament

The word canon has multiple meanings. In the Christian context, it refers on the one hand to the Bible as a collection of sacred writings (cf. art. Scripture) and on the other hand to the foundation or elementary contents of the Christian faith. The relationship between the two is a topic handled within fundamental theology as well as within material dogmatics. The latter disciplines also deal with the biblical canon and biblical hermeneutics, where, in its function as Holy Scripture, the Bible has a normative status that is yet-to-be-determined more precisely not only in the context of proclamation and the life of the Church but also in all of the theological disciplines. However, the extent to which this applies to, and how it manifests itself concretely in, theological work is the subject of ongoing debate.

Dogmatics is a field within (systematic) theology that deals with the development of the content of Christian faith and its responsibility to the present. Against the background of dogmatics’ historical developments, we focus on what characterizes dogmatics as an academic (wissenschaftliche) discipline (such as systematicity, positionality, contextuality, interdisciplinarity), the tasks and goals it pursues, the sources (Bible, practice of faith, experience) and norms it refers to, and the subjects that it deals with. In light of the plurality internal to dogmatics, we discuss the position of dogmatics in the context of systematic theology and also thematize the status of dogmatics as an academic discipline. Finally, our own understanding of dogmatics in the context of the SysLex project is presented and explained as followed: “Dogmatics means theologizing in the face of the present as a reflective endeavor related to the Christian faith and its practices. This process gives rise to a dialogical context that, within academic dogmatics at least, aims at increasing coherence and at methodologically grounded dispute around and between categories of interpretation. Dogmatics finds a central – but not the only – place in academic theology (wissenschaftliche Theologie).”

• Prolegomena
• Systematic Theology

Essentially, two ethical perspectives can be distinguished when it comes to the Church hymn, both of which emerge out of the formal character (Gestalt) of this genre of music. First, we are with the Church hymn dealing exclusively with text-bound music. These texts can be the object of ethical analysis with respect to their inherent claims about human existence or with respect to the ways in which they either prompt action or the omission of action. Second and even more primarily, the ethical implications of the Church hymn disclose themselves in the performative dimension. Participation in and through music in particular situational contexts has demonstrable effects on the body that are worthy of ethical consideration. The emphasis in this essay lies on the music.

• Ecclesiology

The concept of justification is central in Protestant theology. Its theological meaning differs fundamentally from its meaning in non-theological language. In everyday language, the term refers to the act of explaining, or accounting for, a particular behavior or action before another entity. Within theology, it designates the relationship between human beings and God. It designates a divine act through which God frees human beings from the injustice of their sins and bestows righteousness on them. Questions about how God justifies, to what extent justification is an act of divine grace, whether and in what way human beings can contribute to their justification, and what constitutes the healing power of righteousness have been the subject of theological reflection and debate since ancient times.

In the Christian faith, language is the central medium for communicating salvation. This has been the subject of much reflection throughout the history of Christian theology and devotion. However, systematic theology must also rethink the significance of language in the current context of questions about the function and capabilities of language, as well as in light of the critical challenges posed by the sciences.

Alongside baptism, the Last Supper is the core Christian sacrament. Accordingly, it is intended to facilitate God’s presence in the world in a way determined by God. Based on the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ final meal with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion, the Last Supper is a formalized rite involving the eating of bread and the drinking of wine. With the multiplication of Christian denominations, disagreements have emerged concerning the form of the meal celebration and, above all else, the ways of interpreting the presence of Christ. These disagreements have overshadowed the common foundation in all Christian denominations – namely, that the Last Supper is a way of representing Christ.

• Ecclesiology
• Sacrament

Dogmatic, ethical, and exegetical questions intertwine with each other in the theology of law. Along with the question regarding an ethical orientation towards God’s will, what is also under discussion in the theology of the law is the law’s significance for salvation, especially in its distinction from, and relationship to, the Gospel. In addition, we must also always ask how, and by what means, the will of God is expressed in the law.

• Society

As it pertains to religion, the term mission (Latin: missio = to send) usually describes the communication of one’s own beliefs and practices to people and groups with other religious traditions or world views. It occurs by means of various practices and media. Additionally, mission is often understood in terms of altruistic and caring service towards fellow human beings and the environment. While the term is often used both colloquially and in scholarship exclusively in relation to the Christian faith,[i] researchers on religion also apply it to other religious traditions. When viewed from the perspective of the history of religion, mission is, however, not a feature of all religious traditions.[ii]

[i] Bürkle, Horst, Art. Mission. I. Religionsgeschichtlich, in: LThK 7 ([Sonderdruck] ³2009), 288–289, 288.

[ii] Vgl. Sundermeier, Theo, Art. Mission. I. Religionsgeschichtlich, in: RGG⁴ 5 (2002), 1272–1273.

This article offers an overview of how “peace” is understood, perceived, and conceptualized as an ethical task within the Christian tradition. Focusing on the Protestant tradition, it first defines the discipline of Christian peace ethics and introduces its range of tasks. This is followed by an overview of the genesis of Christian peace ethics that concentrates on central developments in the history of theology, discourses, and textual sources. The outline of contemporary threats to peace that follows demonstrates the real-world relevance of Christian peace ethics and its orientation toward concrete problems and reality. The fourth section sketches theological perspectives that can guide an ethical approach to the theme of peace.

Who or what is “the public sphere” (Öffentlichkeit)? And why is it important for theology and the Church? The three guiding topics in what follows should help answer these questions. First, a brief historical derivation of the term is provided, after which various dimensions of “the public sphere” are highlighted. Finally and using the paradigm of “public theology,” a brief explanation is given for why the public, the Church, and theology belong together.

“CSU is playing tricks with a symbol of faith.” This is the title of a guest article published on April 2018 by the Munich emeritus professor of theology Friedrich Wilhelm Graf  in the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. Graf comments on the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder’s decision to have crosses hung up in Bavarian government buildings. He recounts the history of the symbol of the cross, clarifies its meaning within Christian religious culture, and reaches the conclusion that the state government is misusing the cross “for very superficial political purposes.”

The example of Graf’s article shows how theology can participate in a public debate on a current political issue in a comprehensible, relevant, and stimulating manner. This is precisely what public theology reflects upon and strives for: the public relevance of theological discourse and the theological engagement with pressing issues in the public sphere. Public theology reflects on how theology is public.

As such, public theology is not a new theological discipline alongside church history, biblical studies, practical, and systematic theology. Nor can it be reduced to ethics. Rather, it emphasizes the cross-sectional (Querschnittsaufgabe) task of theology to reflect upon its public character. Public theology also does not offer a political agenda for the Church or represent a new school of theological thought. It is more so a discourse in which different perspectives are brought to bear on questions of public relevance.

• Society
• Systematic Theology

The term “Theologies of Religion” refers to the field within systematic theology that deals with the relationship of the Christian faith and the community of the faithful (Church) to other religions. It involves the examination of religious plurality in general as well as questions that emerge in relation to specific non-Christian religions (such as Islam).

• Prolegomena
• Religion
• Systematic Theology

The Christian faith lives by means of the passing on of its content. For centuries, the testimony of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ has been handed down both orally and in writing. Tradition is therefore a process of transmission (lat. tradere). In this process, Christians grapple with how to understand the passed-on content (lat. tradita, traditum). From this grappling emerged doctrines and creeds, rituals, and attitudes that likewise can be described as tradition. Even though the emergence of faith is not subject to human control, the transmission of the content of faith is a necessary medium through which faith can emerge. The question of tradition is therefore a foundational topic for theology. Yet it is one that has often only been dealt with marginally within Protestant dogmatics, primarily in the context of interdenominational controversies surrounding the question of the sources of theology and salvation. Protestant theology always determines the exact meaning of tradition in relation to the bible.

• Ecclesiology