Freedom

The topic of “church and politics” is always relevant. Today, both spheres refer to each other, whereas in the past they were often intertwined. For a long time, the Roman Catholic Church claimed supremacy of spiritual power over secular power. The Reformation sought to distinguish and separate the two. Currently, Christian churches, Muslim associations, and the Central Council of Jews (Zentralrat der Juden) in Germany are committed to strengthening liberal democracy. However, there are also religious actors who support authoritarian political systems. Due to the very different national traditions and constitutional situations, this article focuses on the situation in Germany.

• Religion
• Society

Discipleship (imitation Christi) remains an unwieldy concept in Protestant theology, one that is often avoided in contemporary debates. In this article, however, discipleship is discussed as a Christian concept of empowerment, particularly in the horizon of religion experiences, theological vocabulary, and lived theology. In this way, discipleship can be understood as a key concept of an education inspired by liberation theology, which Ernst Lange  advocates and calls “a language school of freedom.”[i]

[i] Lange, Ernst, Sprachschule für die Freiheit. Bildung als Problem und Funktion der Kirche, in: Schloz, Rüdiger/Butenuth, Alfred (Eds.), Kirche für die Welt. Aufsätze zur Theorie kirchlichen Handelns, München/Gelnhausen 1992. German: “Sprachschule für die Freiheit.”