Funny old world. There I was, minding my own business walking through the Hauptbahnhof in Bremen with a couple of friends, when who do I spot sitting there with his laptop open and a bemused look on his face? While mere mortals like us were trying to find a sausage, Bishop Alan Wilson had researched the availability of free internet access in Bremen and managed to find the only spot (in front of the station) where it was available. And what was he doing? Blogging. What a star!
The Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag (literally, German Protestant Church Conference) takes over a city every two years and draws over 100,000 people. The programme is nearly 500 pages long and Thursday to Saturday is filled with hundreds of options for worship, Bible study, debate, discussion, lectures, theatre, etc. It has to be seen to be believed.
This year’s Kirchentag began this evening with an opening service in three venues. We went down to the banks of the River Weser and joined thousands of people of all ages and from (seemingly) everywhere for worship and a good sermon. It was warm and sunny and everyone was relaxed. The police are around, but there is no sense of anything other than pleasure and enjoyment. The city centre is full of stalls and tens of thousands of people mill around tasting the various foods, meeting (and making) friends, listening to live music, playing games and so on. The organisation is remarkable and it counts as one of the least threatening big events I have ever been to.
Walking through the city centre with the other Church of England representatives (Richard Parrish and Helen Azer), we spotted the ‘real Christian’ with his placard pointing out to the rest of us that we are probably damned. Which was mildly interesting.
I was musing about whether such an event could ever take place in England. I think the answer is ‘no’. What is remarkable in Germany is that Christians of all complexions come together and take Christian faith seriously – spiritually, intellectually, socially, environmentally, etc. I fear that this would simply not be possible in England because the church is to fragmented into ‘interest’ groups: New Wine, Spring Harvest, Soul Survivor, Keswick, Word Alive are some of the evangelical ones, but there are many more besides. I just could not see these having the courage to suspend themselves in the interest of all coming together to explore the faith in all its richness.
Maybe that will be considered a little jaded. But, looking at the sheer diversity of provision in the programme, it is hard to see it happening. The Germans manage to bring together serious media professionals (for example, I will be attending a seminar moderated by the Editor of Die Zeit), top politicians (including the Bundeskanzler, Bundesprasident, Foreign Minister, Interior Minister and other leading politicians), artists, writers and actors as well as pastors, theologians, philosophers, cultural observers and ordinary curious punters.
I am here in two capacities: as English Co-chair of the Meissen Commission and leading a delegation from Churches Together in Britain & Ireland for an ecumenical exchange which will culminate in an academic conference in Paderborn on Sunday and Monday. I am leading and preaching at several ecumenical services, taking part in a podium discussion on church reform, doing media and book interviews and generally meeting people. We will be doing some Meissen business as well.
So, the Kirchentag is open. I hope to get in to a Bible study in the morning by Bishop Wolfgang Huber and then hear Angela Merkel do theology in relation to power and democracy. The theme of the Kirchentag is ‘Mensch, wo bist du?’ (Mortal, where are you?) – taken from God’s question to the hiding Adam in the Garden of Eden and posed to every human being and society ever since. The glib answer is: ‘I am in Bremen’. But I do not believe I will leave Bremen on Sunday unchanged.
Nick Baines's Blog 
May 21, 2009 at 6:51 am
Enjoy yourself, Nick – but may I caution you from too much theological dialog with the Ratskellermister of Bremen, as Heine evidently had:
Glücklich der Mann, der den Hafen erreicht hat,
Und hinter sich ließ das Meer und die Stürme,
Und jetzo warm und ruhig sitzt
Im guten Ratskeller zu Bremen.
…….
Der brave Mann! wir saßen beisammen
Und tranken wie Brüder,
Wir sprachen von hohen, heimlichen Dingen,
Wir seufzten und sanken uns in die Arme,
Und er hat mich bekehrt zum Glauben der Liebe –
Ich trank auf das Wohl meiner bittersten Feinde,
Und allen schlechten Poeten vergab ich,
Wie einst mir selber vergeben soll werden –
Ich weinte vor Andacht, und endlich
Erschlossen sich mir die Pforten des Heils,
Wo die zwölf Apostel, die heil’gen Stückfässer,
Schweigend pred’gen, und doch so verständlich
Für alle Völker.
May 21, 2009 at 7:05 am
… und zum Schluss dieses ersten Kirchentages zu Bremen:
Halleluja! Wie lieblich umwehen mich
Die Palmen von Beth-El!
Wie duften die Myrrhen von Hebron!
Wie rauscht der Jordan und taumelt vor Freude! –
Auch meine unsterbliche Seele taumelt,
Und ich taumle mit ihr, und taumelnd
Bringt mich die Treppe hinauf, ans Tagslicht,
Der brave Ratskellermeister von Bremen.
Du braver Ratskellermeister von Bremen!
Siehst du, auf den Dächern der Häuser sitzen
Die Engel und sind betrunken und singen;
Die glühende Sonne dort oben
Ist nur eine rote, betrunkene Nase,
Die Nase des Weltgeists;
Und um die rote Weltgeistnase
Dreht sich die ganze betrunkene Welt.
—–
– pretty good, I always thought, ending with a joke about Hegel’s Weltgeist (which is where theology, philosophy and politics intersected for some at least in 1840s’ Germany). Prost!
May 21, 2009 at 10:41 am
Just musing too.
>I was musing about whether such an event could ever take place in England. What is remarkable in Germany is that Christians of all complexions come together and take Christian faith seriously – spiritually, intellectually, socially, environmentally, etc.
Could you briefly explain the difference between a normal Kirchentag and an “Ecumenical Kirchentag”?
I seem to recall something back in the 1960s taking place in London :-), but I don’t have my Hastings to hand to look it up.
>I fear that this would simply not be possible in England because the church is to fragmented into ‘interest’ groups … I just could not see these having the courage to suspend themselves in the interest of all coming together to explore the faith in all its richness.
I’d put forward 3 requirements for a “British Kirchentag” something
1 – It cannot be on a showground in the middle of nowhere. That is an institutional acceptance of privatisation and a type of sectarianism before you even start – as you say. Perhaps I should recognise that there is definitely place for “resource events” – provided that the resources end up going somewhere.
2 – It must be cross-cutting – denominationally and to transcend any sacred/secular divides.
3 – I’m tempted to suggest that, like the Kirchentag, it should be a lay movement.
How would it work here?
I’d throw out 2 thoughts.
Firstly that the setting must be urban to ensure an “in society” setting, with a full mixture of venues to ensure that it is not religious people talking to each other behind closed doors.
Secondly that one set of organisations with the inherent clout to draw really high profile speakers, and the breadth of projects/networks to pull something together, are the cathedrals – headlined by the Anglicans and the RCs. Then many other venues and organisations could follow that spearhead.
That leaves me with the idea of a varied festival rotating between centres with cathedrals in urban settings every 2 years.
Southwark 2012 or 2014 in Whit Week?
May 21, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Germans are good at this kind of thing. Just think of their brilliant Christmas street markets for a start.
Anne.
May 21, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I agree with all the comments about how the UK church could learn lots from the Kirchentag.
It also reminded me of one of my passions which is links with European Christians. in my last parish in St. Albans we pioneered links with an Italian RC parish as part of a diocesan initiative. It is still going strong, largely lay led. Such links help us to reflect on being a European christian in a post-Christian Europe. So many of the issues we have we share we our continental cousins, especially between the established churches or the equivalent. One of my mild irritations with the contemporary debate in the Anglican communion is that whilst we are rightly challenged to think of the world wide church, we forget that right on our doorstep are many churches faced with really similar issues to our own. Don Marco my Ctaholic colleague in Italy had much more in common with me, in terms of our situations, than I do with an Anglican priest in Africa or the USA, and I know both.
May 21, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I agree. Interestingly (to me, at least), I was having a chat with someone this morning about the way we try to import models from the USA (Willow Creek and mega-church stuff, for example) without the cultural translation – and some things will not translate – but find it hard to bring in the excellent stuff on our doorstep from cultures much closer to ours.
The Meissen Commission, which I co-chair, is very focused on working to our (the Church of England and the EKD) common agenda – challenges and opportunities – in Europe. Secularised Europe poses similar challenges to our churches and we need to work together more on the ‘Christian’ agenda than the ‘churches’ agenda.
May 21, 2009 at 2:38 pm
That’s a good example of where the translation from one culture to another has worked. I wonder what were the factors that made it happen?
May 21, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Matt,
The Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag takes place every two years and is organised by the EKD (Protestant Church in Germany). The Ecumenical Kirchentag is jointly organised by the EKD and the Roman Catholic Church (who sometimes forget that there are others besides the two big ones) and takes place every seven years (I think). There has only been one Ecumenical Kirchentag, but this is the 32nd DEKT – it began as a way of re-building after the destruction of Nazism and war.
I’ll take up your other points in a main post.
May 21, 2009 at 2:59 pm
I was in the Ratskeller for a reception at lunchtime. I’ll explain why in a main post. In the meantime I’ll cock a snook at the Weltgeistnase and think of Mark Beaton!
May 21, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Nick,
Sitting on my settee here in Halifax, the West Yorkshire one, I watched the “Mensch, wo bist Du?” programme on NDR (North German regional station) yesterday evening.
It was great to revisit Bremen and to be aware of the mood and spirit of Kirchentag.
Nick, wo bist Du jetzt?
May 21, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Ken, jetzt bin ich in meinem Hotelzimmer, aber ich muss weg! Ich bin schon spaet.
May 22, 2009 at 7:41 am
I’ve been watching this from afar – never heard of Kirchentag until I saw Bp. Alan mention it a few weeks ago – you ponder why it could not happen here in England – I think you’re right, but I think there’s a more basic reason for it – there is no such thing as “community” in England – it’s every man for himself.
I watched the BBC series on Feasts the other night with my other half, and it is interesting – I’ve lived in the UK now for over a decade – and have never once witnessed anything like the feasts/festivals explored there. Yet – I see them (and participate in them) all the time in Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, and Slovakia – why? – the only answer it seems is the very basic – we’ve got no sense of “community” in the UK today.
To me its a very sad thing because I see that there is so much here that could really bring people together.
May 22, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I wonder if it has something to do with climate and Catholicism (which traditionally offered regular festivals and provided a social calendar based on religious memory. But a further idea for further thought… (although I know Germany is counted as northern) in cold northern Europe we have to do everything inside, but the further south you go the more laid back it all becomes – with its consequent sociability. I think there must be a PhD in ‘the influence of climate/weather on theology’ – could the Reformation have happened in southern Europe? I doubt it. But go to Wittenberg in the winter and it is no suprise that Luther was cross.
May 26, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Thank you for your wonderful sermon on friday evening. That is something where we germans can learn a lot from you.
The Ecumenical Kirchentag has no time rule yet. I can imagine that the next time it will not take 7 years again.
Hope you will join us in my resident town Munich next year!
May 27, 2009 at 11:53 am
Volker, I will be in the beautiful Munich for the Ecumenical Kirchentag next year and am looking forward to it already. But my next German preaching engagement will be in the Berliner Dom on 27 September 2009 – in German. English is easier!