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This book addresses the role of religion in the massive political changes that took place in Eastern Europe in 1989. In particular, it examines the role played by the East German church in that country's bloodless revolution. Although some scholars and political commentators have noted that the East German church provided a free space in which dissident groups could meet, they have neither described nor assessed the theology that guided the church's political involvement. Drawing on his own research in East Germany and relying primarily on sources published in East Germany itself, John Burgess demonstrates the roots of the church's theology in Barth, Bonhoeffer, and in the Barmen declaration, which in 1934 pronounced Christianity and Nazi ideology to be incompatible. He explores how the dissident groups drew on church symbols and language to develop a popular alternative theology, and finally shows how the theological tension between the church and the dissidents provided impulses for political democratization.
"...this is a highly informative and well-reflected book examining a sample of East German Protestant theology before and after 1989."--German Studies Review "informative and insightful"-Gregory Baum, McGill University "...this is a highly informative and well-reflected book examining a sample of East German Protestant theology before and after 1989."--German Studies Review "The author's scholarship is sound and up-to-date,...he gives a broad review of differing positions within church and state during the democratization of East Germany, the most important contribution of the work."--Religious Studies Review
| Preface and Acknowledgments | p. vii |
| Church and State in Context | p. 1 |
| The Limits of Dialogue East German Marxist-Leninist Thinkers and the Future of Religion | p. 3 |
| The Language of Liberation the Church as a Free Space | p. 19 |
| The Church and the Peaceful Revolution | p. 43 |
| The Church as a Religious and Political Force | p. 45 |
| Preparing for the Fall the Church and Its Groups | p. 60 |
| The Shape and Limits of the Church's Contributions to Democratization | p. 74 |
| The Church and the New Democratic Order | p. 89 |
| Theologians and the Renewal of Democratic Political Institutions | p. 91 |
| Coming to Terms with the Past the Church, the State, and the Stasi | p. 105 |
| Church and Politics in a Secular World the Theology of Wolf Krötke | p. 122 |
| Epilogue After the Wall | p. 137 |
| Notes | p. 143 |
| Index | p. 177 |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780195110982
ISBN-10: 0195110986
Audience:
Professional
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 200
Published: 1st May 1997
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 22.4 x 14.53
x 1.88
Weight (kg): 0.38
