Nikolaus Schneider

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Nikolaus Schneider (2006)
Nikolaus Schneider on June 1st, 2012 at the ecumenical service at the Hessentag in Wetzlar Cathedral

Nikolaus Schneider (born September 3, 1947 in Duisburg ) is a German Protestant theologian . From 2003 to 2013 he was President of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland . From November 9, 2010 to November 10, 2014, he was Chairman of the Council of the EKD and thus the highest representative of the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Life

Schneider graduated from the Steinbart high school in Duisburg city center in 1966 . After studying Protestant theology at the church in Wuppertal and the universities in Göttingen and Münster , the son of a blast furnace worker from Duisburg-Huckingen was ordained on November 14, 1976 . From 1977 to 1984 he was a pastor in Rheinhausen , where he campaigned for the preservation of jobs in the coal and steel industry. From 1984 to 1991 Schneider was the pastor of the church in Moers . Between 1987 and 1997 he also held the office of superintendent in the parish of Moers. In 1997 he was elected Vice-President of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland and in 2003 to succeed Manfred Kock as President of the Rhenish Regional Church and was introduced to his office in the cemetery church in Wuppertal-Elberfeld . The regional synod confirmed him in January 2005 for a further eight years in this office. At the end of this term of office there was a scandal about the church aid and remuneration center (bbz) in Bad Dürkheim, which had come to the brink of bankruptcy due to financial speculation and had to be saved by the regional church. Schneider's successor Manfred Rekowski took office on March 1, 2013.

Schneider has been married since 1970 and has three daughters. His youngest daughter Meike died of leukemia in February 2005 . Together with his wife Anne, Schneider wrote a book about the suffering and death of his daughter.

Schneider has been Chairman of the EKD Council since Margot Käßmann resigned on February 24, 2010 . He had announced that he would continue Käßmann's political commitment and not limit himself to church issues. Schneider resigned because of his wife's cancer and also resigned from the council. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm was his successor.

Positions

Nikolaus Schneider at the German Evangelical Church Congress 2007 in Cologne

Politics and ethics

Schneider is an advocate of a solidarity and liberal social order. In this context he emphasizes the focus on social and economic ethics. He repeatedly warned against the excessive influence of multinational corporations, which endangers democratic structures; He also criticized economic activity that was only geared towards profit and warned against “social coldness”.

He does not generally reject weapons production and their use. On the subject of arms exports, he spoke in the ARD report Death for the World Arms from Germany . In 2013 he said in an interview: “Evil in the world is a reality” and referred to the Barmer Theological Declaration of 1934: “It is the task of the state to ensure law and peace under the threat and use of force, that referred to (then 1934) to the police inside. But you can also apply that to the whole world if you say that the UN takes a quasi state position. For such connections you will need weapons. "

In a church word on Afghanistan, which Schneider co-published on January 25, 2010, the EKD warned against a mere “business as usual” in Afghanistan policy ( German participation in the war in Afghanistan ). This would deprive the military operation of the legitimacy of peace ethics. However, Schneider said with a reference to a visit to South Sudan on the RBB Inforadio: "When you experience the situation in such a country, you understand that there is such a thing as a rage of evil and violence." Then it needs military Kraft, "to provide a space in which other things can develop," added the theologian. However, he made it clear that the military could not create peace. However, it could ensure that the massive violent clashes are stopped. The use of the military for this could be justified. He was referring to a statement made by Federal President Joachim Gauck at the Munich Security Conference in January. There Gauck had demanded that Germany should "take on more responsibility in the world" and that military engagement should not be excluded.

For fundamental reasons, Schneider is in favor of an exit from nuclear technology. He advocated demonstrations against the Castor transports.

In terms of medical ethics , he advocates a relaxation of existing laws (as of 2010). In the Church, he disapproves of the fact that the current discussion about pre-implantation diagnostics is geared too much towards principles and too little towards the situation of those affected.

Schneider is one of the initiators of the Charter of Fundamental Digital Rights of the European Union , which was published at the end of November 2016. He has been a member of the DFB Ethics Commission since 2016 .

Relationship to Islam

In 2007 he called on Muslims to campaign for Christians to be allowed to build churches, acquire land and form associations in Turkey. He considers the, in his opinion, purely tactical relationship between Muslim associations and the constitution and the secular state to be problematic. He criticized the architects' first draft for the DITIB central mosque in Cologne-Ehrenfeld as imperial and presumptuous. The draft is supposed to express the integrating, serving character of religion. Nor does it have to be that the minarets tower over the tower of a nearby Protestant church. The design should be based on what the majority of the people are willing to accept.

Relationship to Judaism

Nikolaus Schneider at a rally against hatred of Jews in Berlin (September 2014)

In September 2009, Schneider explained in a series of lectures to clarify the positions in Christian-Jewish conversation that mission to the Jews for Christians and the Church is forbidden according to today's understanding of the Bible. He understands that Jews must view any attempt at proselytizing as "a form of persecution of Jews that threatens the existence of the Jewish people". The Church did not take the place of Israel, but was called to stand on the side of Israel. Until the resolution "To renew the relationship between Christians and Jews" in 1980, the Christian theological tradition had been shaped by an anti-Jewish view.

Theology of the cross

Shortly before Easter 2009, Schneider took part in the debate about the meaning of the death of Jesus . In an interview Schneider emphasized: "We find [in the Bible] different interpretations of the cross and the connection between the cross and resurrection." He leaned on the one hand, the doctrine of satisfaction from that emphasizes Jesus' death was necessary to provide adequate redress for to do the violation of the glory of God. On the other hand, he spoke out against an interpretation of the death of Jesus as an Atonement . Jesus "shared" our guilt, but not in our place, that is, "not in the sense of a substitute acceptance of punishment". With this he contradicted the doctrine of the vicarious death of Jesus, which is represented in large parts of Christianity.

Honors

In 2010 he was awarded the European Craft Prize. The Church University of Wuppertal / Bethel awarded Schneider an honorary theological doctorate on October 19, 2011. In 2012 he received the Buber Rosenzweig Medal . In 2013 Schneider received the Leo Baeck Prize awarded by the Central Council of Jews in Germany . In 2014 he was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold with the star for services to the Republic of Austria .

In September 2015 Schneider received the Federal Cross of Merit with a star and shoulder ribbon from Federal President Joachim Gauck .

Fonts

  • with Anne Schneider: When the suffering we bear shows us the way. Life and faith with the death of a loved one. Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2006, ISBN 978-3-7975-0138-7
  • Of earthly hearts and heavenly treasures. Neukirchener Aussaat, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2011, ISBN 978-3-7615-5843-0
  • with Martin Urban and Oswald Huber (cartoons): What can you still believe today? A dispute. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2013, ISBN 978-3-579-08501-2 .
  • Column in the monthly magazine chrismon: " On a word "
as editor

literature

  • Thomas Weckelmann: Nikolaus Schneider - Between theological reflection and political will to shape . In: Michael Klöcker, Udo Tworuschka (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Religionen. Churches and other religious communities in Germany . Landsberg / Munich 1997ff. (I-14.9.12), 39th supplementary delivery 2014, pp. 1–12.

Web links

Commons : Nikolaus Schneider  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikiquote: Nikolaus Schneider  - Quotes

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Dorothea Hülsmeier: President Nikolaus Schneider says goodbye with self-criticism. In: saarbrücker-zeitung.de . Archived from the original on February 17, 2013 ; accessed on September 23, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Käßmann successor wants to get involved in politics. In: Zeit Online . February 25, 2010, accessed September 23, 2019 .
  3. ^ Evangelical Church: EKD chief Schneider resigns. In: Spiegel Online . June 30, 2014, accessed September 23, 2019 .
  4. ↑ EKD boss Schneider announces withdrawal. In: Zeit Online. June 30, 2014, accessed September 23, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Schneider is to be Käßmann's successor. In: Zeit Online . February 28, 2010, accessed June 29, 2020 . Reinhard Bingener: Portrait: President Nikolaus Schneider: Social and convinced . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . February 26, 2010 ( faz.net ).
  6. ↑ Ingo Lehnick: No profit at any price: Rheinischer Praeses Schneider admonishes Christian entrepreneurs. In: Domradio . February 24, 2009, archived from the original on March 1, 2009 ; accessed on June 29, 2020 (epd interview). Thomas Rünker: President Nikolaus Schneider fears more social cold. In: The West . October 7, 2009, accessed June 29, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Announcement for the program Tod für die Welt: Waffen aus Deutschland. Film by Jule Sommer and Udo Kilimann. In: daserste.de. March 16, 2013, archived from the original on March 24, 2013 ; accessed on June 29, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Afghanistan: EKD warns against “Keep it up”. In: fr-online.de . January 26, 2010; Archived from the original on January 31, 2010 ; accessed on June 29, 2020 .
  9. ↑ EKD Council Chairman Schneider: "Military operations can stop violence". In: faz.net . June 26, 2014, accessed June 29, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Reinhard Bingener: In conversation: Nikolaus Schneider: “State benefits are not alms”. In: faz.net. November 6, 2010, accessed June 29, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Atom: Church advocates sit-down blockades by Castor opponents. In: Focus Online . November 9, 2010, accessed June 29, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Reinhard Bingener: The new EKD council chairman: Nikolaus Schneider - a designer with skill. In: faz.net. November 9, 2010, accessed June 29, 2020 .
  13. ^ D: Muslims should promote religious freedom ( memento of October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ; Vatican Radio, May 30, 2007
  14. ↑ Joachim Frank: Kölner Moscheebau - “The architecture is laid out triumphantly” (Interview with Schneider), Kölner Stadtanzeiger, August 30, 2007
  15. ^ D: Praeses against high minarets in Cologne ( Memento of October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ; Vatican Radio, August 31, 2007.
  16. ↑ Praeses Schneider: Mission to Jews is forbidden to the church. In: jesus.de . September 18, 2009, accessed April 6, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Theological dispute - Why did Jesus Christ die on the cross? In: Die Welt, March 23, 2009, accessed on September 19, 2009
  18. ↑ a b c Wolfgang Beiderwieden, Volker Göttsche: God does not need an expiatory sacrifice, because he does not have to be appeased, says Nikolaus Schneider, President of the Rhenish Church ( memento from August 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) ( pdf ; 278 kB; interview with Schneider ), Good Friday, Chrismon plus Rhineland 4/2009, pp. 44–47.
  19. ↑ See the Joint Declaration on Justification ; 1999, section 10.
    For the history and theory of the interpretation of Jesus' atonement, see: Douglas Atchison Campbell: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul. Grand Rapids (Michigan) 2009, pp. 11-221.
  20. ^ Nikolaus Schneider 15th winner of the European Craft Prize in North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalian Crafts Day V., March 7, 2012, accessed March 10, 2015 .
  21. ↑ Laudation to President Nikolaus Schneider ( memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF file; 183 kB) ; evangelisch-wuppertal.de, October 20, 2011
  22. ↑ EKD Council Chairman Schneider receives Leo Baeck Prize 2013 . Press release of the Central Council of Jews in Germany from May 27, 2013; Retrieved July 1, 2014
  23. ↑ Aachener Zeitung, September 15, 2015, p. 2
personal data
SURNAME Schneider, Nicholas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant theologian
DATE OF BIRTH September 3, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Duisburg