Michael Welker

Michael Welker (born November 20, 1947 in Erlangen ) is a German Protestant theologian and professor of systematic theology .

His research focuses on the one hand classic topics of theological dogmatics , biblical theology and on the other hand more recent theological developments of Anglo-Saxon theology and theory formation. He became known u. a. through his publications on the Spirit of God , on Christology , on the subjects of creation and anthropology (also in dialogue with the natural sciences ), Church in pluralism , religion and law , resurrection and Lord's Supper , but also on AN Whitehead and process theology , on Niklas Luhmann and of systems theory .

biography

Michael Welker grew up in West Berlin and in Grünstadt / Palatinate . He was ordained in the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate . In 1973 he received his doctorate in systematic theology in Tübingen ( Moltmann ); 1978 in philosophy in Heidelberg ( Henrich ). In 1980 he completed his habilitation in Tübingen with a thesis on AN Whitehead and process theology. In Tübingen he taught systematic theology as a professor from 1983 to 1987. From 1987 to 1991 he held the Chair for Reformed Theology in Münster , from 1991 to 2013 the Chair for Systematic Theology / Dogmatics in Heidelberg . Since his retirement he has worked as a senior professor for systematic theology and director of the Research Center for International and Interdisciplinary Theology (FIIT) in Heidelberg.

Academic and church activity

Welker is the author and editor of numerous theological works. He was an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Chicago (1984/85) and visiting professor at McMaster University in Canada (1985/86), at Princeton Theological Seminary (1988/89 and 1995/96), at the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton (1997, 1999), and at Harvard Divinity School (2001), at the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge (2008) and at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory Law School in Atlanta (2013). From 1996 to 2006 he was director of the International Science Forum at Heidelberg University (IWH). In 2003 he was offered the position of director of the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) at Princeton. Since 2005 he has been managing director of the Research Center for International and Interdisciplinary Theology (FIIT) in Heidelberg, which he co-founded . Since 2004 he has been a judge at the constitutional court of the EKD .

Since 1984 lecture tours have taken him to the USA, many European countries, Korea , China , South Africa and Brazil . Since 1991 he has held numerous endowed lectures ( Harvard , Princeton, Edinburgh , Beijing , Taipei and others).

In 2016 he gave two lectures at the Worthaus event series in Heidelberg on the subject of Europa Reformata: What do 48 Reformation cities tell us about the concerns of the Reformation? and Luther's groundbreaking Heidelberg disputation and the beginnings of the Reformation .

Honors

The University of Debrecen awarded Welker a Dr. theol. hc off. The South African North-West University in Potchefstroom awarded him the Dr. phil. hc Since 2006 he has been a full member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and the Finnish Academy of Arts and Letters . He received the University Medal from the University of Heidelberg. He has been the recipient of the Karl Barth Prize since 2016 .

Fonts (selection)

Monographs

• The process of autonomy. Philosophical contributions to the insight into theological reception and criticism , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1975.
• The method of Hegel's "Phenomenology of the Spirit" and the function of the section "The Open Religion" , Heidelberg 1978.
• Universality of God and relativity of the world. Theological cosmology in dialogue with American process thinking according to Whitehead (Neukirchener Contributions to Systematic Theology 1), Neukirchen-Vluyn 1981, 2nd ed. 1988.
• Church without a course? On the occasion of the EDK study "Shaping Christianity" , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1987.
• God's spirit. Theology of the Holy Spirit , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1992, 2nd edition 1993, 3rd edition 2005, 4th edition 2010, 5th edition 2013, 6th edition 2015; engl. Translation: God the Spirit , Philadelphia 1994; Italian translation: Lo Spirito di Dio. Teologia dello Spirito Santo , Brescia 1995; korean. Translation Seoul 1995; Japan. Translation Tokyo 2007; Portuguese translation São Leopoldo 2010.
• Church in Pluralism , Gütersloh 1995, 2nd edition 2000; Chinese translation Beijing 2010.
• Creation and Reality (Neukirchen Contributions to Systematic Theology 13), Neukirchen-Vluyn 1995; engl. Translation: Creation and Reality. Theological and Biblical Perspectives. Warfield Lectures 1991 , Philadelphia 1999; Hungarian translation: Teremtés és valóság , Budapest 2007.
• Themes of theology. Biblically founded and time-related [Korean-language anthology with Welker's essays], Seoul 1998.
• What is going on with the sacrament? , Stuttgart 1999, 2., ext. Gütersloh 2004, 3rd edition 2005, 4th edition 2012, 5th edition 2014; engl. Translation: What Happens in Holy Communion? , London 2000, americ. Grand Rapids 2000 edition, 2nd edition 2004; korean. Translation Seoul 2000; Norwegian translation: Hva skjer i nattverden? Oslo 2003; Italian translation: Che cosa avviene nella Cena del Signore? , Turin 2004; Croat. Translation: Sto se dogada pri Veceri Gospodnjoj? , Zagreb 2006; Hungarian translation: Mi történik az úrvacsorában? , Debrecen 2013.
• Christianity and pluralism. The forces of renewal in biblical theology , Moscow 2001.
• (together with John Polkinghorne ) Faith in the Living God. A Dialogue , London 2001; americ. Philadelphia 2001 edition; German translation: Believe in the living God. A conversation , Gütersloh 2005; Chinese translation Beijing 2006; korean. Translation Seoul 2007.
• Reformed Theology. Profile and Promise. Mackay Lectures , Taipei 2006.
• (together with Berndt Hamm) The Reformation. Potentials of Freedom , Tübingen 2008.
• Theological profiles. Schleiermacher - Barth - Bonhoeffer - Moltmann (Edition Chrismon), Frankfurt am Main 2009.
• The Theology and Science Dialogue. What Can Theology Contribute? Expanded version of the Taylor Lectures Yale Divinity School 2009 (Theological impulses 3), Neukirchen-Vluyn 2012.
• God's revelation. Christologie , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2012, 2nd edition 2012, 3rd edition 2016; engl. Translation Grand Rapids 2014; korean. Translation Seoul 2015, 2nd edition 2015.
• Multi-perspective and biblically oriented research on today's theological topics [Korean-language anthology with Welker's essays], ed. by Kim Jae Jin, Seoul 2015.

Editorships

• Discussion of Jürgen Moltmann's book "Der crucified God" , Munich 1979.
• Theology and functional systems theory. Luhmann's sociology of religion in theological discussion , Frankfurt am Main 1985.
• (together with Hermann Deuser, Gerhard M. Martin and Konrad Stock) God's future - future of the world. Jürgen Moltmann on his 60th birthday , Munich 1986.
• (together with Bernd Janowski) Yearbook for Biblical Theology , Vol. 1: Unity and Diversity of Biblical Theology , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1986, 2nd edition 1988, 3rd edition 1991.
• (together with Bernd Janowski) Yearbook for Biblical Theology , Vol. 6: Old Testament and Christian Faith , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1991.
• (together with Werner Krawietz) Critique of the theory of social systems. Discussions with Luhmann's main work , Frankfurt am Main 1992, 2nd edition 1998.
• (together with Sigrid Brandt and Marjorie Suchocki) Sin. A topic that has become incomprehensible , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1997, 2nd edition 2005.
• Focus on diakonia. Rudolf Weth on his 60th birthday , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1997, 2nd edition 1999; korean. Translation Seoul 2004.
• (together with Jan Assmann and Bernd Janowski) Justice. Judging and saving in the occidental tradition and its ancient oriental origins , Munich 1998.
• (together with Bernd Janowski) Yearbook for Biblical Theology , Vol. 12: Biblical Hermeneutics , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1998.
• (together with David Willis) On the future of Reformed theology. Tasks - Topics - Traditions , Neukirchen-Vluyn 1998; engl. Translation: Toward the Future of Reformed Theology. Tasks, Topics, Traditions , Grand Rapids 1999.
• (together with John Polkinghorne) The End of the World and the Ends of God. Science and Theology on Eschatology , Harrisburg 2000, 2nd ed. 2000; korean. Translation Seoul 2002; Chinese translation Hong Kong 2010.
• (together with Bernd Janowski) victim. Theological and cultural contexts , Frankfurt am Main 2000.
• (together with Wilfried Härle and Heinz Schmidt) That is Christian. Reflecting on the essence of Christianity , Gütersloh 2000.
• (together with Berndt Hamm) Yearbook for Biblical Theology , Vol. 15: Human dignity , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2001.
• (together with Hans-Joachim Eckstein) The Reality of Resurrection , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2002, 2nd edition 2004, 3rd edition 2007, 4th edition 2010.
• (together with Klaus-Peter Köpping and Reiner Wiehl) The autonomous person - a European invention? , Munich 2002.
• (together with Ted Peters and Robert Russell) Resurrection. Theological and Scientific Assessments , Grand Rapids 2002.
• (together with Wallace Alston) Reformed Theology. Identity and Ecumenicity , Grand Rapids 2003.
• (together with Cynthia A. Jarvis) Loving God with one's mind. The pastor as theologian (Festschrift for Wallace Alston), Grand Rapids 2004.
• (together with Manfred Oeming and Konrad Schmid) The Old Testament and the culture of modernity. Contributions to the symposium "The Old Testament and Modern Culture" on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Gerhard von Rad (1901–1971) (Old Testament and Modern 8), Münster et al. 2004.
• (together with Paul Hanson and Bernd Janowski) Biblical theology. Contributions to the symposium "The Old Testament and Modern Culture" on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Gerhard von Rad (1901–1971) (Old Testament and Modernism 14), Münster et al. 2005.
• (together with Friedrich Schweitzer) Reconsidering the Boundaries Between Theological Disciplines / To redefine the boundaries between theological disciplines (Theology. Research and Science 8), Münster et al. 2005.
• (together with Miroslav Volf) The living God as a Trinity. Jürgen Moltmann on his 80th birthday , Gütersloh 2006; engl. Translation: God's Life in Trinity , Philadelphia 2006.
• The work of the spirit. Pneumatology and Pentecostalism , Grand Rapids 2006.
• (together with Michael Wolter) Yearbook for Biblical Theology , Vol. 21: God and Money , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2007.
• (together with Wallace Alston) Reformed Theology. Identity and Ecumenicity II. Biblical Interpretation in the Reformed Tradition , Grand Rapids 2007.
• (together with Peter Meusburger and Edgar Wunder) Clashes of Knowledge. Orthodoxies and Heterodoxies in Science and Religion (Klaus Tschira Symposia - Knowledge and Space 1), New York 2008.
• (according to Helmut Schwier) Creation: believe - praise - act. Sermons and reflections on nature and creation (impulses from the Heidelberg University Church. Theology - Spirituality - Ethics 1), Heidelberg 2010.
• (together with Francis Schüssler Fiorenza and Klaus Tanner) Political Theology. Recent history and potentials (Theological Impetus 1), Neukirchen-Vluyn 2011.
• (together with Michael Weinrich and Ulrich Möller) Calvin Today. Reformed Theology and the Future of the Church , London / New York 2011.
• The Spirit in Creation and New Creation. Science and Theology in Western and Orthodox Realms , Cambridge 2012; americ. Edition: Grand Rapids 2012; Russian translation Moscow 2013.
• (together with Gregor Etzelmüller) Concepts of Law in the Sciences, Legal Studies, and Theology (Religion in Philosophy and Theology 72), Tübingen 2013.
• (together with Marlene Schwöbel-Hug and Ulrich Löffler) Heidelberger G / believe. 450 years after the Heidelberg Catechism was published , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2013.
• (together with Jürgen von Hagen) Money as God? The Monetization of the Market and its Impact on Religion, Politics, Law, and Ethics , Cambridge 2014.
• The Science and Religion Dialogue. Past and Future , Frankfurt am Main et al. 2014.
• The Depth of the Human Person. A Multidisciplinary Approach , Grand Rapids 2014.
• Quests for Freedom. Biblical - Historical - Contemporary , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2015.
• (together with William Schweiker) Images of the Divine and Cultural Orientations. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Voices , Leipzig 2015.
• (together with Gabrielle Oberhänsli-Widmer) Yearbook for Biblical Theology , Vol. 29: Love , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2015.
• (together with Michael Beintker and Albert de Lange) Europa reformata. Reformation cities of Europe and their reformers , Leipzig 2016; engl. Translation: Europa reformata. European reformation cities and their reformers , Leipzig 2016.

Web links

• Digital bibliography by Michael Welker
• Literature by and about Michael Welker in the catalog of the German National Library
• Homepage of Michael Welker at the University of Heidelberg
• FIIT Heidelberg website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://worthaus.org/