Rudolf Thaut

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Rudolf Thaut (1979)

Rudolf Thaut (born March 7, 1915 in Kiel ; † January 15, 1982 in Alfter ) was a Baptist theologian who worked in the German Baptist Union ( Bund Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher Gemeinde ) as well as within the European Baptist Federation (EBF) and in the Baptist World Federation ( Baptist World Alliance / BWA) held high church offices.

Life

Rudolf Thaut came from an Evangelical-Free Church pastor family . His father was the former miner and later Baptist pastor Ernst Alfred Thaut (1887–1953), his mother was his wife Minna Louise Gardeike (1893–1959).

After graduating from high school , Thaut decided to pursue a commercial apprenticeship and then embarked on an officer career . He returned from the Second World War seriously wounded . The political and personal breakup aroused the basic question of the meaning of life in the young Thaut. He sought the answer in philosophy and theology. He enrolled at the Church University of Hamburg and received his doctorate in 1949 with the dissertation Zeit. History. Eternity. At Bonaventure . to the Dr. phil. After a candidate period at the Theological Seminary in Hamburg-Horn, the Evangelical Free Church of Mannheim called him to be their pastor. In 1955 he followed a call as pastor of the Evangelical Free Church in Munich. Surprisingly for the congregation, he was appointed director of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in Bad Homburg in 1959. Since 1978 he has lived in retirement in Alfter near Bonn. He was buried in the Aumühl cemetery near Hamburg.

Act

Thaut (2nd from right) at the ecumenical service on the occasion of the opening of the Bonn Federal Horticultural Show in 1979

Rudolf Thaut's special focus was on the one hand the opening of his free church to ecumenical work and on the other hand the introduction of the free church characteristics ( ecclesiology , baptism , separation of church and state ) into the interdenominational discussion. Its numerous fields of activity can only be shown here in a table; he worked among other things:

  • within the German Baptist Union
    • 1949–1960 as head of the student work of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches - in addition to his service as parish pastor in Mannheim (1949–1955) and Munich (1955–1959)
    • 1959–1967 as managing director of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches with headquarters in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe
    • 1967–1978 as rector of the theological seminar in Hamburg-Horn and at the same time lecturer in practical theology
  • in the international Baptist governing bodies
    • 1960–1975 as a member of the Executive Committee of the Baptist World Federation; from 1970 to 1975 he was also its vice-president
    • 1964–1970 as a member of the Executive Committee of the European Baptist Federation; from 1968 he was its president

He took part in the theological talks between the Reformed and the Baptist World Federation from 1973 to 1977.

family

Rudolf Thaut had been married to the Erfurt- born teacher Irmgard Schostak (1920–2002) since 1943 . The marriage resulted in three children: Irmingard, Dorothea († November 25, 2018) and Michael. Michael Thaut is an American music and neuroscientist and co-founder of the folk group Fiedel Michel .

Works (selection)

  • Time. History. Eternity. At Bonaventure . Hamburg 1949.
  • On earth under God. Three lectures published on behalf of the student work of the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany. Kassel 1956.
  • Awakening inheritance and mission of the Church of Jesus Christ today. In: Die Gemeinde 1967, Nr. 31–34
  • Pastor service in the free church community. In: Beyond Zero? (Festschrift Kurt Scharf), edited by R. Weckerling, Stuttgart 1972, pp. 97-104
  • The theological foundations and conclusions of a Baptist World Federation. In: Wort und Tat 27/1973, pp. 363–371
  • The theological contribution of the free churches. In: Hans-Beat Motel (Ed.): Limbs in one body. The free churches in self-portrayals. Konstanz 1975, pp. 9-38.
  • The relationship between theology and church leadership in democratic church structures. In: Theology and Church Management (Festschrift Martin Fischer ), published by vW Erk u. a., Munich 1976, pp. 255-261.
  • Church and Mission. In: Blickpunkt Gemeinde 5/1979, pp. 3–8.
  • The seminar as a federal work. In: Festschrift 100 Years of Theological Seminar 1880–1980, Wuppertal and Kassel 1980, pp. 9–18.
  • TRE Vol. V, 1980: Art. Baptists. Pp. 190-197 (with John David Hughey).

literature

  • Roland Fleischer: Rudolf Thaut in his writings. In: Theological Conversation No. 1. 1984, pp. 5–12.
  • Roland Fleischer: Bibliography Rudolf Thaut (1980) supplemented 1982, revised 2005 (11 pages), Elstal library.
  • Frank Fornacon: Biographical Article Rudolf Thaut. In: One Lord - One Faith - One Baptism. 150 years of Baptist churches in Germany. Wuppertal and Kassel 1984, p. 364, ISBN 3-7893-7883-6 .
  • Roland Fleischer: Rudolf Thaut in memory. In: Festschrift 125 Years of Theological Seminar (Theological Discussion, Supplement 6), Kassel 2005, pp. 50–52.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ H. Meyer u. a .: Documents of increasing consistency . Volume I. Paderborn 1983 (2nd revised edition: 1991). Pp. 102-122.
  2. ↑ FAZ.net: Paths of Life: Dr. Dorothea-Maria Ludewig, b. Thaut ; accessed on December 1, 2018
predecessor Office successor
Paul Schmidt Federal Director / General Secretary of the
Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany
1960 - 1967 		Gerhard Claas
personal data
SURNAME Thaut, Rudolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Baptist clergyman
DATE OF BIRTH March 7, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Kiel
DATE OF DEATH January 15, 1982
Place of death Alfter