Wilhelm F. Kasch

Wilhelm F. Kasch in the Kiel council assembly after the local elections in 1966

Wilhelm Friedrich Kasch (born February 1, 1921 in Nordhackstedt ; † October 1, 1983 in Starnberg ) was a German Evangelical Lutheran theologian with a doctorate and postdoctoral qualification , most recently full professor for " Evangelical theology with a focus on systematic theology and contemporary theological issues" at the university Bayreuth , who was also teaching at the theological faculty of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg .

Live and act

Kasch was born as the son of the pastor Lic. Theol. Heinrich Kasch and his wife Martha, b. Köster. In 1927 and 1928 he attended the one-class elementary school in Nordhackstedt, and from 1928 to 1933 the elementary school in Leck , where his father had become provost . After Easter 1933 he was accepted into the quarters of the old grammar school in Flensburg .

In autumn 1933 his father was deposed as provost in Leck during the church fight and took over a pastor's position in Kiel -St. Jurgen. Kasch attended the Kiel School of Academics from 1933 to 1939 , where he passed his school leaving examination at Easter 1939.

In 1939 he did labor and military service in a construction company in Poland . January 2, 1940 to February 1, 1941, he studied 3½ trimester theology in Erlangen . From 1941 to 1945 he did military service . His last rank was Lieutenant ( MA ) in the reserve.

After the war he resumed studying theology in Kiel in the winter semester 1945/46. On April 6, 1946, he married the medical student Lieselotte Gallisch in Pegnitz . On February 24, 1947, their daughter Maria Christine was born, who died on May 13, 1947 after less than three months of life. The other five children, Klaus, Brigitte, Susanne, Jens and Jörg went their own professional and family paths over the years.

Kasch became administrator in 1948 and, after completing his doctorate in 1952, held the position of academic assistant at the theological seminar at Kiel University . In 1953 he passed his parish exam and was ordained pastor .

Influenced by the Confessing Church and his youthful experiences from the Nazi era, Kasch was politically active. He joined the still young CDU because he was just as convinced by its Christian ecumenical foundation as by the anti-ideological stance that followed. His aim was to implement Christian freedom in everyday matters in a politically responsible manner out of a bondage in faith. In addition to his academic work, Kasch was also involved in local politics.

From 1955 to 1966 was Kasch councilor in Kiel and at times the first deputy mayor and city council . He was an honorary head of the cultural affairs department and in this function was jointly responsible for the creation of the open-air museum in Molfsee .

In 1960, Kasch completed his habilitation in the entire field of systematic theology and was appointed adjunct professor at the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel in 1965 . In 1965 he was awarded the Freiherr vom Stein Medal by the Minister of the Interior of Schleswig-Holstein.

His mother Martha Kasch, widowed since 1941, was the director of the Theological Study House in Kiel Monastery in the 1950s and 1960s and was awarded the University Medal of the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel . She moved to Nemschenreuth near Pegnitz with her son's family when he accepted a call to Bayreuth in 1966 .

In 1966, Kasch was appointed to the chair for Protestant religious teaching and education at the Bayreuth University of Education . Since 1969, Kasch held a visiting professorship at the former University of Education and today's Catholic University of Eichstätt .

As a theological teacher he was determined by the question of the credibility of the Christian message under the conditions of modernity . He was determined by the conviction that the fascination of Christ in his teaching, healing and suffering also provides an inviting, understandable concept of God for modern thinking .

In 1973 Kasch set up a research center for research into problems of religious socialization at the University of Bayreuth . The aim was to research the relevance of the Christian faith as a factor in social awareness and the social consequences of secularization .

In 1977 he founded the interdisciplinary and international “Bayreuth Colloquium on Problems of Religious Socialization” (BK-PRS) together with University President Klaus Dieter Wolff . Topic of the first conference: "De-Christianization and religious desocialization" (BK-PRS 1):

“The program of the Bayreuth Colloquium is to confirm the diagnosis that society, science, politics, the economy on the one hand and Christian faith on the other are getting into a crisis and in dialogue with the sciences concerned to create approaches to overcome them on problems of religious socialization '. That this is a conservative program is ... obvious. It's not about emancipation and changing structures, not about creating ideal conditions for humanity, but about the meaningful integration of society into science, politics, economy and faith. It is about preserving the personality of the human being through the promise of transcendently founded freedom in his conditions. It is about restoring the freedom and competence of reason against irrational and ideological fears. And it is about an appropriate ethic that endures the frustrations of a differentiated society. ... "

- Klaus Kasch

The Bayreuth Colloquium was a remarkable attempt to reconcile the Federal Republican society in a phase of critical transition from its Christian roots with its growing plurality and differentiation.

The topics of the other annual meetings:

• 1978: "Money and Faith" (BK-PRS 2)
• 1979: "Christian Faith and Political Radicalism"
• 1980: "Faith and Work"
• 1981: "Faith and common good" (BK-PRS 4)
• 1983: "Peace and Faith" (BK-PRS 3)

In 1979, Kasch's chair was renamed “Chair for Protestant Theology with a focus on systematic theology and contemporary theological issues”. In the same year, Kasch took part in the founding of the “Family-Christ-School” association, which set itself the goal of presenting the importance and performance of the Christian faith for social order in the problem areas of family and school. Kasch had been the chairman of the scientific advisory board of the association since 1980. Even in 1979 Kasch was appointed to the “Church and State” commission of the regional executive committee of the Christian Social Union ( CSU ).

In 1980, Kasch was co-opted into the state executive committee of the CSU. He died in 1983 at the age of 62.

evaluation

“The first of the terms that appear to me to be characteristic of Wilhelm Kasch as a person is that of conciliation , which I perceive in the sense of 'friendly, even amicable accommodation'. I believe that I noticed this council, which always includes tolerance for those who think differently and thus a pronounced liberality, both in his everyday dealings with fellow human beings and in the academic and university-political disputation. Such, however, only in the form, but not in the matter in which I always saw him defend his scientific and scientific-political findings, insights and intentions with firmness and determination.

The second key concept, in my opinion, is that of integration . Wilhelm Kasch always strives for an integrative effect in his own way. This less in the sense of representing a consensus-building leading figure - the rough edges of this personality are too pronounced for that. Not even in the sense that the lack of firm and unchangeable core beliefs would allow him to negotiate weak compromises. On the contrary - as a person, scientist and university politician, Wilhelm Kasch has almost unshakable convictions for which he is ready to fight and which he wants to enforce with persuasive power. He has an integrative effect through the aforementioned council, through his endeavors to build argumentative bridges for those who think differently, for opponents and partners in the discussion, through his striving for compromises that are sustainable for all.

And finally, the concept of universality is characteristic for him . As a theologian he sees himself quite consciously - and this is characteristic in this context - as a scientist. This means avoiding dogmatic stipulations, being open to new scientific findings, being prepared to revise if this proves necessary, and finally also striving to constantly explore new, unknown realms. In the person of Wilhelm Kasch, universality means that he embodies not only the scientist and the “cleric” but also the politician, that he knows how to represent different, role-related modes of thinking and behavior equally convincingly. In this sense, universality means to successfully integrate many social roles into a coherent social person. "

- Klaus Dieter Wolff

Works

Qualification scripts

• Dissertation : Studies on the problem of the historical-critical interpretation of the New Testament . (Theology) Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, 1952
• Habilitation : Ernst Troeltsch's social philosophy . (Systematic Theology) Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, 1960

Monographs (selection)

• A symphony of relaxing thoughts on the story of creation . 2 volumes, 1953
• Atheist Humanism and Christian Existence in the Present , 1964
• Martin Luther , 1967
• Crisis of the Church - Yesterday and Today , 1971

Bayreuth Colloquium on Problems of Religious Socialization

• Volume 1: De-Christianization and religious desocialization , Paderborn: Schöningh 1978
• Volume 2: Money and Belief , Paderborn 1979
• Volume 3: Peace and Faith. On the religious, ethical and anthropological prerequisites for politics to ensure peace in the age of globally effective weapons of mass destruction and ideologically organized power blocs , Paderborn 1983; in this:
  • Foreword (pp. 5–7)
  • World peace and the peace of Christ. Comments on theology's competence in peace policy (pp. 237–255)
  • Short biography of Wilhelm F. Kasch (p. 314 f.)
  • Appreciation of the person and work of Professor Wilhelm F. Kasch. Commemorative words of the funeral service in the parish church of Pegnitz on October 5, 1983 (pp. 332–337, with contributions by Johannes Friedrich Meister , Klaus Dieter Wolff , Karl Hillermeier )
• Volume 4: Faith and Common Good , Paderborn 1986 (posthumously).

literature

• Klaus Dieter Wolff (Ed.): Faith and Society. Festschrift for Wilhelm F. Kasch , Bayreuth 1981; therein u. a .:
  • "Man and the scientist". Foreword by the editor to the Festschrift for Wilhelm F. Kasch (pp. XI – XIV): “The basic intention of the Festschrift was to include all those groups that Wilhelm Kasch brought together through his person in his daily work and in his fundamental scientific concerns bring together. The contributions from the Protestant and Catholic Church, from Protestant social ethics, from social and economic sciences, from politics, from academic teaching and, last but not least, from the circle of family and old friends form a unique, extremely differentiated one but in view of the specific characteristics of the person and scientist Wilhelm Kasch a coherent and coherent whole, in which both the human traits and the main scientific concerns of Wilhelm Kasch come to the fore. "
  • Biography Wilhelm F. Kasch (pp. XXIII – XXIV)
  • Klaus Kasch: The fascination of the Redeemer. Basic lines of the theology of Wilhelm F. Kasch (pp. 1–20)
  • Susanne Kasch: Bibliography Wilhelm F. Kasch (pp. 551–554)

Web links

• Literature by and about Wilhelm F. Kasch in the catalog of the German National Library
• Kiel list of scholars

Individual evidence

1. ↑ This and the following biographical information from Wolff (ed.): Glaube und Gesellschaft , 1981, pp. XXIII – XXIV.
2. ↑ Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel: Personnel and course catalog summer semester 1971 , p. 4.
3. ^ From the Festschrift for Wilhelm F. Kasch, p. 19.
4. ↑ From the editor's foreword to the Festschrift for Wilhelm F. Kasch , pp. XI – XII.