Between autonomy and dependency
Between Autonomy and Dependency ( official title : "Between Autonomy and Dependency - Strengthening the Family as a Reliable Community" ), also known as the EKD Family Writing , EKD Orientation Guide or Model of Marriage and Family , is an orientation guide of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD ) on the subject of family .
In the orientation guide, the EKD calls for all forms of family to be recognized and strengthened. The orientation aid also includes blended families and homosexual partnerships . In addition, the paper is intended to give Christians and pastors of the Protestant regional churches help for church teaching and practice. The orientation guide was presented on June 19, 2013 by the EKD Council Chairman Nikolaus Schneider in Berlin at a press conference. The authors assume that traditional marriage has lost its role model. The model is no longer the institution, but the way of living together. The core of the orientation aid is the idea that the normative is replaced by the ideal . The Protestant Church now sees its primary task in ensuring that people come closer to the ideal of a reliable, caring, equal and fair partnership.
The EKD Council reacted to persistent, violent criticism by convening a conference to revise the orientation guide and to advise on how to proceed.
content
The orientation aid recognizes marriage in general in its intention.
“The Evangelical Church appreciates marriage as a special support and help based on reliability, mutual recognition and love. At the same time, it is required to strengthen other justice-oriented family constellations as well as the caring coexistence of families and partnerships - even in their failure - to strengthen them and to include them in the church's blessing. "
The authors take the view that in the modern age family no longer consists exclusively of father, mother and children.
"All family relationships in which people freely and reliably bond to each other, take responsibility for each other and treat each other with care and respect, must be able to rely on the support of the Protestant Church."
“Our image of the family has expanded in recent years: Family - these are still parents (one parent or two) with their biological, adopted or foster children, perhaps extended to include the generation of grandparents. Family, but also the so-called patchwork families that arise through divorce and remarriage, the childless couple with the very old mother in need of care and the same-sex couple with the children from a first relationship. "
From the theological point of view of the authors, same-sex partnerships are equivalent to traditional Christian marriage.
"Throughout the biblical testimony, the" basic tone "sounds above all the call for a reliable, loving and responsible togetherness, for a loyalty that corresponds to the loyalty of God. If one reads the Bible from this basic conviction, then same-sex partnerships, in which people commit themselves to a binding and responsible coexistence, are to be recognized as equal also from a theological point of view. If homosexual people use the legal possibility of a registered partnership today, then, like heterosexual people, publicly declare their will to bind themselves permanently to one another and to bear responsibility for one another when they get married. "
In addition, the authors appeal to the vow of loyalty that the bride and groom imposes on themselves through the wedding liturgy.
“What God has put together should not divide man”: With the agende, the church reminds in every wedding service of the great happiness of finding a partner for life and of starting a family together, and of the importance of loyalty, patience and willingness to forgive for love. To be made for one another and to belong together "forever", that corresponds to the attitude towards life of the couples at their wedding; against all experiences of breaking relationships, childlessness and living apart, the words of the dreamer are like a protective wall for loyalty and stability. "
In addition, the authors call for a rethink about the family image that has prevailed up to now.
"In view of the far-reaching social and cultural change, the church is also called upon to rethink the family and to recognize and support the new diversity of private ways of life without bias."
Emergence
A commission consisting of 14 members (10 women, 4 men) drafted the orientation guide. The chairman is the former Federal Family Minister Christine Bergmann (SPD). The committee includes Ute Gerhard (Frankfurt am Main), the EKD church councilors Kristin Bergmann and Cornelia Coenen-Marx (both from Hanover), regional bishop Susanne Breit-Keßler (Munich), Kerstin Feldhoff (Münster), church president Volker Jung (Darmstadt), Deaconry director Susanne Kahl-Passoth (Berlin), the chairman of the Evangelical Working Group for Elderly Work Jens-Peter Kruse (Hanover), theology professor Stefanie Schardien (Hildesheim), lawyer Bernd Schlüter (Berlin), the managing director of the Evangelical Action Group for Family Issues , Insa Schoeningh ( Berlin), the professor for gender sensitive social work, Barbara Thiessen (Landshut) and the graduate social scientist Rainer Volz (Düsseldorf).
Reactions
The publication of the orientation guide led to a discussion within the Protestant regional churches, free-church and evangelical organizations, the Roman Catholic Church and the media about the theological standpoints of Scripture and thus the EKD.
Protestantism
The chairman of the largest Protestant association of regional church communities, the Evangelical Gnadauer Community Association, which is considered to be evangelical, Michael Diener , sees in the orientation guide a noticeable devaluation of the so-called “bourgeois understanding of marriage and family” as well as a rejection of any “normative understanding of marriage as divine Foundation "or" natural order of creation ". Diener sees the paper as a pure adaptation to social developments. The references to “patchwork constellations” in Abraham, Sarah and Hagar or to siblings like Maria and Martha living together as a family diversity in the biblical tradition would be set against a singular understanding of “marriage” as a responsible and permanent connection between man and woman . The polarity of man and woman according to the creation becomes the general “dependence on a counterpart”. Biblical passages that cite the orientation aid as "tender relationships between men" were used without textual evidence to relativize the biblical statements about practiced homosexuality as a sin. Diener accuses the commission of “ hermeneutic and theological one-sidedness”, since in the entire biblical tradition the polarity of the relationship between man and woman is considered to be creational and constitutive.
The Saxon regional bishop and deputy EKD council chairman Jochen Bohl remarked on the EKD's change of course that there are very same-sex partnerships in which people are reliable and committed to each other, which deserves unreserved respect. However, he emphasized the model character of marriage, in which he sees the basic and exemplary form of the coexistence of man and woman according to the will of God.
Bishop Markus Dröge welcomed the EKD's guidance, but criticized the lack of theological clarity. The paper would describe more than determine, tell more than position, raise more questions than provide answers. He judged the passages in the Bible that spoke of "tender relationships between men" to be unsuitable in order to counterbalance the passages in the Bible that described homosexuality as a sin. The criticism of homosexuality in the Bible is the criticism of the abuse of pleasure boys. Paul did not have the communities lived today in mutual responsibility in view.
Ralf Meister , regional bishop of the Hanoverian Church, defended the EKD's position paper on the family and acknowledged it as a statement in the prosthetic-liberal spirit, which strengthens marriage as a central role in the family image in society. The traditional distribution of roles between men and women, which has shaped marriage and the image of the family for centuries, cannot be derived from the Bible.
The Chairman of the Council of the EKD, Nikolaus Schneider, resisted criticism of the position paper on family policy and said that there was no change of course, nor did the EKD say goodbye to the ideal of long-term marriage. However, in future it should no longer be the status of a relationship that counts, but its quality. In connection with the orientation aid, Schneider spoke of an urgently needed change of perspective. The Protestant Church cannot and should not close itself off from social reality. Schneider took the view that neither a narrow understanding of marriage as a “divine foundation” nor a traditional division of roles between man and woman could be derived from the Bible and Protestant theology.
The regional bishop of the Württemberg regional church, Frank Otfried July , sees the orientation aid as a remarkable document. So you don't draw an ideal art picture, but provide a detailed description of life situations and living conditions. He complained that the institutional character of marriage had been silently abandoned. July sees the so-called classical family not being respected enough, and many Christians in his regional church felt disoriented by the EKD paper. In his opinion, a process that includes consultations in the regional churches, synods and parish councils is better suited to achieve a widely supported orientation.
The chairman of the Württemberg "Christ Movement Living Community", Ralf Albrecht , sees the orientation aid as a devaluation of marriage and family. The Bavarian regional bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm assesses the new orientation aid positively, there is an unfounded fear that the marriage will be devalued. Rather, the ethical standards that give marriage its lasting importance as a model should apply as an orientation for all forms of life. This is the concern of the EKD orientation aid. If, for example, people in same-sex partnerships promise one another love and loyalty, from the point of view of Christian ethics this can only be a pleasure.
Ulrich Fischer , regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in Baden, defends the orientation aid and sees it as a "huge advertisement for having the courage to have a family, to have children, to start a family and to take responsibility". He could not see a weakening of the family or a comparative validity of marriage in the paper. The orientation aid takes into account that the family has changed in its social form. Accordingly, evangelical ethics should not be restricted to an ideal of marriage and family from the 1950s and 1960s. Civil marriage is opposed to other forms of family coexistence.
The then chairman of the "Christ Movement Baden", Pastor Hermann Traub , sees the EKD paper as undermining the protection of marriage and family provided for in the Basic Law. Also Tabea Dölker , of Württemberg EKD Council member, had distanced itself from the guide.
The Bishop of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK), Hans-Jörg Voigt (Hanover), responded with a pastoral word to the guidance given by the EKD Council on the family. According to Voigt, uncertainty has now "reached the inner realm of the churches". He encourages young people in particular to “get involved in marriage and starting a family with children”. Voigt emphasizes that according to the Lutheran understanding, marriage is indissoluble. Jesus himself affirmed this. The church cannot go back behind this biblical claim, although situations are possible in which a divorce is the “lesser evil”. Church cannot bless same-sex couples. The fact that she treats people who feel homosexual with respect and love and also takes a stand against their discrimination is "the fruit and consequence of Christ's winning love that applies to all people".
According to Wolfgang Huber , the former council chairman of the EKD, the orientation aid cannot claim sole representation within the Protestant understanding.
Ecumenism
The Vatican advisor Wilhelm Imkamp sees the orientation aid “entirely in line with Luther's”, as it evaluates marriage in Luther's sense as a purely “worldly thing” and not as a sacrament .
The Catholic Ruhr bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck sees the orientation aid as a danger to ecumenism . In his opinion, an ecumenical rift has been opened. The agreement of the Protestant and Catholic Church on many ethical issues is also history. With regard to abortion, the understanding of marriage and the family, different points of view are represented, but in a “world that is increasingly distant from God”, a common ecumenical witness is important.
Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer sees the need for protection of marriage and family in question through the guidance. The change of course of the EKD represents a danger for the ecumenical movement, since the Evangelical Church is turning away from the biblical view of men and women.
The then Catholic Bishop of Limburg and chairman of the family commission of the German Bishops' Conference , Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst , criticized the guidance provided by the EKD and expressed the concern of the German bishops about how the EKD contributed to a relativization of a lifelong faithful marriage . Marriage and family lived in a Christian way are increasingly becoming a contrasting way of life.
politics
The state chairman of the Evangelical Working Group of the CSU, Christian Schmidt , sees the orientation aid as an adaptation to the spirit of the times, which is far removed from Martin Luther's theology .
Christian Meißner , the federal managing director of the Evangelical Working Group (EAK) of the CDU / CSU, opposed the relativization of marriage. From the point of view of the Union, the lifelong marriage of man and woman should be understood as a gift from God, which must be made clear. Marriage deserves priority, with all due respect for other forms of family and life.
The Vice President of the EKD Synod , the former Bavarian Prime Minister Günther Beckstein (CSU), considers it problematic that the orientation aid neglects the importance of an institution such as marriage. It is not enough to define them only in terms of content. In addition, the theological justification for lifelong marriage is "very poor".
Continue work
On September 28, 2013, a theological symposium of the EKD Council took place in the French Friedrichstadtkirche in Berlin . This conference was aimed at reflecting on the widely discussed and at times heavily criticized orientation guide “Between autonomy and dependency - strengthening the family as a reliable community” . After an introduction by the chairman of the council of Ev. Church in Germany (EKD) Nikolaus Schneider followed Professor Wilfried Härle ( University of Heidelberg ) with "a critical statement with constructive intent" and further statements by Professor Klaus Tanner (University of Heidelberg) and Professor Friedrich Wilhelm Horn ( University of Mainz ). In addition, Professor Christine Gerber ( University of Hamburg ) gave a lecture on the question "How do marriage and family ethics become" Scriptural "?" (Working title: A Consent to Orientation Guide). At the beginning of 2014, the ad hoc commission on sexual ethics was asked to stop its work for the time being. The EKD Council justified its decision by stating that the results of the commission's work no longer had to be dealt with conclusively in the current term of office.
Web links
- Between autonomy and dependency: strengthening the family as a reliable community
- A web overview of the EKD orientation aid Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community
- Theological symposium of the Council of the EKD on the orientation aid "Between autonomy and dependency - strengthening the family as a reliable community"
- EKD documentation of the debate about the orientation aid
Individual evidence
- ↑ Traditional marriage has had its day as a model , Süddeutsche Zeitung (online) of June 20, 2013
- ^ Benjamin Lassiwe: Distance to the family paper , in: Weser-Kurier of September 9, 2013, accessed on September 20, 2013
- ↑ Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community. An orientation aid from the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, page 143
- ↑ Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community. An orientation aid from the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, page 141
- ↑ Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community. An orientation aid from the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, page 22
- ↑ Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community. An orientation aid from the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, page 67
- ↑ Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community. An orientation aid from the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, page 55
- ↑ Between autonomy and dependency: Strengthening the family as a reliable community. An orientation aid from the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, page 141
- ^ Members of the ad hoc commission ( Memento from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), EKD homepage
- ↑ Declaration on the orientation aid of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany “Between Autonomy and Dependency. Strengthening the family as a reliable community " ( Memento from January 18, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), Dr. Michael Diener, Evangelischer Gnadauer Gemeinschaftverband eV, Kassel, June 19, 2013
- ↑ Andreas Roth: "die-ehe-corresponds-dem-willen-gottes" Marriage corresponds to the will of God ( Memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Regional Bishop Jochen Bohl emphasizes the concept of marriage in the dispute over an EKD paper , Sunday 4th July 2013
- ↑ Too little clarity ( memento of August 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Bishop Dr. Markus Dröge, Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
- ↑ REPORT IN THE PROTESTANT-FREEDOM SPIRIT ( Memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Regional Bishop Meister defends Protestant family paper, Evangelical newspaper for the churches in Lower Saxony, June 21, 2013
- ↑ EKD councilor Schneider: No change of course in family policy , Evangelical Church in Germany, June 21, 2013
- ^ Schneider: Extended understanding of the family "urgently needed" , evangelisch.de, June 27, 2013
- ↑ Regional Bishop July suggests a consultation process ( Memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Evangelical Church in Württemberg, June 25, 2013
- ↑ a b c Bishop Fischer: EKD paper strengthens families ( memento from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Evangelical Press Service, June 25, 2013
- ↑ Regional bishop welcomes new EKD family paper ( memento from September 20, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, June 25, 2013
- ↑ SELK-Bischof reacts to EKD family paper with a pastoral word , in: idea-Pressedienst of July 3, 2013 No. 184, page 3
- ^ Wolfgang Huber: Sharp criticism of the family paper , Medienmagazin pro, September 21, 2013
- ↑ What good life is - Interview with Wolfgang Huber ( memento from September 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), on: RBB inforadio on September 21, 2013 audio version (MP3; 35.6 MB)
- ↑ Grateful for clarification , domradio.de, June 27, 2013.
- ↑ Further criticism of EKD family paper , Evangelical news agency idea, June 22, 2013.
- ^ Criticism from both bishops , Mittelbayerische Zeitung, June 25, 2013.
- ↑ D: "Orientation Aid"? , Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, Vatican Radio, June 20, 2013.
- ↑ Evangelical working group of the CSU condemns EKD family paper , Medienmagazin pro, June 21, 2013
- ^ Union and FDP criticize evangelical marriage image , Die Welt, June 21, 2013
- ↑ New quarrel? EKD plans announcement on sexual ethics | Beckstein: First deal with the dispute about the family paper , in: idea-Pressedienst from July 3, 2013 No. 184, page 2
- ^ Theological symposium of the EKD Council ( memento of October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), on: EKD website, September 28, 2013
- ↑ EKD stops paper on sexual ethics because of a dispute over family image , on: evangelisch.de, March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014