AnsgarKlein & OlafZimmermann (eds). Impulse der Reformation: Der zivilgesellschaftliche Diskurs (Dynamic of the Reformation: The Civil Society Discourse). Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2017, xv + 332 pp.

Abstract

Unlike many of the books published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther, the focus of this book is neither the events of the 16th century nor the significance of the Reformation for theology and church history. Instead, this volume is intended to reflect the importance of the Reformation for civil society today. Thirty relatively short contributions are organized around seven main areas: the Reformation jubilee; state and society; Protestantism, values, and political culture; churches and civil society; economy and ecology; the social question; and European and international civil society. The authors include university academics, activists, and those in leadership positions in church-related institutions and agencies, coming from German-speaking Europe. In a review such as this, it is impossible to do justice to all the contributions, touching on issues as diverse as gender equality, the role of local churches in civil society, social policy, civil disobedience, development issues, just war and military intervention, and the role of lay people within the church. While some contributions make explicit reference to the 16th-century Reformation and its impact, for others the focus is the contemporary role of the church in society. For those interested in a discussion about the relationship between the Reformation and the modern state and society, the first two sections on the “Reformation jubilee” (3–39) and on “state and society” (31–58) are of particular importance. The essays by Peter Maser of the University of Münster (“History of the Reformation Jubilees” (3–10)) and Thies Gundlach, vice-president of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) (“Culture of remembrance and structuring commemorations” (11–19)) are particularly pertinent contributions to a consideration of the memorialization of the Reformation anniversary since the 16th century. Maser provides a historical overview of previous anniversaries, while Gundlach identifies the tension between presenting past events and highlighting the relevance of the Reformation for contemporary society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the focus of the essays is the situation in Germany, and more particularly the relationship between church and society as it developed in West Germany following the Second World War. Only one contribution, that of Markus Meckel, a pastor and activist in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) who served as GDR foreign minister after the free elections of 1990, explicitly deals with the heritage of civil society and the Protestant churches in East Germany. Overall there seems little consideration of contemporary changes in the German religious landscape, seen maybe most dramatically in eastern Germany, the heartland of the Reformation, which is also one of the least religious territories in Europe. While 40 years of communist rule undoubtedly played a particular role in shaping the decline of religious adherence in eastern Germany, there are also major shifts taking place in the former West Germany, especially in the cities. Moreover, apart from the essay by Jeannette Behringer (“European Civil Society and the Role of Protestant Churches”), there is little consideration of the relationship between Protestantism and civil society as it has developed in other European countries, and just one essay, “The Reformers Were Never in Africa,” by Volker Faigle, deals with the situation outside Europe. This may be explained by the overall shape of this volume, and the choice of authors, but given the oft-made claim that the Reformation was a global event, it might have been worth giving greater consideration to the relationship between the Reformation and civil society outside Germany. Notwithstanding such reservations, this volume provides an easily accessible range of contributions on the relationship between church and society, 500 years after the Reformation. Dr Stephen G. Brown is editor of The Ecumenical Review.