Zwischen Anpassung und Verweigerung

Abstract

Summary After some initial reluctance, the United Methodist Church (in Germany, EmK) affirmed the socialist society as being the field of work that had been allocated to them. In their essentially loyal attitude towards the GDR, the church did attempt to draw the line at state appropriation, and to navigate a path somewhere between accommodation and rejection. Withdrawal from the worldwide association of Methodist Churches – the World Methodist Council – on the basis of reasons of state was never seriously considered. Involvement in international organisations always remained a matter of course. The creation of a bishopric that was identical to the GDR state territory was interpreted as an appropriate form of Gospel proclamation. By virtue of its international involvement, the Methodist Church in the GDR, or EmK, was attractive to the state functionaries. There is evidence of numerous attempts to exploit the Church for the sake of foreign policy and affairs. The Methodist Church in the GDR participated actively and, at times, proactively in inter-church dialogue and ecumenism. This conformed to the Methodist identity and helped to clarify common church standpoints regarding the state.