Ed. by Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder: Interreligious and Ecumenical Study Programs Abroad (Leseprobe)

Martin Repp | Bernd Schröder (Eds.)
Interreligious and
Ecumenical Study
Programs Abroad
Comparisons – Evaluations – Considerations

Table of Contents
Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
Introduction ................................................... 7
Detlev Knoche
Opening Address ............................................... 17
Klaus Rieth
Greetings ...................................................... 21
Presentations and Evaluations of the Study Programs
Johannes Ehmann
Studying in Israel (Studium in Israel) ............................ 25
Interreligious and International Learning for more than 40 Years
George Sabra
“Studium im Mittleren Osten” (SiMO) and the Sabbatical Program
for Pastors in Beirut ............................................ 31
Uwe Gräbe
AReflection on 22 Years of SiMO ................................ 39
Studies in the Middle East (Studium im Mittleren Osten)
Andreas Herrmann
The EKHN Pastors’ Program at the Near East School of Theology in
Beirut ......................................................... 53
Xenia Baljakin
Personal, Academic and Professional Benefits of the Interreligious
Studies in Japan Program (ISJP) ................................. 57
Valuable Addition to the Participants’ Professional Portfolio or Just Nice
to Have?
Johny Thonipara
Evaluation of the Study Program at the Henry Martyn Institute
(HMI), Hyderabad, India ........................................ 69

6 Table of Contents
Synopsis and Religious Education Analysis of the
Study Programs
Martin Repp
Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs Based on
Intercultural Learning .......................................... 81
Synoptic Observations and Considerations
Bernd Schröder
Analysis of the Evaluation(s) of Ecumenical and Interreligious
Study Programs from the Perspective of Religious Education ....... 103
Significance of the Ecumenical and Interreligious
Study Programs for Theological Education and
Church Practice
Ulrike Link-Wieczorek
Ecumenism inProtestant Theological Education and Training in
Germany ...................................................... 121
The Impulse Paper of the EKD-Commission for World Ecumenism,
or: APlea for an Intercultural Ecumenism of Encounter inGermany
Holger Ludwig
Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs ................... 127
Impulses and Perspectives for Theological Education
Marianne Wagner
Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs ................... 131
Impulses and Perspectives for Theological Education
Appendix
Dietrich Werner
Introduction to the “Magna Charta on Ecumenical Formation”
(2008) ......................................................... 137
Magna Charta on Ecumenical Formation in Theological Education
in the 21st century 10 Key Convictions (2008) .................... 143
List of authors ................................................. 153

Introduction
Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
In 2022, the Center for Ecumenical Work (“Zentrum Ökumene”, abbreviation in
German: ZOE) of the Evangelical Church in Hesse-Nassau (EKHN)and the Evangelical
Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck (EKKW), Frankfurt/Main, organized together
with the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS), Stuttgart, an international
conference on “Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs –
Experiences from Beirut, Hyderabad, Jerusalem and Kyoto.” They invited directors
and former participants of such programs in Lebanon, India, Israel and Kyoto
for contributions in order to evaluate, compare and discuss their impact. In
2019, ZOE and EMS had already organized asimilar conference with representatives
and alumni of the same programs under the title “Interreligious Study
ProgramsasTask for the Church in Multi-religious Societies” with the same subtitle.
The promising results of this conference suggested to pursue this topic further
in more comparative and comprehensive ways.
These programs being supported in various ways by the Center for Ecumenical
Work and the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity and conducted by the institutes
in charge are as follows:
– Further training for pastors at the Henry Martyn Institute in Hyderabad, India,
– Interreligious Studies in Japan Program (ISJP) at the NCC Center for the Study
of Japanese Religions in Kyoto, Japan, 1
– Studies in the Middle East (SiMO) at the Near East School of Theology (NEST)
in Beirut, Lebanon, 2 and
– Studies in Israel. One year of theological studies at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, Israel (Schalav). 3
1
2
3
https://www.doam.org/projekte/studium-und-austausch/926-pr-stud-kyoto.
http://simo-studienprogramm.org/ – SiMO is the German abbreviation for “Studium im
Mittleren Osten”.
https://www.studium-in-israel.de/en/ – the official abbreviation is the Hebrew acronym
Schalav = “Schnat Limudim be-Jisrael”.

8 Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
For contingent reasons, other bilateral programs of regional churches and renowned
nationwide providers such as the Jerusalem Theological Year at the Dormition
Abbey, Jerusalem, Israel, 4 and the Theological Year in Rome at the Centro
Melantone, Rome, Italy, 5 were not yet represented. Therefore,future conferences
may invite alarger number ofstudy programs and initiatives.
In fact, this exchange isurgently needed – because of two competing developments:Onthe
one hand, there fortunatelyisagrowing awareness in churches
and in academic theology that in the age of globalization and digitalization, a
self-referential church and an isolated way of doing theology in Germany and
German-speaking countries is no longer possible or desirable – instead, ecumenical
and interreligious dialogue, the experience of Christianity in pluralreligious
constellations in other national and cultural contexts, the promotion of intercultural
theological sensitivity and an ecumenical self-understanding are becoming
increasingly important. On the other hand, the religious landscape is changing,
and with it, the situation of the Protestant churches in Germany, for example.
This change entails, among other matters, declining financial resources and a
diminishing number of students of theology who want to become ministers. In
contrast, the number ofteacher training students specializing in Protestant religion
is several times higher and is even increasing partly. In other words: Rising
demand meets diminishing resources. In view of this, the study programs find
themselves in a constellation between competition (e. g., for students, for financial
resources orfor ecclesiastical and academic recognition for the contextual and
dialogical references they represent) and cooperation (e. g., for advertising, communicating
commontheological concerns in the field of ecumenism,interculturality
and interreligiosity, and concerted resource acquisition).
While the process of change in the Protestant churches and Roman Catholic
dioceses is and has been atopic in many places and therefore does not need to
be described indetail here, 6 the growing interest or awareness of the problems
of ecumenical, intercultural and interreligious exchange should be described
and dealt with in more detail, as the two aforementioned conferences on theological
education mentioned did. Again, different developments can be distinguished,
although they have similar consequences:
Religious pluralization in Germany: Various factors contribute to the aforementioned
change in the religious landscape, including the immigration ofpeople
with different religious affiliations. In the course of labour migration from
4
5
6
See www.studienjahr.de.
See www.centromelantone.org/studienjahr.
See for example Detlef Pollack/Gergely Rosta: Religion in der Moderne. Ein internationaler
Vergleich, Frankfurt. 2. rev. and enlarged edition 2022, especially 92–180 and 307–
325; Thomas Großbölting: Losing Heaven: Religion in Germany Since 1945, New York et
al. 2017 (original German version: Der verlorene Himmel, 2013).

Introduction 9
Turkey (since the 1960s) and some Balkan countries, but also refugee migration
from countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Syria, it is primarily Islamthat has
taken shape in Germany and has gained diversity. In addition to traditional
forms of Sunni Islam, Shia or Ahmadiyya, fundamentalist currents are also visible,
as well as acculturated forms of European Islam. In addition, since the reunification
of Germany and the immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union,
Judaism has also become represented in many different forms – orthodox,
conservative, liberal and secular (albeit at an unevenly low level in terms of
numbers). And last but not least, various forms of migration are strengthening
different Christiandenominations in Germany: autocephalous Orthodox churches
(including those from Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine),
Old Eastern Orthodox churches (including Syrian Orthodox from
south-east Turkey and Syria, and Coptic Orthodox from Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea),
free churches (such as Baptists and Mennonites) and, finally, other denominational
cultures formed in other countries that organize themselves here temporarily
or permanently as ‘migration churches’. 7 Although all of these religious
communities make up less than 10 %ofthe national average population, they are
so present – at least for those interested and theologically educated – that, depending
on the context and constellation, encounters, denominational or religious
studies and intercultural (!)efforts to understand, neighbourly conviviality
and dialogue are required – and thus also the corresponding knowledge and
skills of theologians.
Increasing importance of religions in the world as awhole: While religions,
and in particular Christianity in the form of its two traditional large churches
in Germany, are experiencing aprocess of secularization or at least ‘de-churchification’
(Entkirchlichung), the number of people who are considered to be “religious”
is growing inthe world as awhole, particularly in the so-called Global
South. Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, among others, are the major agents of
this development. Christianity, in particular, is experiencing “metamorphoses,”
such as the following: 8 Due to growing Christianity in the so-called Global South,
the majority of Christians do not live any longer in Europe and North America
today (unlike around 100 years ago), the growth of pentecostal-charismatic
movements, the “prosperity gospel,” the emergence and spread of indigenous
churches and theologies, as well as the growth and increasing self-confidence
of churches that have emerged from missions. Such phenomena are being observed
and interpreted in various academic disciplines, amongst them theology
7
8
Cf. Gregor Etzelmüller/Claudia Rammelt (eds.): Migrationskirchen. Internationalisierung
und Pluralisierung des Christentums vor Ort, Leipzig 2022; Zentrum Oekumene der
EKHN und EKKW (ed.): Internationale Gemeinden, Frankfurt 2023.
Cf. Christine Lienemann-Perrin: Metamorphosen des Weltchristentums. Ökumenische
Theologie in globaler Perspektive, Stuttgart 2023.

10 Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
– with the result that some disciplines are being partially or entirely reformatted:
“World Christianity Studies” are being formed within the framework of
church history, “Ecumenical Theology” and “Comparative Theology” are being
pursued in Systematic Theology, and in many places the former missiology has
become “Intercultural Theology”–asubject that has been on apar with the classical
main subjects in theology studies for around adecade now. 9
Globalization and reflective globalization: The worldwide religious shifts, but
also worldwide phenomena of other kinds, play agrowing role in the way people
in Germany lead and interpret their lives: economic, political and cultural relationships
are becoming denser and more interactive worldwide – and they are
also being perceived, experienced and reflexively processed by more and more
people through digital communication, personal participation in economic, political
or cultural cooperation, tourist travel and much more: In this respect, the
religious field and theological science are part of ageneral phenomenon – and
they are challengedtoremainvisible and effective as one relevantfield in multifaceted
globalization amongst others. More than that, the ecumenical movement
10 was probably the first global religious initiative to face new opportunities
and challenges in view of the now intensified economic, political and cultural
globalization processes. The above-mentioned shifts in focus within theology also
play an important role here.
Ecumenical and interreligious progress and paradigm shifts: In Germany,
there is along tradition ofecumenical understanding, particularly between the
Protestant and Catholic churches, which has even taken impressive shape in recent
years at the level of official church dialogue – in the German context, the
“Joint Declaration on the DoctrineofJustification” (1999), the “Charta Oecumenica”
(2001), 11 “the Magdeburg Declaration on Baptism” (2006), the declarations
and performances on the occasion of500 years of Reformation, 12 and – as a
9
10
11
12
Cf. Michael Beintker/Michael Wöller (eds.): Theologische Ausbildung in der EKD. Dokumente
und Texte. 2005–2013, Leipzig 2014: 103–108 and 113–115.
In 2022, for the first time in the history of the World Council of Churches aworld conference
took place in Germany: the XI th world assembly at Karlsruhe, 2022, August 31 st
until September 8 th .
Arevised version is in preparation by the Conference of European Churches (CEC) together
with the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE = Consilium Conferentiarum
Episcoporum Europae), cf. https://www.oekumene-ack.de/themen/charta-oe
cumenica/revision-2024.
Kirchenamt der EKD/Sekretariat der DBK (eds.): Healing of Memories – Witnessing to
Jesus Christ. Common Texts of the Year 2017, Bonn/Hannover 2017 (German: Erinnerung
heilen – Jesus Christus bezeugen. Gemeinsame Texte 24); Kirchenamt der EKD/Sekretariat
der DBK (eds.): Mehr Sichtbarkeit in der Einheit und mehr Versöhnung in der Verschie-

Introduction 11
document of theological-academic understanding – the declaration “Together at
the Lord’sTable” of the Ecumenical Working Group (2019). 13 Conversations with
and between other churches are also ongoing. 14 In its own way, the Christian-
Jewish dialogue – despite the persistent disruption caused by anti-Semitism –
has also produced remarkable results in terms of cooperation, understanding
and (mutual) recognition. 15 Members of other religions, such asIslam or Buddhism,
are also involved in encounters and dialogue in various ways, even if
there is still alot of work to be done here.
Regardless of such individual results, aconsensual spirit of coexistence and
understanding has been established in large parts ofthe churches and religious
communities in Germany, which has replaced traditional mental patterns such
as those of mutual mission, proof of superiority orcompetition. 16 For example,
missiologist and religious studies scholar Theo Sundermeier emphasized “conviviality”
as aprecondition for the possibility of an ecumenical theology in aprogrammatic
publication years ago – according to him, this term encompasses
“mutual help,” “mutual learning” and “celebrating together.” 17 Acorresponding
attitude is desirable among theologians of the religions involved and beyond this
group of people.
Migration and interculturality: Ecumenical and religiouspluralization in Germany
and Europe is part of migration processes and intercultural pluralization.
As aresult, ecumenical and interreligious communication often first requires
intercultural understanding. For example, when local German congregations offer
their church facilities toChristian migrant congregations, both tend to live
and work side by side without much exchange and cooperation. It seems easier
to converse ecumenically in high official channels than to communicate locally
13
14
15
16
17
denheit. Zu den Chancen einer prozessorientierten Ökumene (Gemeinsame Texte 30),
Bonn/Hannover 2024.
Gemeinsam am Tisch des Herrn/Together at the Lord’s table. Ein Votum des Ökumenischen
Arbeitskreises evangelischer und katholischer Theologen/A statement of the Ecumenical
Study Group of Protestant and Catholic Theologians, hg. von/ed. by Volker
Leppin und/and Dorothea Sattler, Freiburg 2020.
Cf. Dokumente wachsender Übereinstimmung, 5Vols. (covering the years 1931–2019),
Paderborn/Leipzig 1983–2022.
Cf. Christian M. Rutishauser, Barbara Schmitz and Jan Woppowa (eds.): Jüdisch-christlicher
Dialog. Ein Studienhandbuch für Lehre und Praxis, Tübingen 2024.
In the field of theologies of religion, this development has been traced by Martin Repp:
Der eine Gott und die anderen Götter. Eine historische und systematische Einführung in
Religionstheologien der Ökumene, Leipzig (2018) 2. rev. ed. 2021.
Theo Sundermeier, “Konvivenz als Grundstruktur ökumenischer Existenz heute”, in:
idem et al. (eds.), Ökumenische Existenz heute Vol. 1, München 1986: 49–100, here
51 and 66.

12 Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
with one’s close neighbor of different heritage and language. Similar problems
exist when living together with other religious communities. People often help
themselves by engaging in dialogue with German Buddhists or Muslims, with
whom they share language and culture and therefore can communicate easily.
However, this overlooks the important fact that the foreign religious communities
do not unconditionally recognize their German brothers and sisters. 18 In
other words, both religious and ecumenical pluralization processes inGermany
first and foremost require “intercultural mediators” who can help to achieve successful
communication and understanding between the different communities.
Such mediators are people who have learned to think beyond their own cultural
horizon, i. e., who are able to think from the perspective of the foreign “other”
and to take into consideration her/his concerns. Such mediators can be people
who, for example, have lived and worked as “expats” in non-European countries
for alonger period of time. Even though the names ofthe study programs introduced
and discussed in this volume signifyecumenical and interreligious learning,
since they are conducted in non-European countries, they imply essentially
also learning intercultural communication because students here face quite different
languages, cultures and mentalities. Just as interreligious and ecumenical
communication must be achieved through learning (including through learning
by doing and experiencing), the same is true for intercultural exchange.
Moreover, our present situation requires the establishment of additional
new training opportunities in order to prepare more young religious educators
and theologians for the enormous challenges at home through experiential
learning in non-European cultures. Such intercultural mediators can not only
support and promote ecumenical, interreligious and intercultural exchange and
cooperation in churches and schools, but with their help, churches and schools
can make significant contributions to apeaceful and stimulating coexistence in
asociety that otherwise would be fragmented and torn apart.
Religious education as alocus theologicus: The fact that children in day-care
centers and kindergartens as well as pupils/students in public schools today experience
amulti-religious and multi-cultural environment most intensely have
received the least attention. Whereas adults can largely choose their peer group
and their interaction accordingly, children and adolescents find themselves in
socially, culturally and religiously diverse educational institutions. Hence,
schools bear the major tasks of inclusion, promoting tolerance and enabling plu-
18
One example is the criticism which representatives of migrant Muslim communities
voice against curricula and personnel of Islamic Theology Departments at German universities.
In asimilar way, traditional Japanese Buddhists quite often entertain reservations
towards their European brothers and sisters due to the changes in their kind
of Buddhism as aresult of religious inculturation processes. The same happened in the
past, when Chinese Buddhists, e.g., did not accept Japanese Buddhist adaptations.

Introduction 13
ralism for the good of society asawhole. Accordingly, religious education at
school is of considerable importance with regard to ecumenical, intercultural
and interreligious communication, both as aplace tomultiply what has already
been achieved and to try to manage what remains problematic, but also to serve
as amotor to foster endeavors so that students achieve “identity” and pursue
“dialogue.” 19 This is evidenced not only by the forms of learning and content of
interdenominational and interfaith religious education in accordance with Article
7.3ofthe German Basic Law (Constitution), but also by the organizational
changes that religious education is undergoing presently, for example towards
“Confessional-cooperative Religious Education” (in Baden-Württemberg, Lower
Saxony, etc.) or towards “Christian Religious Education in joint responsibility
of the Protestant and Catholic churches” in Lower Saxony or even towards multi-religious
“Religious Education for all” in Hamburg. 20
However,itisnot only today’spupils (and thus the next generation) who are
to be enabled to deal with their own religion and withthe plurality and diversity
of religions in apluralistic way, but religious education teachers who should be
enabled to do so and who in turn require acorresponding theological and religious
education. 21 In view of the fact that the number of students studying to
become teachers of Protestant religion is four times the numberofstudents aiming
to become parish priests (in the field of Catholic theology, the ratio is even
starker), the more the institutes and faculties of Protestant theology are called
upon to fulfil this task.
The aforementioned developments have major consequences. Ecumenical, intercultural
or interreligious study programs for students of Protestant and – mutatis
mutandis – Catholic religion or theology become of great importance, they can
even be seen as beacon, for what is actually expected of all students of these subjects
and all graduates of these degree programs. The developments also give rea-
19
20
21
“Identity and dialogue” render the German title of the very first memorandum of the
Evangelical Church in Germany referring to the topic of Religious Education at school,
published in 1994 (Identität und Verständigung. Eine Denkschrift, Gütersloh 1994); cf.
Education from aProtestant Perspective. ACollection of Documents from the Evangelical
Church in Germany, Gütersloh 2013: 16–32.
Cf. Bernd Schröder, “Religionsunterricht im Plural – und doch vor gemeinsamen Herausforderungen”,
Theologische Literaturzeitschrift (ThLZ) 146 (2021): 255–270.
Cf. Aus-, Fort- und Weiterbildung von Religionslehrkräften. Empfehlungen der Gemischten
Kommission für die Reform des Theologiestudiums im Bereich des Religionslehramts,
Hannover 2022, esp. 10–33; Religionslehrer:in im 21. Jahrhundert. Transformationsprozesse
in Beruf und theologisch-religionspädagogischer Bildung in Studium, Referendariat
und Fortbildung, ed. by Martin Hailer, Andreas Kubik, Matthias Otte, Mirjam Schambeck,
Bernd Schröder and Helmut Schwier, Leipzig 2023 (Veröffentlichungen der Wissenschaftlichen
Gesellschaft für Theologie 74).

14 Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
son to design the existing programs in such away that (prospective) religion
teachers can also participate. 22 Further, development of appropriateexperiential
learning opportunities for interested non-theologically educated volunteers
should also be considered. The ecumenical and interreligious study programs
presentedinthis volume represent first, very promising steps, which must,however,
be further expanded and financed in afocused manner.
In this book, these contexts are only mentioned here and there. The focus of
the contributions published here is directed rather on continuing and developing
the ideas of the four abovementioned study programs – which have been
published already in a documentation volume for the first conference in
2019 23 – or reflections on them and, in particular, onevaluative and comparative
considerations. With this in mind, not all of the ideas presented atthe 2022
conference are reproduced here, although they were essential and stimulating
for the course of the conference.
The authors delivered the following contributions:
– Johny Thonipara (Frankfurt/M.): “Evaluation of the study program at the
Henry Martyn Institute (HMI), Hyderabad, India,”
– Xenia Baljakin (Münster): “Evaluation ofthe ISJP at the NCC Center for the
Study of Japanese Religions in Kyoto, 2002–2022,”
– George Sabra (Beirut): insights into the “Studies in the Middle East (SiMO)
and the Sabbatical Program for Pastors in Beirut” from aLebanese perspective,
– Uwe Gräbe (Stuttgart): “A Reflection on 22 Years of SiMO – Studies in the
Middle East” from aGerman perspective,
– Johannes Ehmann (Heidelberg): Studying in Israel – Interreligious and International
Learning for more than 40 Years
Next follow two comparative contributions:
– Martin Repp (Frankfurt/M.): “Ecumenical and interreligiousstudy programs
based on intercultural learning – Synoptic observations and considerations”
– Bernd Schröder (Göttingen): “Analysis of the evaluation(s) ofecumenical
and interreligious study programs from areligious education perspective”.
22
23
ISJP and “Studying in Israel” were and still are addressing this target group, but demand
is relatively low for the following reasons: Semesters abroad prove difficult to
integrate into the strict procedures of ateacher training course – they require intensive
linguistic preparation and are time-consuming, while benefiting only one of the two
teacher training subjects. Thus, they go far beyond the usual study planning.
Martin Repp (ed.), Theologische Ausbildung im Zeitalter zunehmender Globalisierung.
Ökumenische und interreligiöse Studienprogramme in Indien, Israel, Japan und dem Libanon,
Leipzig 2022; in English: Idem (ed.): Globalizing Theological Education for an Increasingly
Globalized Age, New Delhi 2022.

Introduction 15
If these contributions are taken together with the descriptions in the previous
volume (see note 23), profound insights into the four study programs discussed
here are available. The volume will come closer to its goal if such observations
help to promote and maintain the existing ecumenical-interreligious study programs
(through adequate funding and provision of staff) and to expand their program
portfolio as far as possible, for example with regard toprospective religious
education teachers. The three concluding articles in this volume also
refer to this:
– Ulrike Link-Wieczorek (Oldenburg): “Ecumenism in Protestant Theological
Educationand Training in Germany. An Impulse Paper of the EKDCommission
for World Ecumenism – Or: APlea for an Intercultural Ecumenism of
Encounter inGermany,”
– Holger Ludwig (Darmstadt): “Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs
– Impulses and Perspectives for Theological Education,”
– Marianne Wagner (Speyer): “Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs
– Impulses and perspectives for Theological Education.”
The editors decided to also include the important WCC document “Magna Charta
on Ecumenical Formation in Theological Education in the 21st century” (2008)
for additional reference. Dietrich Werner, who had been in charge for its drafting,
kindly agreed to write ashort introduction for better understanding. Both
texts enable us to view and understand the ecumenical, interreligious and intercultural
study programs treatedinthis and the previous volumes yet in abigger
context. Thereby wegain new insights, such asinWerner’s quotation from the
WCC’s Ecumenical Covenant on Theological Education (2012) that “theological
education is the seedbed for the renewal of churches, their ministries and mission
and their commitment to church unity in today’s world.” 24 This means that
the results of such ‘investments’ do not become apparent immediately but only
after one or more decades. This important statement is substantiated byour
evaluations of the four study programs presented in our conferences. Moreover,
if we compare the 40-years experiences of Studium in Israel with the 20-years
experiences of Studium im Mittleren Osten (SiMO) and the Interreligious Studies
in Japan Program, weeven achieve amore differentiated picture of educational
processes and their long-lasting results and sustainability. 25
The ecumenical contextualization provides yet another significant insight
into the characteristic profile of ‘our’ study programs: Whereas the WCC has
24
25
The term “renewal” (Erneuerung) already appears in the title of the first evaluation of
“Studium in Israel;” cf. Martin Stöhr (ed.), Lernen in Jerusalem – Lernen mit Israel.
Anstöße zur Erneuerung in Theologie und Kirche. Berlin 1993.
In the section “A transforming experience” of his contribution below, Uwe Gräbe lists
some impressive outcomes of SiMO.

16 Martin Repp and Bernd Schröder
fostered the local, indigenous theological formation in the ‘Global South’ enormously,
and whereas many of its theology students went, and still go, to Europe
or America to study Western theologies, the common trait of the four study programs
is that they entered-upon the reverse direction by enabling Western students
to studytheology and religions in the Global South.Thereby they not only
added significantly to theological education facing the huge challengesofglobalization,
but foster also mutual ecumenical exchange on an equal level. 26 Thus,
they constitute nothing less than aparadigm shiftinecumenical relations. 27 This
deserves every possible support and promotion.
At the end of this introduction, we would like to express our gratitude to:
– Rev. Detlev Knoche, (Oberkirchenrat, ZOE) and Rev. Klaus Rieth (President
of EMS) for initiating, financing and facilitating this conference;
– each of the speakers at this conference and the authors of the contributions
reprinted here, as well as
– Dr Annette Weidhas, Editor in Chief of Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig,
for accepting the proceedings of this conference for an English publication.
Frankfurt/M. and Göttingen, Oktober 2024
Note: All links were last checked in April 2025.
26
27
George Sabra’s contribution below illustrates important results of such mutual communication
processes quite vividly and convincingly. Even though both conferences essentially
included the participation of the ecumenical partners for the evaluation of the
study programs, in future pursuits of this quest their contributions must be given much
more space in order to elaborate this mutuality of ecumenical relations in clear terms.
In his presentation below Uwe Gräbe has emphasized this desideratum. Alumni of the
study programs perceive the fragility of the host countries, such as the conflicts in the
Near East or earthquakes in Japan, not so much through ‘objective’ media reports and
pictures but through their own personal experiences and friendships; in other words,
they have become sensitive for, and concerned with, the suffering of the ‘body of Christ’
in distant parts of the world.
Martin Repp, “From Contextual Theology to Ecumenical Theology – The ‘Interreligious
Studies in Japan Program’ (ISJP)”, in: David Kwang-sun Suh, Annette Meutrath and
Choe Hyondok (eds.), Charting the Future of Theology and Theological Education in Asian
Contexts, Dehli 2004: 220–234, esp. 231–233. Cf. Repp 2022: 146 f.

Opening Address
Detlev Knoche
Dear participants,
Iampleased to welcome you all here for our second international conference
“Ecumenical and Interreligious Study Programs – Experiences from Beirut,
Hyderabad, Jerusalem and Kyoto”.
Some of you surely remember well our first meeting in October 2019 here at
the same venue. At that time, we had initiated for the first time adirect exchange
between former participants, organizers and representatives of the dialogue programs:
– the “Interreligious Studies in Japan Program at the NCCCenter for the Study
of Japanese Religions in Kyoto,
– the two programs “Studies in the Middle East” and the three-month sabbatical
for pastors at NEST in Beirut,
– the programs for continued pastoral training (Pastoralkollegs) atthe Henry
Martyn Institute in Hyderabad,
– and the “Study in Israel” at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Thanks to the work of Rev. Dr Martin Repp, the results of this conference are
now available in aGerman and English publication.
These programs of intercultural, ecumenical and interreligious learning for
students of theology and religious education as well as for pastors in active ministry
are integral part of the long-standing relationships of EKHN with our ecumenical
partners and of our international fellowship of the Evangelical Mission
in Solidarity (EMS) to which the German East Asia Mission (DOAM) also belongs;
both are co-organizers of this consultation.
At this point, Iwould like to welcome all representatives of the programs
from Beirut, Hyderabad, Jerusalem, and Kyoto. In the course of this afternoon,
we will have the opportunity to welcome you individually.
For many years EKHN has fostered aclose partnership with the Presbyterian
Church in Ghana (PCG), which is also amember of EMS. This is the background
also for having invited Dr Sule Saa, representativeofthe Akrofi-Christal-

18 Detlev Knoche
ler Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture with the Centrefor Interfaith Studies
and Engagement inAfrica (CISEA) in Accra. We do not have ajoint program
yet, but we may develop it.
Our programs are very different in terms of contents. At the Near East
School of Theology,the focus is to get to know the ancient Orientaland the newer
churches of the Middle East, especially theirlife and thinking in the context of
countries with Muslim-majority. In Kyoto, the focus is on encounter with Buddhism,
Shinto and Japanese new religions, interreligious dialogue, and the situation
of the churches being aminority in Japan. In Hyderabad, the focus is on
introduction to Islam and Hinduism as well as on contributions of interreligious
dialogue to peace in the society. And in Jerusalem, the focus is directed on Judaism
and theological developments in Christian-Jewish dialogue. EKHN is
closely connected with the program since many years through Rev. Dr Martin
Stöhr, one of its founders, who sadly passed away two years ago.
Already from early on, EKHN recognized the challenges posed by other religions
to the church and included them conceptually in its work and by employing
related experts in the Ecumenical Center. The EKHN was one of the first
regional churches on Germany to establish aposition especially for dialogue
with Muslim organizations and communities. Today, this work is located in the
department “Confessions, Religions, Worldviews” in the Ecumenical Center of
the Protestant Churches in Hesse and Nassau and of Kurhessen-Waldeck (ZOE).
Through our personnel and financial resources, we promote the programs for
encounter and dialogue mentioned above and support the participation of students
and pastors in these programs.
Because ways of life and thinking are different in Lebanon, India, Japan, Israel
or Ghana than in Germany, we consider it to be important to combine intercultural
experiences with studying other religions and churches as well as
with developing interreligious sensitivities and ecumenical broadness. These
connections are crucial when it comes to living together peacefully in our society
and treating others with respect. This prepares future and present pastors for
the diverse new challenges posed by the religious pluralization of our society.
For this consultation, its organizers are also very much concerned with developing
networks among the various programs in order to foster their ecumenical
aspect and their mutual enrichment and stimulation, respectively.
We started planning this conference under pandemic conditions, which was
and still is achallenge. All the more Iamhappy that we are now gathered here
all together: former participants of these programs, responsible persons organizing
these programs, interested persons and last but not least our preparation
team. Thus, Iwould like to thank Rev. Dr Kerstin Neumann and Rev. Dr Uwe
Gräbe from EMS, Rev. Dr Andreas Herrmann, Rev. Dr Peter Noss, who has replaced
Rev. Friedhelm Pieper in the meantime, Rev. Dr Johny Thonipara from
the Ecumenical Centerand special thanks to Rev. Dr Martin Repp, who has con-

Opening Address 19
tributed much to the preparations in terms of contents, conception and organization.
In the background of our preparations most of all Mrs. Annette Wiech
supported us in the preparation team during the last weeks – many thanks to
her as well.
Iwould like to close with aquote from Dr Andreas D’Souza, the former director
of the Henry Martyn Institute:
Ifirmly believe that the many differences that exist among people because of caste,
creed, and race need not be afactor forcing one to be confined within tightly closed
boxes or heavily guarded enclosures. The whole creation is filled with great diversity
and such rich diversity must be seen as amanifestation of God’s immensity and variety.
It is not athreat to our individual or group identity but achallenge to find
God’slimitless splendor and beauty as reflected in the creation. (Theology of Relationships,
Delhi 2018: xxvii)
In this spirit let us start our consultation – and again awarm welcome toall of
you!

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