‘That they may have hope’ - a reflection on the 2010 Kirchentag

          The physical devastation which characterised Germany after the Second World War was matched by a spiritual low point for Christians who agonised over why so many of them had followed the Nazi way. Of course there were some “who had not bowed the knee to Baal” and had formed the Confessing Church in the 1930s; among them were some who attempted some resistance, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was executed months before the war ended. But they were only a handful. Out of this sombre mood arose new initiatives aimed at serious reflection, social engagement and deeper lay discipleship as these were felt to have been lacking in the inter-war years when things went wrong. One such initiative was the Kirchentag, an assembly of ‘ordinary’ Christians, which was meant to be a one-off in 1949 but has been happening every two years since 1954. Those three basic principles from the 1940s still underpin the event: there is serious reflection in the dozens of Bible studies which start each morning; there is a focus on contemporary issues in the main programme strands; and there is independent leadership as the Kirchentag, though partly subsidised by the church and the state, remains a fiercely autonomous organisation.

          Kirchentag has grown into an event attracting around 100,000 people with too many features to list here. Outdoor services to mark the opening on the Wednesday evening are followed by a mega-party with every parish and organisation for miles around doing their thing in the traffic-free city centre. There is one enormous closing Sunday morning worship, traditionally a Communion service though not this year. Munich 2010 was the second Ecumenical Kirchentag and thus a shared Communion was not possible; but it did push the number of participants to over 160,000, not counting Munich residents. With a subconscious link to the roots in the 1940s the theme for 2010 was ‘that they may have hope’. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are crammed with debates, presentations, prayer, shows, live radio and TV, special services and all kinds of music (including 328 brass bands!) plus four halls of ‘market-place’ with 800 organisations on display. The programme booklet ran to 720 pages, though there was a 90 page English language selection.

          I first attended a Kirchentag in 1969, when the details of the programme were less carefully pre-planned. My interest was in world development (one of the sessions with English translation) but when after a first day looking generally at the issues the moderator opined that we needed more authoritative views I certainly did not expect a Federal Finance Minister, the Bundesbank President and a leading economics Professor to appear on the platform the next day; I am still amazed that they did. Kirchentag has always had this pull. This time there were also some Catholic ‘names’ like Hans Küng and Cardinal Karl Lehmann firing off on current controversies.

          For me and for many the highlight was the visit of the Federal Chancellor. Angela Merkel has been a regular at Kirchentag for so many years that there was no surprise (but much admiration) that in such critical times she came for a two-hour session in Munich, including some combative questions from the session moderator. She spoke coherently for 15 minutes (without notes or autocue!) on the personal, social and, yes, spiritual challenges facing Germany and the EU, as reducing resources must be channelled into priority areas without the necessary cuts threatening social cohesion. “Christian values which have their roots in the Christian image of humanity are the primary yardstick for what we politicians do every day... The social market economy is unthinkable without our Christian faith”. Hence her scathing comments on the profligate Greeks and the irresponsible bankers - drawing loud cheers from the 6,500 in the hall which was full over an hour before she arrived. This is of course a right-of-centre politician whom many of her hearers would challenge. But she did not ‘do God’ just for this audience; she spoke simply and clearly (- even humbly) on the significance of Christianity for a good society. Like Gordon Brown she is a child of the manse but I’ll draw no more comparisons.

          There were around 300 UK visitors in Munich and for the first time the British Kirchentag Committee had arranged an all-English session with Grace Davie (Exeter University) and Catherine Pepinster (The Tablet) which spelt out some of the UK experience of evolving church life and its possible lessons for the Germans. Actually we have much to learn. And the same three core principles which have shaped the Kirchentag - honest Biblical reflection, lively social engagement and responsible lay leadership - would serve us well too.

          After this ecumenical event the 2011 (Protestant) Kirchentag is in Dresden - more from the British committee at www.kirchentag.org.uk. You’ll discover that God is not only still speaking but singing, dancing, arguing, whispering and shouting!