THE PROJECT
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Evangelical Academy in Berlin extend an invitation to Muslim personalities from the Middle East to join us for an eight-day journey through parts of Germany to learn to know the tradition and the present day image of the Protestant/Evangelical Reformation.
Since a number of decades the Evangelical Church is active in Christian Muslim dialogue in the national and the international arena. A number of conference centers of this church played a leading pioneer role in Muslim Christian encounter, namely the Evangelical Academy in Berlin.
The Reformation of Martin Luther and other prominent theologian of the early 16th century have not only brought up the evangelical churches but also a new era of European history. The 500th anniversary of the reformation in 2017 will be a prominent event to deepen the awareness of the importance of this historical change.
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Evangelical Academy in Berlin wishes to bring the topics which make up this historical change into the Muslim Christian dialogue. The invitation to Muslim personalities will lead to five cities, mainly in Eastern Germany, which can symbolize main topics of the profile of the Reformation. Church representatives, scholars, artists, local authorities, politicians and other experts will be present at the different spots for explaining the topics.
Bishop Martin Schindehütte, head of the department for international and ecumenical affairs of the EKD, will accompany the group on behalf of EKD. A Muslim presence from Germany during the journey should enhance the dialogue oriented approach of this venture. The usage of English throughout the tour can simplify communication.
We were fortunate to find twelve Muslim and Christian representatives, who are open for a dialogue, interested in the history and presence of Protestantism in Germany, able to communicate in English and in general interested in continuing further cooperation. Theses representatives should be in a key role in their respective countries for example as scholars or scientists, as teachers, journalists and religious representatives or comparable societal positions.
