Profile

Professional career

• 01/1991 - 01/2001
  Vicariate in the parish Girkhausen-Langewiese
• 04/2001 - 04/2006
  Research assistant at the University in Münster
• 07/2005
  Ph.D. theol. with the work "Patterns of preaching: investigations on the homiletic pragmatics".
• 10/2006 - 10/2011
  Research assistant at the University of Halle-Wittenberg.
• 02/2011
  Habilitation with the thesis "Religious education in junior high school education" and Venia legendi for the subject Practical Theology.
• 01/2011 - 01/2013
  Deputy Head of the Research Unit for Religious Communication and Learning Processes at the University in Halle-Wittenberg.
• 04/2013 - 07/2013
  Stand-in Professor for Religious Education at the University of Leipzig.
• since 08/2013
  Professor of Religious Education and Didactics of Religious Education at the University of Leipzig.
• since 05/2020
  University preacher at the University church St. Paul in Leipzig

Education

• 10/1991 - 10/1998
  Studied theology and ancient Near Eastern Studies in Heidelberg, Tübingen, Jerusalem and Münster

As a Professor in religious education teaching in Leipzig, it is important to him to consider in his research the peculiarities and circumstances of his working environment. In a majority-denominational context, as we find it in Saxony, religious education faces numerous difficulties, but also opportunities. In addition to empirical research on student perspectives in religious education, he is particularly concerned with the topic of religious instability and its impact on the practice of religious education in East Germany.

Also the didactics of religious education are a major concern of his:

Religious education can only be relevant in facing the complexities of our present time, if it accentuates its core values. As religious education in schools is often very cognitive and based on sheer knowledge, we should instead focus more on the questions on important existential matters posed by pupils and also their search for meaning. Religious education can then be supportive of the pupils' quest for identity and meaning in life by giving room for discussions and reflections on these matters. Phenomena of religiosity as a teaching topic are in the focus as well as the religious education of educationally distanced young people and learning with regard to other denominations, especially Orthodoxy, as well as Islam and Judaism.

His research in the field of Practical Theology especially concerned homiletics and the possibility of teaching it to students.

In his teaching at university it is a main concern of him to discuss questions concerning the pedagogics and didactics of religious education in a matter that emphasizes its practical use, without forgetting the intense theological reflections that are necessary, if you want to become a teacher in religious education.

Especially in the seminars he want to focus on theological and biblical topics that are relevant in the context of religious education. The goal is on one hand to make those topics matter for the university students, so they can reflect and think them through again and on the other hand to ask for the significance of those topics for the recipients in school and communities. It is important to find references between religious tradition and important issues concerning the life of pupils. And while doing that we can try to reflect the basic questions of being human (or live itself). For future teachers and pedagogues of religious education it has to be clear, that they aren't really "done" with thinking about god etc. and that one has to keep an open mind for the questions and answers of our pupils or children and adolescents in general.

In his lectures he primarily focuses on the basics of the pedagogics of religious education. He tries to teach how pedagogic and didactic thinking and acting works. To be aware of the historic development of the subject is as important as to know about different concepts of religious education in the past and today.

• Leipzig Jerusalem Summer School (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Dr. Schüle, Prof. Dr. Deeg und Prof. Dr. Angelika Neuwirth)

  Interfaith encounters and reflection in a unique environment: this opportunity is given to you since 2015 by the LJSS, which is a two-week intensive study program by the faculty of Theology in Leipzig in cooperation with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In the holy city of Jerusalem where Judaism, Christianity and Islam are present in a very dense space and in various facets, it is our goal to deal with topics concerning those world religions at different levels.

• Figures of the Old Testament in primary school

  Figures of the Old Testament are a standard in the repertoire of religious education in primary schools and local church communities. But what can we learn from them in the context of religious education? We take present concepts of biblical didactics and ask for chances and ways of learning with those stories from the Old Testament.

• Religion. Society. Politics. Present-day questions in the horizon of the didactics of religious education (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel)

  Sociopolitical questions are concerning religious education and life in local church communities. They become important questions when discussing about integration and migration, peace and justice, ethics at the beginning and the end of life, political extremism and fundamentalism or historical questions concerning the church. That's reason enough to emphasize on intersections between religion and politics on grounds of different scientific approaches.

• God as a subject in religious education

  The question for God is an important one in the context of religious education. There are units in nearly in every school year where the concept of God is a matter of discussion in its different facets. Images of God, different ideas of God, God's attributes and properties, God as a trinitarian God and God's justice in the face of all evil in the world, etc. We want to discuss certain aspects, which are relevant for adolescents and think about how they can be made fruitful in religious education

• The bible in the mirror of (modern) art (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Dr. Schüle)

  The fine arts are ever since one of the most important witnesses of the impact of biblical texts. In this seminar it is not our goal to describe how biblical topics are represented in the fine arts, instead we want to find out how the fine arts have transported their own distinct theological thoughts. Our main focus is directed on mostly modern works with special regard to the "Leipzig school" of art (i.e. W. Tübke, W. Mattheuer, A. Rink and U. Hachulla).

• Religious education in a non-denominational or non-religious context

  Religious education in schools and in local church communities, but also books for religious education and curriculums, heavily rely on the participants' assumed experiences with religiosity and religion in their own lives. This, however, is not the case anymore. This fact poses a lot of challenges for the pedagogics of religious education. We want to determine how this affects lessons in religious education in schools and church communities and how we can still make religious education possible

• " I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" - body concepts in the context of religious education

  One of the most underestimated challenges for young adults and children is the development of body-focused self-concept. Important questions of identity are inherent in this challenge. Religious traditions can provide a lot of different approaches, which reflect the relationship to ones own body. The findings are most heterogenous and can in no way be only associated with the concept of "body hostility". The contribution of this topic to religious education is therefore important and exciting.

• Lectures on the didactics of religious education I & II

  The lectures introduce basic concepts of the pedagogics and didactics of religious education. Besides central topics concerning the execution of lessons in religious education, relevant basic informations about history, concepts and legal questions are provided and reflected in a critical way. Present-day concepts of religious education, such as theology for children and adolescents, and learning about the world religions are taught, as well as more concrete reflections on planning lessons.

• Practical training in religious education for high schools

  In this seminar, students first learn how to plan lessons in protestant religious education. After that they will gain teaching experience at actual schools while they are supported by their lecturers. The students' lessons are discussed and reflected afterwards so the students can train their competences in analyzing their own lessons and train their knowledge in the pedagogy of religious education. Writing a detailed teaching concept for one lesson stands at the end of this seminar.

• Religious education and ecumenical sensitivity

  Our constitution provides for a confessional/denominational religious education in schools. At the same time, one goal of protestant religious education is to teach the christendom without distinguishing between the different christian denominations too much. This seminar wants to proof on the basis of examples that questions concerning denominational or ecumenical issues are not only important in regard to "catholic or protestant", but in regard to nearly every topic.

• Religions in religious education

  As a denominational religious education, religious education is particularly connected to (Protestant) Christianity, but it also has the increasing task of taking a sensitive look at non-Christian religions. The seminar explores the question of what from which religion can be addressed in Christian religious education and how.

• Practical theological topics in religious education

  Whether baptism or confirmation, church buildings, worship or pastoral care: topics of practical theology are repeatedly encountered in the curriculum, but are not usually offered to student teachers. The seminar introduces basic questions of practical theology and reflects on how church activities can be meaningfully perceived in religious education.