Veröffentlicht am 1. November 2023
This year’s Study Week at the Kirchliche Hochschule (KiHo) Wuppertal will take place from November 20th to 24th, 2023, under the title „The Case of Sin: Problematizing an Essential Phenomenon.“ You can find all the information regarding registration and the program here.
During this Study Week, „the case“ of sin will be examined. Thought-provoking lectures will be offered on the Old Testament, New Testament, religious studies, philosophical, systematic-theological, and practical-theological problematizations of the essential phenomenon of „sin.“ Afternoon workshops will complement linguistic, religious pedagogical, and pastoral aspects. An evening event will focus on a film analysis. The conference will conclude with a communion service.
But why this topic? It takes no extensive reflection to see that in public media, the concept of sin is no longer associated with any meaningful reference. Terms like „traffic sins,“ the „sinful mile,“ or „sinning“ when consuming sweet foods, down to the popular tea variety „Little Sin,“ reveal more than just casual indifference: a trivialization in language use.
However, where there is a prevalence of irony in language use, one can also sense a serious aspect, however concealed it may be: where irony is used, one is resisting something that is strikingly evident, something that cannot be easily dismissed conceptually. This suggests that the concept of sin may indeed name a phenomenon or a complex of phenomena that should be theologically described—and its description should not be replaced by other terminologies.
Throughout history, the concept of sin has been marginalized to the point of becoming nearly incomprehensible. Experts advise that one must first rescue words before people can be saved. Therefore, the concept of sin needs to be renewed.
The first reason for rescuing the concept of sin is that there is no other term suitable for naming both the phenomenal content and its theoretical understanding. The second reason is that the area denoted by it is so central to the Christian faith that any attempt to replace it with other terminology would result in an identity loss for both faith and theology.