Vom Glauben abgefallen

For a courageous Protestant Church. Hannah Bethke's insightful plea is not only relevant to Protestants: Our democracy needs a church that takes itself seriously. Sermons that begin or end with Jesus at the breakfast table, aiming to appear relatable to citizens and life, have nothing to do with serious religiosity. They are a distortion of the much-needed transcendence that the dechurched society lacks. The Protestant Church in Germany is in a deep crisis - and hardly anyone seems to care. Yet, the state of the church is a reflection of society. Instead of demonstrating what the Christian faith can still mean in a highly secularized society today, the church is becoming politicized and chasing a zeitgeist that excludes dissenters. At the same time, by trivializing its theology, it contributes to being taken less seriously as an institution. This is all the more dramatic as the blatant loss of significance of the church coincides with a time of deep upheaval. Right now, the church should prove how it can provide people with support and guidance, and where it is indispensable as an ethical corrective to society. This book is a plea for a courageous Protestant Church that lives its faith - and for modern conservatism in an open society.