User:Andries/Reinhart Hummel

German
Reinhart Hummel (* 26. Januar 1930) ist ein deutscher Theologe, langjähriger Leiter der Evangelischen Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen und Autor zahlreicher Bücher über neureligiöse Gemeinschaften.


 * TRANSLATION:Reinhart Hummel (* January 26 1930) is a German theologist, long term leader of the Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW) and author of many books about new religious movements. The EZW (literally: Evangelical central place for questions about world views) is an organization that is part of the Evangelical Church in Germany located in Berlin that functions as a centralized research, documentation and information center.

Er studierte Evangelische Theologie und promovierte 1963 über das  Thema „Die Auseinandersetzung zwischen Kirche und Judentum im Matthäusevangelium“. Danach trat er eine Pfarrstelle in Schleswig-Holstein an. Von 1966 bis 1973 leitete er das lutheranische theologische College in Orissa. Zurück in Deutschland erhielt er an der Universität Heidelberg einen Forschungsauftrag über indische Gurubewegungen im Westen und habilitierte 1980 mit der Arbeit „Indische Mission und neue Frömmigkeit im Westen. Religiöse Bewegungen in westlichen Kulturen“, die bei Kohlhammer erschien.


 * TRANSLATION:He studied evangelical theology and received his Ph.D. in 1963 for the subject "Die Auseinandersetzung zwischen Kirche und Judentum im Matthäusevangelium" (literally The dialog between church and Judaism in the evangile of Matthew). Then he worked as a pastor in Schleswig Holstein. From 1966 until 1972 he led the Luteranian theological college in Orissa, India. Back in Germany he received a request to research Indian guru movements at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg. He received the right to lecture with his work "Indische Mission und neue Frömmigkeit im Westen. Religiöse Bewegungen in westlichen Kulturen“, (literally: Indian mission and new piety in the West: religious movements in western cultures). that was published by the Kohlhammer group.

Von 1981 bis 1995 war er Direktor der Evangelischen Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen. In seiner Arbeit widersprach er der Bezeichnung und dem Erklärungsmodell Jugendreligion für neureligiöse Gemeinschaften, wie es u.A. von Friedrich-Wilhelm Haack popularisiert wurde. Der umstrittenen Benutzung des Begriffs Sekte widersprach er zuerst gänzlich, in seinen späteren Arbeiten anerkannte er die Berechtigung des Begriffs bei differenzierter Benutzung.


 * TRANSLATION: From 1981 until 1994 he was director of the EZW. In his work he disagreed with the concept and explanatory model of Jugenreligion (literally youth religion) for new religious communities, as it was popularized by among others the German author Friedrich-Wilhelm Haack (1935-1991). In the beginning he fully rejected the controversial use of the German word "sekte" (that is translated sometimes with "cult" but also as "sect" in English), but in his later works he recognized the justification of the concept in differentiated use.

Beachtung und auch Widerspruch fand seine These, dass sich einige der von der EZW beobachteten Gruppen sowohl in der Gesellschaft als auch im interreligiösem Dialog „positiv“ entwickelt hätten, das heißt, das ursprünglich gesehene Konfliktpotential abgebaut hätten. Diese Einschätzung würde insbesondere auf die Zeugen Jehovas, die Vereinigungskirche und die ISKCON zutreffen. Die Vereinigungskirche steht seinem Urteil jedoch immer noch sehr kritisch gegenüber.
 * TRANSLATION: He asserted that some of the groups observed by the EZW had developed both in the society as well as in interfaith dialogue in a positive way, i.e. that they had decreased their original potential for conflict. This assertion was both respected and rejected. It would be especially applicable for the Jehovah's witnesses, the Unification Church, and ISKCON/Hare Krishnas. In spite of this, the Unification Church is still very critical about his assessment of the church.

Selected bibliography

 * German
 * Indische Mission und neue Frömmigkeit im Westen. Religiöse Bewegungen in westlichen Kulturen, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3170056093
 * Hindu-Gurus heute Wien : Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Österr. Seelsorge Seelsorgeämter, Referat für Weltanschauungsfragen, 1992
 * Religiöser Pluralismus oder christliches Abendland? Herausforderungen an Kirche und Gesellschaft, Darmstadt 1994, ISBN 3534117174
 * Gurus, Meister, Scharlatane Freiburg im Breisgau : Herder, 1996
 * Vereinigungskirche die "Moon-Sekte" im Wandel Neukirchen-Vluyn : Bahn, 1998  ISBN 3761549792
 * Reinkarnation Freiburg im Breisgau : Herder, 1999
 * Dialog und Unterscheidung Berlin : EZW, 2000
 * Östliche Religionen und evangelischer Glaube / Bd. 1. Einführung und Unterrichtsentwürfe 2001

English
Reinhart Hummel (January 26 1930 - ) is a German theologian, long-term leader of the Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW). The EZW (literally: Evangelical central place for questions about world views) is an organization that is part of the Evangelical Church in Germany located in Berlin that functions as its centralized research, documentation and information center. Hummel is also the author of many books about new religious movements.

He studied evangelical theology and received his Ph.D. in 1963 for the subject "Die Auseinandersetzung zwischen Kirche und Judentum im Matthäusevangelium" (literally The dialog between church and Judaism in the gospel of Matthew). Then he worked as a pastor in Schleswig Holstein. From 1966 until 1972 he led the Luteranian theological college in Orissa, India. Back in Germany he received a request to research Indian guru movements at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg. He received the right to lecture with his work "Indische Mission und neue Frömmigkeit im Westen. Religiöse Bewegungen in westlichen Kulturen“, (literally: Indian mission and new piety in the West: religious movements in western cultures). that was published by the Kohlhammer group.

From 1981 until 1994 he was director of the EZW. In his work he disagreed with the concept and explanatory model of Jugendreligion (literally youth religion) for new religious communities, as it was popularized by among others the German author Friedrich-Wilhelm Haack (1935-1991). In the beginning he fully rejected the controversial use of the German word "sekte" (that is translated sometimes with "cult" but also as "sect" in English), but in his later works he recognized the justification of the concept in differentiated use.

He asserted that some of the groups observed by the EZW had developed both in the society as well as in interfaith dialogue in a positive way, i.e. that they had decreased their original potential for conflict. This assertion was both respected and rejected. It would be especially applicable for the Jehovah's witnesses, the Unification Church, and ISKCON/Hare Krishnas. In spite of this, the Unification Church is still very critical about his assessment of the church.

Selected bibliography

 * German
 * Indische Mission und neue Frömmigkeit im Westen. Religiöse Bewegungen in westlichen Kulturen, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3170056093
 * Hindu-Gurus heute Wien : Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Österr. Seelsorge Seelsorgeämter, Referat für Weltanschauungsfragen, 1992
 * Religiöser Pluralismus oder christliches Abendland? Herausforderungen an Kirche und Gesellschaft, Darmstadt 1994, ISBN 3534117174
 * Gurus, Meister, Scharlatane Freiburg im Breisgau : Herder, 1996
 * Vereinigungskirche die "Moon-Sekte" im Wandel Neukirchen-Vluyn : Bahn, 1998  ISBN 3761549792
 * Reinkarnation Freiburg im Breisgau : Herder, 1999
 * Dialog und Unterscheidung Berlin : EZW, 2000
 * Östliche Religionen und evangelischer Glaube / Bd. 1. Einführung und Unterrichtsentwürfe 2001
 * English
 * World Improvement and the Ideal Society article in Update III 1/2, July 1979
 * Asiatic Religions in Europe by Dr. Reinhart Hummel with Dr. Bert Hardin, article in Update VII 2, June 1983
 * Guru, Miracle Worker, Religious Founder: Sathya Sai Baba article in Update IX 3, Sept. 1985
 * Remarks on Heber Jentzsch and Scientology short note published in Spirituality in East and West / Update and Dialog 3 October 1993
 * Asian Religions in the West: Their Attitude Towards Dialogue and Pluralism article in Spirituality in East and West / Update and Dialog 4, May 1994