Vol. 32 No. 1 (2024): War.Peace.Religion: Contexts and Perspectives

The large-scale attack of the Russian military on Ukraine since February 2022 has shaken Western European societies in a massive way and has exposed the fragile nature of peace. Within the European Union, new discussions are emerging along the positionings on the warring parties. New challenges and shifts in discourse can also be found in churches and theology: Tensions within Orthodoxy, which became evident worldwide at the latest with the recognition of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine by the Patriarch of Constantinople, have intensified worldwide; the theological and spiritual attitude on the war is sometimes hotly contested, and sometimes attempts are made to avoid the issue for the sake of ecclesiastical unity. While there is a broad consensus in the Protestant and Catholic churches in German-speaking countries to condemn the attack on Ukraine and to help refugees, there are controversies about positions on peace ethics in view of the debates about the appropriate forms of support for Ukraine (diplomacy, economic sanctions, arms deliveries). Thus, religious education is not unaffected by all this.

In the fields mentioned above – such as politics and society, churches and theology, as well as religious education – it can be observed that, on the one hand, the view of war and peace is characterized by the tension of applying previous convictions, interpretations and strategies to the current situation, and, on the other hand, that these convictions, interpretations and strategies are more or less revised in the light of the current situation.

Against this background – also beyond the current focus on Ukraine – contributions to the broad thematic field of religious education in the face of war and peace are sought, which formulate inquiries to the theory and practice of religious education as well as develop constructive new ways of thinking in particular from specific contexts (regional and local, historical, denominational, biographical, disciplinary ...).