Chair of Religious Studies with Focus on Christianity

Profile

The Chair was established in 2005 with funding by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wirtschaft (Donors' Association for the Promotion of Humanities and Sciences in Germany) and taken over in 2010 by the Federal State of Brandenburg. Being part of the Faculty of Arts and not located at a theological institute, it represents an exception in the academic landscape of Germany. From its focus on Christianity, a threefold perspective has emerged: It sets out to describe Christianity from the outside, primarily in comparison other religions; second, to present how Christianity sees itself, often hailing back often to dogmatic fundamentals; and third, to observe the function of this self-view using models of religious theory. The Chair is associated with the Department of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies and with the Institute for Lebensgestaltung, Ethik, Religionskunde (LER; Conduct of Life, Ethics, Religion) and works in cooperation with the School of Jewish Theology and the Department of Philosophy.