In view of the current war in Ukraine, the relevance of the topic and the dialogue also between the churches became even clearer. Peter Morée, professor of church history at the University of Prague, introduced the complex topic with a pointed opening lecture. Vivid country reports from the participants illuminated the role nationalism and cosmopolitanism in church life. Finally, on the third day, various concrete output formats were developed and made available online for the benefit of a broader audience. On the one hand, ten theses were developed under the heading “Towards an Inclusive Identity in Christ – Theses about Nationalism, Identities and Christian Churches.” On the other hand, prayers and sermon suggestions were formulated for use in church services, a double lesson was conceived for religious education classes, and a canon was composed.

In the forum it became clear how much the different churches of Europe are rooted in their respective countries. On the one hand, the churches are shaped by the history and culture, the political and confessional contexts of the respective country. On the other hand, it became clear among the participants, that even as a minority churches strive to contribute to society, and thus to help shape history and culture even today. Through the country reports and the encounters, understanding and tolerance for the churches and people from other countries grew. In the discussions and not least in the outputs, it also became clear how much the common faith gives Protestantism the potential to learn from churches in other countries across national borders and benefits from encouraging impulses from others. The forum offered fruitful encounters and is a valuable platform to connect young theologians in Europe, who will help shape the future of the churches in their respective countries.

Young Theology – digital academy an conference Vienna (young-theology.eu)