Bonner Querschnitte 22/2018 Ausgabe 539 (eng)

(Bonn, 06.07.2018) Due to the criticism, that he had abandoned the doctrinal foundations of the Christian faith in favour of a purely experiential religion in a speech given in Bogotá at the Global Christian Forum, the Associate Secretary-General for Theological Concerns of the World Evangelical Alliance, Thomas Schirrmacher, has now made his speech available to the public in German and in English language.

Schirrmacher said, that therein, to be sure, he actually holds, that no theology exists without experience and that God often leads us on the right track through experiences. But that does not mean that therefore experience supercedes and governs revelation. After all, said Schirrmacher, he had lead a Bible study and rested his views on Scripture and underlined, that Scripture is the highest authority in the church. In his speech in Bogotá Job and Peter had been his principal witnesses, for both had only learned by God-given experiences, what had been right all along, but what had been, without the experience, concealed from them. “Job’s words, which by the way are entirely in accordance wird the Evangelical cause, are my guiding principle: ‘So far my ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you as you really are.’”

Downloads and Links:

• The speech of Thomas Schirrmacher in English (pdf)
• The speech of Thomas Schirrmacher in German (pdf)
• Photo 1: Thomas Schirrmacher during his speech (with plenary) © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 2: (from right to left) The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II and Bischof Thomas Schirrmacher © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 3, photo 4 and photo 5: Thomas Schirrmacher during his speech © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 6: (from right to left) Dr Frank Hinkelmann, Secretary of the International Council of WEA, and Thomas Schirrmacher © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 7: Lorena Rios, the Colombian governments spokeswoman on religious freedom, Edgar Castano, President of the Evangelical Alliance of Columbia (Confederación Evangélica de Colombia), Thomas Schirrmacher © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 8: Christine MacMillan introduces Ruth Padilla DeBorst, the second speaker for the World Evangelical Alliance © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 9: Thomas Schirrmacher with African delegates and the upcoming secretary of the Global Christian Forum, Casely Essamuah, and his wife © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 10: The upcoming secretary of the Global Christian Forum, Casely Essamuah, his wife, Thomas Schirrmacher, and his daughter © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 11: Thomas Schirrmacher handing an IIRF book to Lorena Rios, the Columbian governments spokeswoman on religious freedom © BQ/Warnecke
• Photo 12, photo 13, photo 14, photo 15 und photo16: Thomas Schirrmacher during his speech © Albin Hillert, World Council of Churches