Opening lecture

Michael Herbst

Being more - humankind between responsibility, presumption and promise

To make more of one's life, to achieve more, to finally get a grip on life and to become 'better' in every respect, even to grow as a human being, is probably one of the most important pursuits (not only) of our days. Our language reveals that it is about more than good performance (against which there would be nothing to say). We talk about 'optimizing ourselves', about 'living up to our potential' in every way. In almost all areas of life, it is true that we are what we perform. The assessment by others (but also by ourselves) stands and falls with our success. At times, not even faith is exempt from this; after all, here too we expect more from and for ourselves. The opening lecture unfolds this topic as a tension between responsibility, presumption and promise and thus introduces the conference topic.

Prof. Dr. Michael Herbst (born 1955) was a research associate in Erlangen. He was a research associate in Erlangen, a pastor in Münster, and a hospital chaplain (children's hospital) in Bielefeld-Bethel. From 1996 to 2022, he held the chair of practical theology and was the founding director of the Institute for Research on Evangelism and Church Development at the University of Greifswald. He lives with his wife near Bamberg and works as an author, speaker and podcaster on topics of church development, pastoral care and preaching. 

Congress band: "Mosaic" with Jan Feyerlein, Miriam Götzelmann, Mona Keilberth, Matthäus Krumrey and Tobias Spengler
We perceive ourselves as sons and daughters of God who love making music and love Jesus. Like a mosaic, we want to create a work of art together in our diversity for the glory of God.

Break

Thomas Fuchs

Can humans be improved? Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism and Human Happiness

The lecture attempts a critique of currently held transhumanist positions in two steps: 

1) The demand for a fundamental improvement of human nature encounters typical optimization conflicts: namely, every supposed improvement unbalances the evolutionarily formed proportions of human capabilities, as will be shown in various examples of enhancement. 

2) The idea of redesigning the biological nature of man is also fundamentally self-contradictory. This is because the ideas of the good or "optimal" that this reshaping is ultimately intended to serve can no longer be meaningfully formulated without the embodied basis of nature.

Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Fuchs is Karl Jaspers Professor of Philosophical Foundations of Psychiatry at the University of Heidelberg. Head of the section Phenomenological Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, editor of the journal "Psychopathology", chairman of the German Society for Phenomenological Anthropology, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (DGAP). Research interests: Phenomenological psychology, psychopathology and anthropology, theories of embodiment and neuroscience.

Break

Welcome of the international guests

Georg von Polier

Developmental challenges in childhood and adolescence

In the lecture, we will first present the regular development of children and adolescents against a neuroscientific background. We will then look at current challenges to the identity development of adolescents in the digital age, including demands for self-marketing and the main features of pathological development. Finally, we will highlight current findings on the resilience of children and adolescents, their opportunities and a possible contribution of adults to a positive development. 

Prof. Dr. med. Georg von Polier is Clinic Director of the Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics of Childhood and Adolescence, Leipzig University Hospital; research interests: Biomarker development for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment; developmental neuroscience, focus on externalizing behavior disorders.

Lunch break

Separate professional group networking meetings of different professional groups will take place during the lunch break. Curious attendees are welcome to attend!
Please refer to the on-site conference folder for this information.

Sandra Mai

"Being more" in illness and end of life. 

Dignity Centered Therapy

The brief intervention Dignity Therapy was developed on the basis of the empirical dignity model of Harvey M. Chochinov, Canada. With Dignity-Centered Therapy, the focus is directed away from the illness and toward the person who is ill. The intervention aims to strengthen the sense of dignity of (palliative) patients and thus alleviate existential suffering at the end of life. The positive influence of Dignity-Centered Therapy on depression, anxiety, the sense of dignity and quality of life has been proven in numerous internationally high-ranking published studies since 2002. 

Sandra Mai is a graduate psychologist in the Interdisciplinary Department of Palliative Medicine at the University Medical Center Mainz, specialist psychologist in palliative care (BDP-DGP), 1st chairwoman of the German Dignity Society.

Break

Evi Rodemann

Failure wanted - how challenges make us grow

None of us really desire failure, but how is growth possible without going through challenges in life and responsibility?

Many responsible people break down in their tasks, so the question is, how do we deal with the crises and moments of failure in life? What helps us to go through such phases well and come out the other end matured, grown and healthy? Together we think about possible stumbling blocks and how we can face them with God's help.

Evi Rodemann (born 1971) lives in the Hamburg area and works as a theologian and event manager. She is involved in the international work of the Lausanne Movement and the "Mission Commission" of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) as well as in her association "LeadNow". Her focus is the young generation of leaders. Websites: evirodemann.com, www.leadnow.centerafterwardsEvening at leisure

Offers to get to know our host city Würzburg: Guided city tours for all interested people

Like last time, we are organizing exciting city tours. Start at 6:30 pm at the CCW. They can be booked additionally at the online registration for 8.- Euro.

Break

Seminar block A

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Seminar block B

Lunch break

Seminar block C

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Seminar block D

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Concert reading

“Life is not black and white”

With Judy Bailey and Patrick Depuhl

"Life is not black and white." - An evening of songs and stories from the heart. Judy and Patrick sing, read and touch with humor, heart and brain. Their concert reading unfolds in a unique stage setting that amazes. Yet the artistic couple is not afraid to go where it hurts - nor are they afraid to spread hope. Not even when they tell of roots in slavery or secrets from the time of National Socialism. Extremely personal, genuine and empathetic. A moving dialogue with the heart: unexpectedly vulnerable. Amazingly courageous. Wonderfully empowering. Because most things God created, they're pretty sure, are amazingly colorful ...

Judy Bailey, born in London in 1968, is a singer, composer and musician. Her musical journey has taken her to over thirty countries and fourteen albums of her own. She has performed her songs for millionaires and ministers, pope and presidents, as well as for the homeless, prisoners and refugees. She grew up in Barbados, studied psychology at the University of London, and now lives in Germany with her husband Patrick Depuhl, to whom she has been married for 25 years, and their three sons. 

Patrick Depuhl, born in 1970, went to kindergarten in Duisburg and Dallas. He studied communications and, in addition to music and writing, is also active as a coach; he has been to China and Malaysia for Porsche, for example, or has spoken to Young Leaders in Nairobi. On the radio he tells God stories from life every now and then in "Kirche im WDR".

Break

Young Professionals - Panel Talk

Break

Franziska Eckert

At the limits - Ethics in medicine and research

Due to my work in the field of oncology, ethical decisions are also part of my daily work in medical extreme situations. This applies both to the care of patients in clinical practice (e.g., care of children with cancer, palliative medicine) and to clinical research in oncology and the handling of experimental therapies. As Christians, we try to make decisions based not only on ethical guidelines in medicine, but also on the standards of the Bible. But what if professional decisions exceed the guidelines of Christian morality? In this lecture, exceptional situations from the history of medicine as well as current challenges in medical ethics will be addressed with reference to self-reflection and the development of one's own ethical convictions (Professional Identity Formation).

Apl. Prof. Dr. Franziska Eckert studied human medicine in Tübingen and habilitated there in 2018 in the field of radiation oncology. She has been an associate professor since 2022. In 2022, she moved to the Medical University of Vienna, where she became deputy clinical director of the University Department of Radiation Oncology.
In addition to clinical work and translational scientific projects in the field of immuno-oncology, she has also been active in the field of medicine and the Holocaust for over 10 years. Starting from her own family history, she has initiated and played a major role in shaping the German Society for Radiation Oncology. As part of the international Medicine and Holocaust Network and also in cooperation with the "Lancet Commission on Medicine after the Holocaust", she deals with the underlying mechanisms that turn people and especially physicians and therapists into perpetrators and fellow travelers and how moral standards can be maintained in borderline ethical situations.

Break

Thomas Maria Renz

"Being more" as a promise: From the image of God to fullness in Christ. 

Our daily experience of limitation, powerlessness and imperfection is countered by God's promise who created us in His image (Gen 1:27) to transform us more and more into Christ (Gal 2:20) and to make us perfect human beings in HIM (Eph 4:13). How can I live with this tension without breaking under its tension because the distance from one to the other seems too great?
The 'already and not yet' of our faith - already a child of God but not yet perfected, already redeemed but still sinful, already in grace but still tempted - should not demotivate me to reach out for what lies ahead (Phil 3:13-14). To discover the foreshadowing of the fulfillment of the promised already now and to see the world with God's eyes, that is the great adventure of faith to which God invites us!

Thomas Maria Renz is a Catholic auxiliary bishop in the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, i.e. a close collaborator of the bishop in the management of the diocese with responsibility for religious orders and spiritual communities as well as for Catholic youth work in Württemberg. Member of the Episcopal Commission "Justitia et Pax" and the Commission "Education and School" of the German Bishops' Conference. Member of the ecumenical initiatives "Together for Europe", "Meeting of Responsible Persons" of spiritual communities and "Germany prays".

Farewell

End of the congress

13.30 - 14.30 hrs. 

APS annual meeting of members