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Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau)

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Established
  
1947

Website
  
www.augustana.de

Phone
  
+49 9874 5090

Rector
  
Gury Schneider-Ludorff

Students
  
212 (April 24, 2007)

Total enrollment
  
165 (2015)

Founded
  
1947


Location
  
Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany

Affiliations
  
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria

Address
  
Waldstraße 11, 91564 Neuendettelsau, Germany

Similar
  
Lutheran University of Applie, Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal/Bethel, Hochschule für evangelis, Munich School of Philosophy, Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg

The Augustana-Hochschule Neuendettelsau is a divinity school of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria in Neuendettelsau, Germany.

Contents

History

The Augustana-Hochschule was founded in 1947 as an outcome of the Church’s struggle with National Socialism upon decision by the Provincial Synod [Landessynode] of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Bavaria. In 1949, the Divinity school moved, quite symbolically, into the abandoned barracks that had been part of a former ammunition factory of the Wehrmacht in Neuendettelsau. Since those days, the Augustana-Hochschule has grown considerably as several buildings have been added, including the architecturally fascinating round chapel and the equally interesting shell-shaped library. Still, the Divinity school with its park-like compound has retained its charme as one of the few real campus universities in Germany.

In 1973, the right to award doctoral degrees in cooperation with the theological faculties in Erlangen and Munich was conferred to the Divinity School. Since 1990, the Augustana-Hochschule can award doctoral degrees and Habilitations independently.

Status and Education

The Divinity School is independent of the state, yet stately recognized. Students usually take up the undergraduate and graduate programms of the Augustana-Hochschule in order to become pastors in the various Landeskirchen (regional churches) in Germany. The Divinity School has got the right to award doctoral degrees and Habilitations. The Augustana-Hochschule is, thus, on par with theological faculties at state universities.

There are six tenured theological professors (Old Testament, New Testament, church history, systematic theology, practical theology, Missionology), as well as one tenured professor for philosophy and, since 2003, one tenured professor for feminist theology. Two lecturers for classical philology (Latin, Ancient Greek) and one lecturer for Biblical Hebrew take care of the students' education in the old languages. Additionally, several assistant professors and adjunct lecturers contribute to the variety of undergraduate and graduate courses.

Current Professors

  • Dieter Becker, professor for missionology (since 1993)
  • Markus Buntfuß, professor for systematic theology (since 2006)
  • Renate Jost, professor for feminist theology (since 2003)
  • Peter L. Oesterreich, professor for philosophy (since 1995)
  • Klaus Raschzok, professor for practical theology (since 2003)
  • Gury Schneider-Ludorff, professor for church history (since 2005)
  • Christian Strecker, professor for New Testament (since 2010)
  • Helmut Utzschneider, professor for Old Testament (since 1992)
  • Cooperations and Contacts

    The Divinity School has close ties with the church’s social and welfare work and with its missionary work.

    Furthermore, there are good contacts with the nearby Theological Faculty of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo (Norway) and the Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. The school also maintains connections with the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Tanzania and Zaire through a scholarship program.

    Literature

  • Jörg Dittmer (ed.): Theologie auf dem Campus. 50 Jahre Augustana-Hochschule, Neuendettelsau 1997. (German)
  • Gerhard Monninger (ed.): Eine Denkwerkstatt der Kirche. Augustana-Hochschule 1947-1987, München 1987. (German)
  • Gerhard Monninger (ed.): 30 Jahre Augustana-Hochschule - einen Augenblick innehalten, Neuendettelsau 1977. (German)
  • References

    Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau) Wikipedia