Bonner Querschnitte 08/2024 Ausgabe 785 (eng)

(Bonn, 10.04.2024) The Evangelical Alliance in Germany (EAD) expressed its great appreciation to Prof. Dr. Thomas Paul Schirrmacher for his many years of dedicated service in many areas of the German and World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and is extremely grateful for his diverse and great commitment over the past years in a national and international context.

In particular, his involvement in various working groups and human rights projects within the German, European and World Evangelical Alliance – which has set up a central WEA office in Bonn under his leadership – as well as his expertise in numerous academic papers and publications on topics such as the persecution of Christians, Islam, human rights and current social issues are in demand and highly regarded. Schirrmacher’s commitment as WEA Secretary General at various levels of religion, politics and global social cohesion as well as his great passion for Christian unity and peaceful coexistence with other religions was outstanding, exemplary and trend-setting.

Schirrmacher is regarded as a leading expert on the persecution of Christians; he has worked as an expert for the German Bundestag on several occasions and will also be speaking in the Human Rights Committee in April. In 2015, Schirrmacher took part in the Catholic Synod on the Family convened by Pope Francis and is also an advisor to the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches.

Within the EAD, he was also involved in the Working Group for Religious Freedom – Human Rights – Persecuted Christians (AKREF) from 2000–2020 as “Managing Director” of AKREF. Since 1999, he has been the editor of the ‘Jahrbuch zur Christenverfolgung heute’ [‘Yearbook on the persecution of Christians today’] and, since 2014, of the two yearbooks ‘Jahrbuch für Religionsfreiheit’ [‘Yearbook for Religious Freedom’] and ‘Jahrbuch Diskriminierung und Verfolgung von Christen’ [‘Yearbook Discrimination and Persecution of Christians’], of which the EAD is co-editor and which contribute to the recognition and promotion of religious freedom in Germany and worldwide. He was also a board member of the EAD’s Working Group for Missiology from 1985–2020 and its chairman from 2011–2020 (now the “Evangelical Forum for Mission, Culture and Religion”). From 1990–2001 he was also spokesman for the Evangelical Alliance Bonn and from 2000–2019 chairman of the Theological Commission of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) (or “Hope for Europe” of the EEA).

Schirrmacher was hopeful that he could be treated well. In the future, he will therefore by no means retire, but will once again be more active as President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). He has held this position since 2021 and was previously Director of the organisation. On the other hand, there are plans to expand a centre for interreligious dialogue in Bonn, in which he will also be involved.

The German Evangelical Aliance recognised Thomas Schirrmacher’s commitment over the past few years, also within Germany for the EAD, and wishes him a continued good recuperation and a full recovery of his health and looks forward to continuing to work with him.
 

Downloads and Links:

• Photo: Thomas Paul Schirrmacher during his welcoming address at the inauguration of the Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany in 2017 © BQ
• BQ 784 ‘WEA Secretary General Thomas Paul Schirrmacher resigns due to health’: https://www.bucer.de/ressource/details/bonner-querschnitte-072024-ausgabe-784-eng.html
• BQ 667 ‘WEA International Council Appoints Dr Thomas Schirrmacher as Next Secretary General/CEO’: https://www.bucer.de/ressource/details/bonner-querschnitte-492020-ausgabe-667-eng.html
• WEA statement on Schirrmacher’s resignation: https://worldea.org/news/25935/wea-accepts-secretary-generals-resignation-for-health-reasons/
• Website of the German Evangelical Alliance: https://www.ead.de
• Website of Thomas Paul Schirrmacher: https://www.thomasschirrmacher.net/