Professor Dr. Christine Wenona Hoffmann is the scientific director of the conference. She has been involved in the planning since last year and Goethe University Frankfurt is a partner of the conference.

About the person

Christine Wenona Hoffmann is Professor of Practical Theology at Goethe University in Frankfurt. After study visits to Heidelberg, Rome and Cambridge (UK), the ordained pastor and trained supervisor (DGSv) worked alongside her church ministry as managing director in the Department for Sermon Research at the University of Heidelberg, lecturer at the Protestant University in Freiburg and theological assistant to the Bishop of Baden.

As a practical theologian, Hoffmann is involved in the research and theoretical reflection of church action and religious practice. Her research focuses on diaconics and poimenics; political pastoral care; digital pastoral care practices and church transformation processes. The question of the (future) role and significance of the church(es) in society(s) is of central importance in all these considerations.

We are delighted to welcome Dr Michael Skaggs, Programme Director of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, for the opening lecture.

The title of his lecture on Monday at 6 pm:
"Civil Aviation and the Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future: Care for those on the Way".

Dr Michael Skaggs is Programme Director and co-founder of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. He leads the Lab's education, training and networking initiatives. He is also the host, producer and editor of the Lab's public relations work. He sits on the advisory board of Transforming Chaplaincy and the advisory board of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Journal.

He trained as an American historian of religion at the University of Notre Dame, has a special interest in interreligious dialogue and works in innovative theological education programmes. His work has appeared in Sociology of Religion, International Journal of Maritime History, American Catholic Studies, U.S. Catholic Historian and Books & Culture, among others. Previously, he served as Communications Director for Transforming Chaplaincy and Programme Director for the North American Maritime Ministry Association.

Regional Bishop Professor Dr. Heike Springhart will give the keynote lecture on Wednesday at 3 pm.

The title of her presentation:

"Vulnerable Creation: Vulnerable Human Life between Risk and Tragedy"

Heike Springhart was born on February 21, 1975 in Basel and grew up in Böllen in the Black Forest. She graduated from high school in Schönau 1994. She studied Protestant theology in Bethel, Leipzig, Basel and Heidelberg.

In 2008, she was ordained as a pastor in the Protestant Church in Baden. In the same yera, she completed her doctorate on the "Beitrag von religion und Kirche für Demokratisierung und Reeducation im Westen Deutschlands nach 1945".

She has taught at the universities of Bochum, Heidelberg and Zurich. in 2013 and 2014, she was a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago (USA).

Heike Springhart completed her habilitation in 2015 with the publication "Der verwundbare Mensch. Sterben, Tod und Endlichkeit im Horizont einer realistischen Anthropologie".

From 2010 to 2019 she was Director of Studies at the Theologischen Studienhaus heidelberg and took on pastoral positions in parishes in Mannheim and Pforzheim from 2018 to 2022.

She has been Bishop of the Protestant Church in Baden since April 10, 2022.

Three religions. One Room.
A religious version for Airports

Professor Dr. Idris Nassery from the University in Paderborn is the keynote speaker on Thursday, September 26, at 2:30 pm. It is a great pleasure to have him - at least online - for this conference, because he is strongly involved in the conception and the realization of the "House of One" in Berlin and other cities in Germany.

ABSTRACT: In today's world, there is an urgent need for places of peace - spaces where we can learn to coexist in our "one world house", as Martin Luther King eloquently put it in Berlin. Among the various space we inhabit, few are as representative of encountres between different cultures and nations as the airport. At this transitory hub, encountres and oppurtunities for exchange emerge, often surpassing those found even in specialized professional circles. Within the framwork of the presentation, the concept of a "Room of One" will be introduced, followed by a discussion on the prerequisites for its realization. Special attention will be given to the theological foundational concepts essential for the implementation of this endeavor.

Idris Nassery is a Professor of Islamic Law at the University of Paderborn. His scholarly endeavors transcend conventional realms of Islamic law, encompassing innovative fields such as Islamic legal philosophy and legal aesthetics. Through his research, he enriches the understanding and discourse surrounding intricate subjects like legal theories and their aesthetic dimensions within Islam. Moreover, he delves into Comparative Theology, exploring how the methodologies of Comparative Theology can be integrated into practical applications. Additionally, Nassery places particular emphasis on examining the legal landscape of Afghanistan, spanning historical and contemporary contexts, thus offering valuable insights into the country's legal evolution and practices.