What is Fragwürdig*?
* fragwürdig = questionable
Fragwürdig 2020 was one week with 5 sessions (in April) and 4 sessions (in December) around relevant topics, made accessible for you to watch live on YouTube from home!
What do you trust in when live feels out of control? What is happiness? Where does solidarity and cohesion in society come from? Where’s God during the COVID-19 pandemic? What is really behind Christmas? Are there miracles? How do I deal with loneliness? And what does faith really bring us?
Every evening we offered an exciting talk around the significant questions about life, faith and the world. Scientific thoughts and Christian worldview were included in the talk and dialogue.
Afterwards people had the opportunity to ask their questions live.
all streams from April and December 2020 are still available on YouTube!
#LockDownBlues – Who am I, when I’m on my own? In times of COVID-19 many of us are suddenly on our own all the time. Oftentimes, this leads to feeling lonely and dejected. How can we deal with this situation? What meaningful questions come to mind and what could be a helpful perspective to deal with them?
#Happyme - Does the constant search for our pursuit of hapiness leave us miserable?
Striving for our own pursuit of happiness is a basic human need. Who does not want to live a fulfilled and happy life? But what does a fulfilled life really mean? What if our constant striving for luck turns out to be extremely stressful and leaves us disappointed and empty after all?
#NoOneLeftBehind – What makes society stick together?
The virus leaves us no choice: to keep our distance and to no let anyone down. Because only if we work together, we are able to help the weakest of society. No big deal, right? Human dignity is inviolable. That’s why we need a solid foundation. Our dignity lies in the eye of the beholder - one who’s loving. The one who knows us best and created us. Now that’s the secret.
#GodAndCorona – Where’s God when the world is out of control?
In these days we look at the world and are shocked. About the chaotic states in Italian hospitals, the current situation of refugees and the violence that children from instable family-backgrounds experience all over the world, leave us deeply concerned. If there is a God – how can he allow something like this? How could we possibly trust a loving God, looking at all the pain on earth?
#EverythinWillBeAlright – Where does hope come from in a world full of uncertainty?
In the past weeks, our world has been turned upside down. Familiar securities are gone, nothing is like it used to be. What can we hold on to in insecure times like this? What could be a solid foundation for our life and a hope that proves trustworthy in this crisis of COVID-19?
Julia Garschagen
Julia Garschagen is leading speaker and managing director (CEO) of the Zacharias Institute for science, culture and faith in Cologne. After high school graduation in Westerwald she lived for one year in Lima (Peru). Then she studied theology in Wuppertal and at the Kings College London.
As regional speaker of the SMD she worked for many years with students in schools and universities. Now she gives presentations on critical questions concerning Christianity in higher education and the economy sector. Additionally, she is founder of a charity organization in Peru, helping to educate young people in poverty.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Clausen
Prof. Dr. Matthias Clausen is teaching theology at the Academy Tabor in Marburg and is a speaker for the Institut of Theology and Science (IGUW). He speaks at universities across Germany and other countries.
One of his key emphases is being able to communicate in a clear and attractive way about faith in our post-church society. Matthias studied in Wuppertal, Heidelberg and London, got his doctorate in Greifswald and is a speaker for the SMD.
He is married and has 3 kids in school age. Great books, good questions, nice coffee and computers that don’t crash make him happy.
Fragwürdig Christmas Edition is organized by several Christian student groups in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Among these groups are the ‘Hochschul-SMD’ (a German student mission network), ‘Campus Connect’, ‘Studi-EC’ and ‘ÖSM’ (an Austrian student mission network).
Their goal is to live their faith together and to get to the bottom of questions concerning thecompatibility of science and faith in their daily student lives. They arepassionate about inviting others for open discussion and exchange opinionsabout questions of faith, science, and society. Their main focus is to live incommunities and support each other.
The student groups are working with two institutions supporting Fragwürdig Christmas Edition who are providing one speaker each.
The Zacharias Institute for Science, Culture and Faith and their speakers assemble their views from their different fields of study. With this background, they discuss fundamental questions to being human, such as,“What gives our lives purpose?”, “What can hope be built on?”, “As intelligent, well-informed people, can we even have faith?” No world view can stand without faith, meaning without accepting premises that are not scientifically justified. The Zacharias Institute encourages respectful, intelligent conversations of different world views. They argue, that well-informed, thinking people can believe in God – for good reason.
The Institute for Faithand Science in Marburg wants to encourage an exchange between science and Christianity – also with those who are skeptical. To do so, the institute provides food for thought and orientation in our pluralistic society. Scientists deal with multiple questions concerning their field of study and the Christian faith in the formof lectures, documentaries, and different offers at study conferences. Being an intellectually based Christian and doing science at the same time is possible, says Dr. Alexander Fink, biophysicist and leader of the Institute.
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