Symposium studies religious suppression in Germany
North Central College will host a distinctive two-day symposium, "Religious Opposition to Suppression: German Traditions," Monday and Tuesday, April 7 and 8, featuring a documentary screening, guest speaker, exhibition of historical posters and colloquium.
The guest speaker both days is Michael Lunberg, Consistorial Councillor in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany. Born and raised in East Germany under a repressive communist state and political party, he was active in the opposition movement in the late 1980s, leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Because his father was a pastor in the Lutheran Church, his family was marginalized and denied advanced education. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Germany was unified, Lunberg studied theology. In his current role, he's responsible for establishing, implementing and overseeing all aspects of Protestant religious study in the state of Brandenburg.
On Monday, April 7, Lunberg will introduce the critically acclaimed 2004 documentary "Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace" starting at 7 p.m. in Koten Chapel at Kiekhofer Hall, 329 E. School St., Naperville. The event is free.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Protestant pastor and theologian and one of the most well-known resisters to the Nazi regime, was executed in 1944, just weeks before the end of World War II in Europe. After the film screening, Lunberg, Campus Chaplain Lynn Pries and Gregory Wolf, North Central's Dennis and Jean Bauman Professor in the Humanities and professor of German, will lead a discussion about the film and resistance to oppression.
Also on Monday, Lunberg will open a special exhibition, "Wir wollen freie Menschen sein! Der DDR-Volksaufstand vom 17. Juni 1953" (We want to be free people: The peoples revolt in the German Democratic Republic in 1953), on display through Monday, April 14, in the foyer outside Koten Chapel.
Sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany, the exhibition features 25 posters that chronicle the popular uprising against the Soviet-backed East German government in 1953, just months after the death of Josef Stalin. The revolt was brutally suppressed by the Soviet Union and led to widespread imprisonment of activists.
On Tuesday, April 8, a one-hour colloquium titled "Religious Opposition to Suppression: German Traditions" will feature three speakers starting at 7 p.m. in Koten Chapel.
Wolf will speak on "Religious Resistance in the Third Reich: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller"; Lunberg will discuss "Religious opposition in the German Democratic Republic"; and Pries will address "Bonhoeffer and Niemöller: Their Influence in the United States." A discussion will follow and the Bishop of Berlin-Brandenburg will give an official greeting. The event is free.
"An important part of the colloquium will be the dedication of a memorial plaque to Martin Niemöller," Wolf says. "Niemöller, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was an important pastor, theologian and resistance fighter to the Nazi dictatorship."
Niemöller was imprisoned from 1937 to 1945 in various concentration camps and survived to become an outspoken critic of worldwide military aggression and nuclear proliferation. The plaque commemorates Niemöller's 1967 visit to North Central College and the 30th anniversary of his death in 1984.
These events are part of North Central's yearlong Global Human Rights focus. Other related events taking place in April include:
• "Disruption" (2014) documentary screening and workshop by filmmakers Pamela Yates and Paco de Onis: 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, Harold and Eva White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave., Naperville;
• "Stuck" (2013) documentary screening and discussion with producer Dawn Stark of Both Ends Burning Campaign: 7 p.m. Monday, April 21, Harold and Eva White Activities Center;
These upcoming events are among many ongoing programs at North Central College to enrich and broaden the cultural and academic outlook for the college and community.
For a comprehensive schedule of musical performances, theatrical and dance productions, art exhibits and lectures, visit northcentralcollege.edu/show or call (630) 637-7469.