At the crossroads of history

Lutheran
Bishop
Christian Krause

Dieter Rammler

Guided by a vision to the end

"Fear not, for I have called you by name" (Is 43:1) was the biblical verse assigned to Christian Jakob Krause for baptism2. For him, this motto connected with a vision that inspired him to the end: "From the east I will bring forth your seed, from the west will I gather you. I will say to the north: Return! and to the south: Do not withhold; bring back my sons from afar, and my daughters from the uttermost part of the earth, ... You are my witnesses-oracle of the Lord!"(Isaiah 43:5-6,10). For Christian Krause this vision signified hope in a "momentous turning point" wrought by God. United in witnessing to God, the call not to entrench ourselves behind old or new frontiers resonates powerfully.

The news that came during the last weeks of his life left him troubled and broke his recollection. However, Krause did not want to give up. ""We are once again back to square one! We need Christians especially now! … With their hope, commitment to peace and against war, against racism and in defense of human dignity, and especially also for refugees!" he said in a last interview a few weeks before his death on November 28, 2024.

He recounted one day how childhood images returned to him in a dream: "It was the spring of 1945; the sky was red-hot all day and night because of the continuous bombing and burning of Berlin. My mother wanted to take us children to safety and then return immediately to Döberitz. But that did not happen. I don't remember how we finally managed to get on the overcrowded train. People were sitting on each other. Some were crying. Most with their eyes lost in nothingness, exhausted." He never forgot those scenes throughout his life, and once remarked, "One should not underestimate how famine, injustice and fear leave a mark on people and are passed on from generation to generation. But thank God this happens also through solidarity and proximity as well!"

Wherever Christian Krause was, he had two things at hand: the Losungen book 3 from Herrnhut and family photos. These were the sources from which he drew. Already as a youth leader in Göttingen, he came across this elementary biblical piety, which he practiced for the rest of his life. He had learned it from animators who had been in the war, as it had been their source of comfort in the darkest hours. God's Word, trust in his guidance, forgiveness and healing presence – all had served to mature in him an ever-deepening faith: "To be on the way, trusting in God’s Word, more and more each day! For life in fullness comes not from our sowing and reaping, but from the miracle of God's love. Without roots in the soil of God's goodness and mercy, our hope dies, and every longing turns into despair."

"Following the Star"

Born on January 6, 1940, in Dallgow-Döberitz near Berlin on the Epiphany, Christian Krause was a child of Epiphany and remained so throughout his life! He loved the biblical story of the Magi coming from the East. And They Followed the Star, is the title of a book dedicated to him. His whole existence was a journey toward this broad horizon. As a young theologian he worked at the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva and upon being ordained pastor, he followed the call to move to Tanzania (1971) to work in the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service.

At that time, the peoples of the Global South were struggling for freedom and independence. Civil wars were raging in many places, forcing thousands to flee, including to neighboring Mozambique. This period of commitment to refugee camps along the border occupied only a brief stretch in his life, but it had an enormous impact on him.

Finally, the colonies became independent states and the former missionary societies, partner churches. During that time, Christian Krause was a pioneer of international ecumenism for the Lutheran Churches in Germany (1972-1985), helping to shape many of the newly emerging partnerships. This would later serve him well during studies in Chicago, where he had learned the skill of translator. "As an interpreter, you must first understand yourself before you can make others understand," he said. This characterized his attitude toward foreigners and his irrepressible curiosity in approaching unknown territories.

Bridge builder from east to west, north to south

He had a special way of connecting with people and helping them find clarity in themselves and on their own path. He valued personal freedom and therefore honored it in others as well.

Christian Krause was a great storyteller. He was like a magnet that attracted the life stories of others. There are many who became his lifelong friends. "Each of us can be a final witness to many things, and to people and experiences that will inevitably disappear with him or her," writes Rüdiger Safranski in his book entitled ‘Time’. In this sense, Bishop Krause witnessed the lives of many people at crucial points in recent history.

Now, in the memory of so many, he is part of that "cloud of witnesses" (cf. Heb. 12:1). Friends from his time at the Secretariat of the large gatherings of the German Evangelical Church (Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag)4, of which he was secretary general (1985-1994), recall his push for "political action in Christian responsibility." Friends of the once-divided Germany remember him as a bridge-builder and diplomat, even before the fall of communism in 1989, and even more so afterward. The Federal Cross of Merit with Star (2001) awarded to him by Federal President Johannes Rau explicitly referred to his efforts for East-West dialogue. The Braunschweig Regional Church remembers him as the bishop (1994-2002) who took an interest in people's lives. "If you want to be a bishop, take a donkey and ride through the country. There is one who has shown us the way," publicist Heinz Zahrnt had written to him for his installation in the Braunschweig cathedral. Fellow travelers worldwide, and particularly from Africa, have not forgotten his surprising election as Lutheran World Federation president in Hong Kong in 1997. They wanted him at the helm, because he had not left them alone in their time of struggle. This was also the reason why, in 2009, President Motlanthe awarded him the highest honor the Republic of South Africa bestows on deserving foreigners.

President of the Lutheran World Federation

From then on, Christian Krause represented the Lutheran World Communion on trips to Latin America, East Africa, Eastern Europe, India and Southeast Asia. He sensed the historical significance of the Joint Declaration on Justification and made significant contributions to its implementation during the delicate final stage. In his October 31, 1999 homily on the day of the signing at St. Anne's Church in Augsburg, he said: "It is a precious thing, in following Jesus, to belong to a universal community that is able to spend itself for one another even at the level of the whole world. The message of peace from Bethlehem needs those who proclaim it. How can this be done if we did not begin with ourselves?"

After the celebration concluded, Catholic sisters and brothers were waiting for him in front of the church with the desire to invite him to meet their ecumenical movement: Chiara Lubich, president of the Focolare Movement, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague and others. "We no longer want to let go of the hands we hold out to each other," he had just said in his sermon at St. Anne's. And indeed, they never let go again! In fact, the award in Aachen Cathedral of the Klaus Hemmerle Prize, established by the Focolare Movement in 2006, would later give vivid witness to this special relationship.

For more than two decades, Bishop Christian Krause was intimately connected to the Focolare Movement in multiple ways, such as through the shared commitment of the Together for Europe network.  This was a result of the prior events in Augsburg and that of the Focolare's ecumenical group of bishop friends. He liked to call them the colorful bishops because of their colorful robes and encouraged them to continue to "globalize" themselves as witnesses of unity in Christ.

Already for some time he had been feeling a sense of restlessness that hinted at the fact that Christianity and the Churches were grappling with a change of epoch. His encounter with the Focolare reinforced that impression of something within Christendom that was hidden but that was blossoming as new life. He could not yet name it, but he sensed it in the "fire" of the Focolare. How much he longed that we could arrive to share the Eucharist as communion at God's table with His people throughout the world: "It would be a sign that would unite Christians, that the world could not ignore!"

From global action to a Baltic Sea island.

When Christian Krause retired from active service, he continued in numerous honorary roles where his international experience was needed: The Protestant Development Service, in whose reorganization he played a key role as board chair (1999-2005); the Luther Center in Wittenberg (Germany), of which he was co-founder and president (1999-2007); and as chairperson of the Hermann Kunst Foundation for the promotion of research on New Testament texts. 

When even these later tasks started fading into the background and there was time, he stumbled upon his beloved vacation island in the Baltic Sea. His memory remains alive in this island community, too. He sometimes said, "Here I can be myself without major commitments, sitting in the church pew on Sundays as part of a community." He had experienced so much that he now needed time to reflect, taking long walks on the beach. Events, travel, and encounters came back to him as in an interior movie. Every now and then he would stop to catch his breath, greet someone, or make small talk. This, too, was Christian Krause, a person to whom one could entrust a story, confident that he would cherish it.

Bishop and brother

His ‘sendoff’ bore witness to the person of Krause. He was a true witness of faith! He was a pilgrim between borders and a bridge builder, an interpreter and a storyteller. A bishop, but for many he was simply Brother Christian. He traveled throughout his life and placed his trust in God.

At the time of the blessing of his body, many were reminded of the Elder Simeon. When Joseph and Mary arrived at the temple with Jesus, he was overwhelmed with joy. He took the child in his arms and said, "Lord, let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your Savior!" (cf. Lk. 2:29-30). Bishop Christian departed in peace. What he saw in his life, he conveyed through many stories. They speak of the Star that is worth following, from east and west, north and south. This is what unites us! As Christians, we are made for one another! And lest we find ourselves back to square one!

__________________________

1 D. Rammler, Christian Krause. Weite wagen, Neue Stadt, München 2023.

2 Editorial note: In the Lutheran Church, as well as other Reformed churches, it is customary to assign people a Bible verse at baptism and also at confirmation.

3 Die Losungen [Keywords] are a collection of biblical texts and daily meditations prepared annually since 1731 by the Evangelical Church of the Moravian Brethren (The United Brethren of Herrnhut). They are translated into approx. 60 languages.

4 Lay body of the Evangelical Churches in Germany that organizes major biennial events of faith, culture and political discussion. The counterpart in the Catholic Church in Germany is the biennial Katholikentag. In 2003 and 2010 the two events merged into an ecumenical assembly.