معرفی
Christian Kaphengst is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Religious Education and Didactics of Religious Education within the Faculty of Theology at the University of Leipzig. As a trained secondary school teacher with a Master of Education in History and Protestant Religion, he is deeply committed to advancing the pedagogy and didactics of Protestant religious education. His work focuses on preparing future religious education teachers and reflecting on how religion can and should be taught in contemporary schools.
His research interests include:
- Religious Education and its didactic approaches
- Apocalypticism and end-time ideas from a religious education perspective
- Theological visions of the future
- Integration of digital media in religious education
- Ethical-moral and identity-strengthening perspectives in religious teaching
- Cultural hermeneutics in religious contexts
- Church history topics (including regional perspectives on witchcraft)
- Sacred art (particularly Christ depictions by Michael Triegel)
- Religion's relationship with right-wing populism in Germany
Kaphengst's current research primarily focuses on the religious education discussion of theological visions of the future, with special emphasis on apocalypticism. His work examines how religious education can address contemporary societal challenges, including ecological crises, digital transformation, and religious diversity in increasingly secular contexts like Saxony. He is particularly interested in how apocalyptic thinking influences contemporary religious and societal discourse, exploring whether ecological concerns might develop an 'apocalyptic deep structure' as described by Alexander Nagel.
His publications explore the intersection of religious education with contemporary social issues, including the relationship between Christianity and right-wing populism in Germany, apocalyptic themes in religious education, and interreligious encounters with Muslim youth in East Germany. These works demonstrate his commitment to developing practical teaching materials while maintaining high academic standards.
As an educator, Kaphengst focuses on teacher training for future religious education teachers. His teaching activities include:
- Practical seminars for secondary school teaching with emphasis on lesson planning and didactics of Protestant religion
- Seminars deepening content from religious education lectures, focusing on religious education concepts
- Exploration of rationales for Protestant religious education
- Analysis of religious sociological insights, particularly regarding non-denominational populations in Saxony
- Addressing religious practice in religious education
- Developing specific teaching methods and their reflection
- Handling 'difficult' topics in religious education
Kaphengst is currently working on his dissertation project titled 'A religious education discussion of theological future visions with special consideration of apocalypticism' under the supervision of Frank Michael Lütze, which has been ongoing since January 2020. This research represents a significant contribution to understanding how religious education can engage with future-oriented theological thinking while addressing the practical realities of teaching in 21st century classrooms.
