Maren Bienert

Maren Bienert is a Professor of Systematic Theology at the Institute for Protestant Theology, University of Hildesheim. She specializes in systematic theology (ethics and dogmatics), theology of modernity, and interdisciplinary religious studies, with a focus on the 20th–21st centuries. She co-leads the DFG network Religion in Plural and serves as Vice Dean of Department 1 and Deputy Chair of the KIET (Conference of Institutes for Protestant Theology).

• Education: Studied Protestant Theology, Educational Science, and Sociology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster (2002–2008), funded by the Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V.
• Academic Career: Research assistant at the University of Cologne and University of Göttingen (2008–2014), Dr. theol. (2013), Junior Professor at Hildesheim (2014–2021), and full Professor since 2021.

Research Interests span systematic theology, ethics, dogmatics, and intersections with aesthetics, corporeality, and social justice. Her work addresses contemporary debates on abortion (§218), religious pluralism, family theology, and the role of 17th–19th-century religious thought in modern contexts. She integrates feminist, political, and queer theological perspectives.

Recent Publications focus on ethical theology in abortion debates, the pluralistic negotiation of religion through 19th-century visual arts/music, and interdisciplinary explorations of resurrection, poverty, and health. Her monograph and edited volumes highlight systematic theology’s engagement with modernity and historical conflicts.

Scientific Awards include a scholarship from the Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V. (2002–2008). She leads DFG-funded networks and participates in societies like the Ernst Troeltsch Society and German Paul Tillich Society.

Leadership and Collaborations involve directing the Institute for Protestant Theology, contributing to the Department Council and Equal Opportunities Commission, and organizing academic symposia. She mentors students and collaborates on projects like Religion im Plural and Confessio im Konflikt.