»Freie Kirche im freien Staat«

For the first time since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, the FDP, one of the governing parties, questioned the existing relationship between church and state in its church paper »Free Church in a Free State.« Of all the topics in the conflict between church and state or church and politics, it was this which one gave rise to the most detailed and controversial discussions in 1973 and 1974. Tabea M. Esch studies the development and the background of this paper, which in its 13 theses suggested the separation of church and state. She also gives a detailed description of the reactions of the regional Protestant churches and of the Protestant Church in Germany. For the first time, using the available sources, the entire origins as well as the discussion have been almost completely reviewed, described systematically and their contextual relevance has been rendered understandable.