Uwe Siemon-Netto
Encyclopedia
Uwe Siemon-Netto the former religion editor of United Press International
, is an international columnist and a Lutheran
lay (non-ordained) theologian
. He is the founding director of the Center for Lutheran Theology and Public Life (CLTPL) and president of the League of Faithful Masks, a non-profit religious corporation based in Capistrano Beach and at Concordia University Irvine, California. CLTPL was formerly located at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Mo., where Siemon-Netto served as scholar-in-residence until 2009. As a journalist, Siemon-Netto specializes in issues relating to faith and society, and in foreign affairs. He is a correspondent of freepressers.com, an internet publication, and a contributor of The Atlantic Times, an English-language monthly newspaper produced by leading German journalists for the North American market; he also teaches as a visiting professor of journalism at Concordia University Irvine. He publishes his regular commentaries on his blog site, www.uwesiemon.blogspot.com.
, Germany
, where his devoutly Lutheran grandmother was the pivotal figure in his childhood in World War II.
in 1961. From 1962 to 1969, he worked as a correspondent for Springer Foreign News Service in London, Paris, New York, Vietnam, the Middle East and Hong Kong. His assignments included the United Nations
, the U.S. civil rights movement, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War
(over a period of five years),the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, and China
's Cultural Revolution. From 1969 to 1973 Siemon-Netto was North American correspondent for the magazine, Der Stern, writing about many major news events in North, Central and South America, East Asia, France, and again Vietnam.
From 1973 to 1986, Siemon-Netto served as Managing Editor for Hamburger Morgenpost
, taught journalism at Hamburg
's Journalistenschule Henri Nannen, worked as a freelance correspondent for German, Swiss, French and U.S. publications, and as a media consultant overseeing a variety of design and management tasks at publications in Germany and the United States.
In mid-career, at age 50, he began his theological studies, first in Chicago, then in Boston. During these studies, Siemon-Netto freelanced as a magazine correspondent.At the time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Germany's subsequent reunification, he served, concurrently with his academic work, as an editorial consultant and—as independent contractor—executive editor for Bild
, launching its East German editions, helping plan newspapers for Leipzig
and Dresden
, training Eastern German journalists and developing a new curriculum for Journalistenschule Axel Springer.
From 1993 to 1994 he managed the redesign of Der Tagesspiegel
, a Berlin daily, the Scientific American
, in New York, and idea-Spektrum, a Protestant magazine in Wetzlar, Germany. He also co-founded CA-Confessio Augustana, a Lutheran quarterly magazine in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria. From 2000-2005, he was religious affairs editor of United Press International and a Washington-based columnist for a variety of German-language publications.
. His Ph.D. in theology and sociology of religion is from Boston University
under Peter L. Berger
, Carter Lindberg and Uri Ra'Anan. He spent a post-doctoral year at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, N.J. working on a project to bridge the gap between theology and the media.
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, is an international columnist and a Lutheran
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
lay (non-ordained) theologian
Lay theologian
A lay theologian is a theologian who is not an ordained clergyman.Among lay theologians are the following:* George Abbot * Thomas J. J. Altizer* Joseph T. Bayly* Edward Musgrave Blaiklock* Nicholas Cabasilas* Chung Hyun Kyung...
. He is the founding director of the Center for Lutheran Theology and Public Life (CLTPL) and president of the League of Faithful Masks, a non-profit religious corporation based in Capistrano Beach and at Concordia University Irvine, California. CLTPL was formerly located at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Mo., where Siemon-Netto served as scholar-in-residence until 2009. As a journalist, Siemon-Netto specializes in issues relating to faith and society, and in foreign affairs. He is a correspondent of freepressers.com, an internet publication, and a contributor of The Atlantic Times, an English-language monthly newspaper produced by leading German journalists for the North American market; he also teaches as a visiting professor of journalism at Concordia University Irvine. He publishes his regular commentaries on his blog site, www.uwesiemon.blogspot.com.
Early life
Siemon-Netto was born in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where his devoutly Lutheran grandmother was the pivotal figure in his childhood in World War II.
Journalism career
Siemon-Netto began his journalism career 1956 as a trainee at Westfalenpost, a large regional newspaper in southern Westphalia. In 1958, he joined the Associated Press in Frankfurt first as copy editor, then as slot editor and roving reporter, covering, among other things, the construction of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in 1961. From 1962 to 1969, he worked as a correspondent for Springer Foreign News Service in London, Paris, New York, Vietnam, the Middle East and Hong Kong. His assignments included the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, the U.S. civil rights movement, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(over a period of five years),the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's Cultural Revolution. From 1969 to 1973 Siemon-Netto was North American correspondent for the magazine, Der Stern, writing about many major news events in North, Central and South America, East Asia, France, and again Vietnam.
From 1973 to 1986, Siemon-Netto served as Managing Editor for Hamburger Morgenpost
Hamburger Morgenpost
Hamburger Morgenpost is a daily German newspaper, published in Hamburg in tabloid format.The Hamburger Morgenpost is the second largest newspaper in Hamburg.- History :...
, taught journalism at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
's Journalistenschule Henri Nannen, worked as a freelance correspondent for German, Swiss, French and U.S. publications, and as a media consultant overseeing a variety of design and management tasks at publications in Germany and the United States.
In mid-career, at age 50, he began his theological studies, first in Chicago, then in Boston. During these studies, Siemon-Netto freelanced as a magazine correspondent.At the time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Germany's subsequent reunification, he served, concurrently with his academic work, as an editorial consultant and—as independent contractor—executive editor for Bild
Bild-Zeitung
The Bild is a German tabloid published by Axel Springer AG. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday, while on Sundays, Bild am Sonntag is published instead, which has a different style and its own editors...
, launching its East German editions, helping plan newspapers for Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, training Eastern German journalists and developing a new curriculum for Journalistenschule Axel Springer.
From 1993 to 1994 he managed the redesign of Der Tagesspiegel
Der Tagesspiegel
Der Tagesspiegel is a classical liberal German daily newspaper...
, a Berlin daily, the Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, in New York, and idea-Spektrum, a Protestant magazine in Wetzlar, Germany. He also co-founded CA-Confessio Augustana, a Lutheran quarterly magazine in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria. From 2000-2005, he was religious affairs editor of United Press International and a Washington-based columnist for a variety of German-language publications.
Education
He attended a variety of schools in Germany. He studied for his M.A. in theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. His Ph.D. in theology and sociology of religion is from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
under Peter L. Berger
Peter L. Berger
Peter Ludwig Berger is an Austrian-born American sociologist well known for his work, co-authored with Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge .-Biography:...
, Carter Lindberg and Uri Ra'Anan. He spent a post-doctoral year at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, N.J. working on a project to bridge the gap between theology and the media.
Honors and awards
- D.Litt, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. (2004).
- Friedrich Hecker Freedom Award (2009).
Selected articles and essays
- Siemon-Netto, Uwe. "Bewitched By Bolivar." Civilization 7 (April/May 2000) No. 2:78–86.
- _______________. "I Was an East German, Elian Gonzalez." Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition 235 04/06/2000) No. 69:A22.
- _______________. "J.S. Bach in Japan." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion & Public Life (June/July 2000) No. 104:15–17.
- _______________. "Luther and Hitler : Friends or Foes?" 35 Dialog: a Journal of Theology(Summer 1996):188–192.
- _______________. "Luther and the Jews." Lutheran Witness 123 (2004) No. 4:16–19.
- _______________. "Luther versus Lenin." Lutheran Quarterly ns 5 (Winter 1991):403–417.
- _______________. "The Next Pope." National Interest (Winter2003/2004) No. 74:109-114.
- _______________. "Sonderweg." National Interest (Winter2002/2003) No. 70:33–44.
Books
- Siemon-Netto, Uwe. The Acquittal of God: a theology for Vietnam veterans. New York: Pilgrim Press, 1990; ISBN 0-8298-0833-7.
- _______________. The Fabricated Luther : the rise and fall of the Shirer myth. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1995; ISBN 0-570-04800-1.
- _______________. Luther als Wegbereiter Hitlers?: zur Geschichte eines Vorurteils Gütersloh : Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 1993; ISBN 3-579-02203-2.
- _______________. One incarnate truth: Christianity's answer to spiritual chaos. Concordia Publishing House, 2002; SBN: 0758602774 (pbk.).
- _______________. On the brink: the myth of German anti-Americanism Washington, D.C. : Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1982; ISBN 0-89633-056-7.