Dr. Rainer Hagencord
Dr. Rainer Hagencord
born 1961 in Ahlen (Westphalia) studied Theology in Münster and Fribourg (Switzerland) between 1980 and 1985. He was ordained in 1987 and after four years of counselling he continued his studies of Biology in Münster. He focused on Behavioural Biology.
During 1996 and 2000 he worked as a college pastor in Münster and there established the dialogue between Theology and Biology. In this context the topic of his PhD thesis was born. Professor Dr. Norbert Sachser (Institute of Neurobiology and Behavioural Biology) as well as Professor Dr. Dr. habil. Klaus Müller (Seminar for fundamental philosophical questions of Theology) agreed to supervice the thesis without hesitation.
The examination of this topic was intensified during a research stay at the Institute of Neurobiology and Behavioural Biology in Münster in 2002.
The PhD thesis (title:"The animal: A Challenge for Christian Anthropology. Arguments for a Change of Perspectice from a Theological and Behavioural Biologist view") was accepted in 2004.
The thesis has been published in third edition (title: "Diesseits von Eden. Verhaltensbiologische und theoligische Argumente für eine neue Sicht der Tiere"). Dr. Dr. hc. mult. Jane Goodall, besides of Diane Fossey the World's most important primatologist, moreover UNO-ambassador and founder of the Jane-Goodall Institute, was so kind to write the foreword. Since 2004 Jane Goodall and Rainer Hagencord maintain friendly contact, so that she kindly agreed to take up patronage for the Institute as well as to participate in the opening ceremony of the Institute in Münster at Dec 15th 2009.