„The person is more important than the issue“ – Mission and Goals

The Organization

The Christian-Social Politics Foundation e.V. (CSP)

The Christian-Social Politics Foundation e.V. is a registered, non-profit association based in Königswinter. It is closely connected to the Christian Democratic Workers’ Federation (CDA), the labor organization of the CDU. It operates the Johannes-Albers Educational Forum gGmbH and is a member of the European Movement, a network of European initiatives. At the European level, CSP e.V. is a member of the European Center for Workers’ Questions (EZA) and played a significant role in its foundation.
The governing bodies of the foundation are the members’ assembly and the board.

The Johannes-Albers Educational Forum gGmbH

The CSP e.V. has consolidated its educational activities into a gGmbH as of January 1, 2017. The Johannes-Albers Educational Forum gGmbH is financed through state grants, participant fees, and donations.
Its educational work closely cooperates with other providers of political education, which are connected regionally, nationally, and internationally through relevant committees. In the area of further education, there has been long-standing participation in the “Working Group of Educational Institutions and Academies in NRW (ABA)” and “Learning in Nature,” the association of rural adult education centers.
The governing body of the gGmbH is the shareholders’ meeting.

The Workers’ Center Königswinter (AZK) – Educational and Conference House

To fulfill its educational mandate, the CSP e.V. operates a cross-partisan education center. The CSP e.V. owns the Workers’ Center Königswinter (AZK).
Located right by the Rhine, it offers around 11,800 sqm at “Johannes-Albers-Allee 3” in Königswinter (district of Niederdollendorf), ten conference rooms, modern conference technology, and 80 guest rooms.

Mission Statement

The Christian-Social Politics Foundation adheres to the tradition of Christian social teaching and aligns its activities accordingly. At the core of social teaching is the person. The societal structural principles of solidarity and subsidiarity serve the person and their realization. The standard of this realization is the common good as a guiding principle.

The person possesses dignity and is inherently oriented towards community. Through active solidarity, individuals shape their environment and social context, contributing to others’ ability to develop as individuals. The family, as a lived responsibility community, is the most important institution of this practiced solidarity. The expression of both personal development and solidarity is work in its various meanings. Family and work are central reference points for us in human existence.

The person, as well as families, require the freedom to develop themselves. This is ensured by the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity is the opposite of concentration of power. There is no subsidiarity without democracy. Therefore, the design of democratic order and participation in various sectors of our society is a central concern of Christian-social politics.

Democracy is more than a formal process of majority determination. It is a political order that presupposes a normative fundamental decision in favor of a free and just conception of humanity. Democracies must be protected against their detractors. That is why the value of democracy must be continually re-established and communicated.

Social orders are stable when they consider both freedom and justice, fairness. This is the case when they enable the best possible personal development for all. This is the principle of the common good. It also applies to successive generations; the common good includes sustainability.

Based on this understanding of humanity and society, we shape our work as a foundation, especially in our educational endeavors. Being assertive for democracy, committed to the person and their development, and recognizing the paramount significance of family and work, we see ourselves as part of the Christian-democratic movement in Germany and Europe.

The Christian-Social Politics Foundation supports politically interested individuals through its events, seminars, and publications, helping them to become informed and engage socially. Thus, the foundation assists, from its political understanding, in socially responsible participation in opinion formation within society, in associations and unions, in politics, in trade unions, as well as in co-determination bodies within businesses and administrations.

Glossary

Person: In social teaching, we do not speak of individuals, but of persons, to clarify: A person does not stand alone, but is always dependent on other people. They are social beings. Another aspect: A person is God’s creation, created in the image of God, and therefore has a special status in creation.

Work is the human activity in social relationships and in the material transformation of the environment. Work signifies not just wage labor, but encompasses all forms of voluntary work or work in relationships like those in a family. Employment in wage work takes on a special significance within our economic system. It must be structured so that individuals can experience work as fulfilling. This establishes the particular importance of social partnership and collaboration in the workplace.

Sustainability means solidarity across time. This entails the obligation to leave future generations a world that does not restrict their options for action compared to ours. Sustainability relates not only to how we handle creation and economic opportunities but also to the balanced financing of the state.

Family is where people live in a community of responsibility and support that is intended to be permanent. The term family today is diverse. It encompasses the various forms of patchwork families as well as families at the center of which is a same-sex partnership.

Democracy is more than formal voting mechanics, where majorities are queried. Democracies have a normative core. There is no democracy without human rights. In our view, the separation of powers and popular sovereignty are inseparably linked to democracy. Based on the lessons of German history, it is also clear to us: democracies must be able to defend themselves against their enemies; they will only survive if they are resilient democracies.

Economy represents the cultural contribution of humans to securing existence and distributing scarce goods. The economy serves humanity, not humanity serves the economy. The social market economy as the economic model of the Federal Republic of Germany seeks to bridge the conflict of interest between capital and labor, establish a functioning competition order, and lay the groundwork for a fair social order.

Common Good is a term found in several state constitutions, but also has its place in the Basic Law. The common good refers to a form of social justice that allows every person to develop their potential and unfold their humanity.

Europe is more than a geographical or institutional term. With the idea of Europe, the founders also made a point of remembering the traditions of Europe, the common values. Europe embodies: the remembrance of Greek democracy and Roman republic, the Judeo-Christian history and its intellectual potential, the legacy of the Enlightenment, and the ability to shape a common future based on awareness of our roots. Europe is a spiritual space for encounters and a mission for peace.

Peace is a work of justice. This applies to the establishment of internal order as well as to the relationships between states, especially regarding economic relations. There will be no peace in the world without a just world economic order.