- Debrecen Reformed Theological University
Sándor Fazakas was born in Tîrgu-Mureş/Marosvásárhely (Romania) in 1965. He graduated from the high school in 1984. After graduation, he started his theological studies at the Reformed Faculty of the Protestant Theological Institute in Cluj. In the academic year 1987-88 he attended the German- speaking Saxon Evangelical Faculty of Sibiu/Hermannstadt. He finished his university studies at Debrecen Reformed Theological University (Hungary). He took his first and second Theological examinations with excellent result in 1991 and 1992, respectively. In the academic year 1991/1992 he was a scholarship holder of the Theological Faculty of the University of Münster/Germany (Westfälische-Wilhelms Universität). During this time he studied Systematical Theology and Ethics (under the leadership of H. H. Eßer, W. Neuser, K.-W. Dahm, E. Lessing) and Practical Theology (church development by M. Herbst).
Sándor Fazakas began his pastoral ministry in Milota in 1992. He has been the minister of the Hosszúpályi Reformed Church since 1995. In the same year he started his teaching career as a lecturer at Kölcsey Ferenc Reformed Teacher Training College. He has been a lecturer at Debrecen Reformed Theological University since 1997 where he started his activity as an assistant professor. In 2000 he was appointed to associate professor. He has presented papers at a number of ecclesiastical and theological conferences in Hungary and abroad. Fazakas is a member of several church and academic committees on national and international level.
He did research at Kampen Theological University/Netherlands in October 2000 and at the University of Münster in autumn 2002. Mr. Fazakas obtained the grant of the Johannes Lasco Library Emden/Hardenberg Fellowship /Germany in 2008. In 2011 he obtained the grant for Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2011−2012, 2013 and 2014: research fellow at the University of Münster – WWU/Germany) and 2017 research fellow at the University of Heidelberg with the grant of DAAD/German Academic Exchange Service (Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists)
Sándor Fazakas was appointed to professorship by the president of the Republic of Hungary on 1st September 2004.
The most important achievements of his activities nationally and internationally: as a rector he launched the systematic quality assurance programme of the university; he conducted the university accreditation achieving the grade of excellence in 2009, he developed, introduced and led to Synod acceptance the new order of in-service minister training and the unified system of minister training of the Hungarian Reformed Church. In his theological academic work he has done extensive research on theological and ecclesiastical memory culture and on exploring the legacy of the totalitarian political system from a theological perspective (remembrance, reconciliation, healing memory). He is a frequent presenter at international conferences and scientific panels and represents “an important voice” in the fields of church, religion and society, of Europe and its Christian theological heritage, of Central European experience in social ethics. He is a member of several international scientific bodies and work committees (see section 5).
Fields of research:
relationship of church and state: religions and churches after the change in Central Europe,
religion and the church role in civil society,
ecclesiology: current ecclesiology, ethics and ecclesiology,
social ethics: current challenges of millenary for theology and church,
social ethical aspects of reconciliation and facing historical sins,
European integration: main functions and roles of church and theology in confluent Europe,
medical- and Bioethics,
Ethics of John Calvin and the Reformed Protestantism.
Awards:
2004 – Award for Excellence for his book titled Emlékezés és Megbékélés (Remembrance and Reconciliation); a shared award by the Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church and Kálvin János Publishing House
2008 − Grant of the Johannes Lasco Library Emden/Hardenberg Fellowship /Germany
2011 − Grant of Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation/Germany
2017 – Grant of Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)/Germany
2017 – Honorary Doctor (Doctor Honoris Causa) of the Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca/UBB/Romania