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He was born in 1930 in Halle/Saale, Germany.
After studying Protestant Theology and Classical Archaeology at the universities of Halle/Saale and Erlangen, Becker received his doctorate in New Testament studies in 1959. He completed his second theological examination in 1961 and was ordained as a pastor. In the same year, he became an adjunct lecturer. In 1964, he was appointed professor of Theology and Religious Education at the Pädagogical College of Hannover, later the Pedagogical College of Lower Saxony, Department of Hannover, and subsequently the University of Hannover.
From 1977 to 1985, Becker was granted leave from his university duties to serve as director of the Education Department of the WCC in Geneva. He was part of a generation of ecumenical educators who shaped the WCC’s understanding of education not merely as instruction in doctrine, but as a process of formation, participation, dialogue, and transformation.
"As one of the WCC educators who helped transform ecumenical education, Becker supported a move away from simply transmitting knowledge toward learning through encounter, dialogue, and shared engagement,” said WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. "His work became an important influence on later developments in ecumenical formation and theological education around the world.”
The WCC education work in this period emphasized learning across cultures and traditions; participation of lay people in church life; ecumenical awareness as part of Christian identity; and education connected with justice, liberation, and social responsibility.
In 1985, Becker returned to the University of Hannover as professor of Protestant Theology and Religious Education. He retired as professor emeritus in 1995.
Throughout his career, Becker held numerous leadership positions in church, educational, and ecumenical organizations. From 1971 to 1976, he was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover regional synod and served as chair of its Education Committee. From 1991 to 1997, he was a member of the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany and chaired its Committee for Education, Training, and Youth.
From 1973 to 1999, Becker served on the board of the Comenius-Institut, an Evangelical center for educational research, serving as its chairperson from 1993 to 1999. Between 1987 and 2000, he was a member of the Committee for Development-Oriented Educational Work and Publications. From 1990 to 2001, he served as president of the Institute for Development and Adult Education in Geneva. Since 2007, he was president of the European Project for Interreligious Learning in Zurich.
Becker’s main academic fields of work included New Testament studies, biblical didactics, and religious education, with a particular focus on ecumenical and interreligious learning, as well as ecumenical theology.
He was married to Inge Becker (née Raethjen) since 1955, and they have three daughters.
The funeral service will be held on 7 July at 11:00 at the chapel of the cemetery in Kirchrode-Anderten, Ostfeldtsr. 12, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
