Protestant Liberal Theology

PietismA Protestant movement beginning with Lutheranism in the 17th and 18th that emphasized and emotional theology based on faith, repentance, conversion, and rebirth as the true form of Christianity, as opposed to the Protestant scholastic theology of that age. Methodism,... more was not the only countermovement against the rationalismIn epistemological it generally refers to the idea that reason is a way to gain knowledge and more specifically to the position that we can acquire knowledge without appealing to experience by reasoning deductively from first principles. more of the EnlightenmentA broad term for 18th century European intellectual developments, including deism and other movements critical of orthodox Christianity, that are characteristically modern, emphasizing reason against tradition and authority. Refers to the period of intellectual and cultural development in Europe and... more. Several intellectuals in Europe felt that there was more to being human than having a rational mind. Indeed, they felt that the rationalists were missing the very essencethe English word generally used for the Greek term ousia, that is also translated as “being” or “substance” and refers to that which makes something what it is such as human nature is the essence of a human being. This... more of what it was to be human: creativity and an appreciation for beauty. This was the impetus for the rise of RomanticismThe cultural movement during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that emphasized feelings, creativity and nature in contrast to the Enlightenments rationalistic approach to life. more which spread throughout Europe and America between the late eighteenth century and mid-nineteenth centuries.

RomanticismThe cultural movement during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that emphasized feelings, creativity and nature in contrast to the Enlightenments rationalistic approach to life. more was an intellectual and artistic movement that highlighted the uniqueness of individuals, particularly their imagination and spontaneity, which created an increased zest for life. This movement was expressed through many works of art, literature, music and intellectual dissertations. Romanticists emphasized the importance of nature as the world was being transformed by the industrial revolution. They felt that science was turning humans into machines and trivializing what makes them noble and even sublime. Romanticists focused on exceptional individuals and how their passionIn ancient Greek and Roman philosophy this term refers to both feelings and suffering because our superior rational mind suffers from being moved by emotion. Accordingly, passions were viewed as a vice and weakness. Accordingly, ancient moralist viewed passion as... more and personality made them great. They sought to inspire humanity by evoking emotions through their art, music, poetry and prose, which was often achieved by breaking formal rules of construction and processes in their creative endeavors. Romanticists strove to spark the imagination and treat it as a gateway to a transcendent reality beyond the limits of the rational mind.

Friedrich SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more (1768–1834) developed a new systematic approach to religion in general and Christianity in particular. He is known as the father of modern theology and what later became known as ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more liberal theology (not related to political liberalism). He was greatly influenced by Romanticism’s and by pietism’s focus on the individual and their turn to experience beyond reason.

Schleiermacher’s father was a conservative army chaplain who sent him to study at a Moravian boarding school to protect him from the “radical” modern ideas flowing out of the EnlightenmentA broad term for 18th century European intellectual developments, including deism and other movements critical of orthodox Christianity, that are characteristically modern, emphasizing reason against tradition and authority. Refers to the period of intellectual and cultural development in Europe and... more movement. It didn’t work. SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more and a few of his friends formed a secret philosophy club where they found and read works which inspired the EnlightenmentA broad term for 18th century European intellectual developments, including deism and other movements critical of orthodox Christianity, that are characteristically modern, emphasizing reason against tradition and authority. Refers to the period of intellectual and cultural development in Europe and... more movement but destroyed their budding faithIn word for belief and faith is the same in Latin and most European languages, but in English faith often denotes an active believe, one that inspires action based on a belief. For Luther, faith and belief generally meant the... more. When he was twenty-one years old, SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more wrote his father that he no longer believed in the incarnation of God and Jesus’s vicarious atonementA term referring to how Christ’s suffering and death on the cross expiates sin and reconciles humans with God. There are various theories regarding how the atonement of Christ functions, including, ransom theory, substitutional or satisfaction theory, the moral influence... more. Yet, in the midst of this trial of faithIn word for belief and faith is the same in Latin and most European languages, but in English faith often denotes an active believe, one that inspires action based on a belief. For Luther, faith and belief generally meant the... more, he held onto the feelings of piety he had experienced during his formative years at the Moravian boarding school. He later wrote how this experiential anchor informed his new revolutionary theology:

Here [at the Moravian boarding school] was where I first awoke to the consciousness of the relation of man to a higher world. . . . Here it was that [mystical] tendency developed itself, which has been of so much importance to me, and has supported and carried me through all the storms of skepticism. Then it was only germinating, now it has attained its full development, and I may say, that after all I have passed through, I have become a Herrnhuter [Moravian] again, only of a higher order.1

SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more went on to become an ordained Reformed minister and would discuss his beliefs with several influential friends who were instrumental in spreading the German Romanticist movement. They asked him to formally write down his points so they could better understand and digest his ideas. In response, SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more wrote his classic work On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers. He explained that the emotion the Romanticists sought and experienced in their creative endeavors was a religious experience, and this same piety could more fully be realized through a greater understanding of Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more.

He taught that the heart of all religion is a fleeting emotional connection with the infinite which leaves a lasting impression on the individual. This sense of piety comes before all dogma, ritual and ethical teachings. It is the core of religion and the essencethe English word generally used for the Greek term ousia, that is also translated as “being” or “substance” and refers to that which makes something what it is such as human nature is the essence of a human being. This... more of the human quest for meaning. He explained that we only obtain glimpses of the infinite because we are too preoccupied with the finite in this temporalIs a technical term used in theology referring to this mortal physical existence in time as opposed to eternal divine existence outside of time. more world. SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more pointed out to his Romanticist friends were trying to tap into this same eternal realm through their loveIn a theological discussion “love” refers to one’s love for God and neighbor and is often referred to as “charity” or the pure love of God. It does not mean giving alms to the poor. more of nature and the inspirational and noble examples of exceptional individuals from the past.

In his revolutionary theology, SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more further explained that we are blinded from seeing the infinite because of our sinIs violation to God’s Law, and implicitly includes disobedience to God’s the command to love God and one’s neighbor. See mortal sin, original sin. more consciousness. We are too attracted to finite (temporalIs a technical term used in theology referring to this mortal physical existence in time as opposed to eternal divine existence outside of time. more) things, such as pleasure, possessions and recognition, which attraction is the foundation of our sinIs violation to God’s Law, and implicitly includes disobedience to God’s the command to love God and one’s neighbor. See mortal sin, original sin. more consciousness. However, Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more lived a life with perfect God consciousness and he was able to connect with the infinite more that any human being. Man’s redemption comes by hearing about the life of Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more whereby we obtain impressions of this God-consciousness which opens our hearts to more fully grasp these fleeting contacts with the infinite.

This new Christocentric theology led to a quest to discover the true historical Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more. Like the deist, liberal theologians believed that many of the New Testament stories about Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more were simply myths and legends added after his death. To truly tap into his God consciousness, one needed to know the real Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more. Jesus’ God consciousness was what made him divine, not the myths associated with traditional Christian traditionThis word comes from a Latin term meaning “to hand down,” that originally referred to the teaching of the apostles as handed down in the churches they founded, which led to these churches gaining authority of other locations due to... more. This resulted in individuals being able to be Christians in good standing who did not believe in the virgin birth, Jesus’s miracles, or his resurrectionThe doctrine that Jesus’ spiritual essence was reunited with his physical body and that other humans will likewise live again with their spirit or soul reunited with their material body. This term does not refer to the doctrine of the... more.

SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more played a major role in founding the renowned Berlin University. He wrote The Christian Faith, in 1821, which is considered one of the greatest works regarding ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more systematic theology, along with John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion from the sixteenth century and Karl Barth’s Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more Dogmatics from the twentieth century. Schleiermacher’s liberal theology became a major influence on mainline Protestantism during the nineteenth century, prompting a reaction from Catholics and conservative Protestants who felt that Christianity was straying from its fundamental moorings.2

Liberal theology’s search for the historical Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more dovetailed with a scholastic movement originating in Germany known as Wissenschaft which pushed prior limits in their pursuit of knowledge independent of religious influence. Ever since Luther’s attack on the legitimacy of Catholics’ reliance on traditionThis word comes from a Latin term meaning “to hand down,” that originally referred to the teaching of the apostles as handed down in the churches they founded, which led to these churches gaining authority of other locations due to... more, the Western world had drifted away from trust in the past, leading to questions about the Bible itself. Deists rejected its supernaturalIs a theological concept developed in Roman Catholic theology primarily by Thomas Aquinas that maintains that God dispenses his grace in at various times and places in ways that not only assist the natural world including human nature, but also... more references because they did not seem rational. Now the Bible came under scholastic inquiry. In 1835, the Germanprofessor David Strauss(A.D. 1808–1874) David Friedrich Strauss was a German Protestant theologian. Strauss influence European Christianity with his writings on a “historical Jesus”, whose divine nature he denied. more published his book The Life of Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more, which argued that there was very little if any historical support for the claim that Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more was divine. This book created a major controversy and cost Strauss(A.D. 1808–1874) David Friedrich Strauss was a German Protestant theologian. Strauss influence European Christianity with his writings on a “historical Jesus”, whose divine nature he denied. more his job, but it opened the floodgates for further scholastic research.

Linguists began examining the language of the early biblical texts and noticed various anomalies. For example, sometimes God was referred to as JehovahJehovah is one of the proposed ways to pronounce YHWH, the most commonly used name of God in the Hebrew Bible. It is thought to be an ancient form of the third-person singular imperfect tense of the verb “to be”... more while other times as Elohim. Different styles of writing, vocabulary, and grammatical structure indicated that distinct narratives had been combined to create the current text. According to their analysis, the first five books in the Bible were not written by Moses(Died c. 1400 B.C.) Moses was a Hebrew prophet who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He instituted the Mosaic Law consisting of both ritual and moral elements. Many Christians believe that this law is part of God’s... more, but came from four different sources fifteen hundred years later when the Jews had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon around 537 BC. Additionally, various important verses appeared to be new and cut out of whole cloth, such as 1 JohnJohn (c. A.D. 6–100) was a Jewish fisherman, chosen by Jesus to be one of his 12 Apostles, and appears to have developed an especially close bond with Jesus. John outlived the other Apostles and heavily influenced early Christian thinkers... more 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one,” which was not in the original Greek text but was added in the twelfth century.

These scholarly works challenged the faithIn word for belief and faith is the same in Latin and most European languages, but in English faith often denotes an active believe, one that inspires action based on a belief. For Luther, faith and belief generally meant the... more of many traditional Christians, inspired liberal theologians, and elicited responses from conservative critics. Liberal Christian leaders like Horace BushnellHorace Bushnell (A.D. 1802–1876) was an American theologian and minister who, against significant opposition, taught that God could only be explained in approximate language and so there can never be a complete and definitive dogmatic theology. Instead, direct spiritual experiences, intuitions,... more, a congregationalist pastor and writer, and French philosopher Paul(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 64) Apostle and early Christian missionary, whose letters are the earliest documents contained in the New Testament and thus the first extant writings in Christian theology. more RicoeurPaul Ricoeur (A.D. 1913–2005) was a French philosopher who was distinguished for revolutionizing the methods of hermeneutic phenomenology to be applied to textual interpretations of mythology, Biblical exegesis, psychoanalysis, metaphors, and narratives. more, stressed that the Bible should not be read as a set of propositions of specific truths but figuratively, as inspirational stories and poetic reflections on life. However, many traditionalists were unfazed by the claims of higher criticism and simply pointed out that Moses’s original books were subject to numerous transcriptions and translations, which easily could have produced the results these German scholars relied on in reaching their conclusions.3

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