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Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834)

Written by Michael Vlach
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Major works

•          On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers

•          The Christian Faith

Importance

•          In Christianity, this German leader was the was the bridge between the Enlightenment and the modern era

•          Profoundly influenced 19th and 20th century philosophy

•          Known as the father of liberal Protestant theology

•          Wanted to keep Christianity relevant in the wake of the Enlightenment

•          Defined religion as “the feeling of absolute dependence” or “God-consciousness”

•          Denied a historical fall; denied Bible’s authority and inspiration; denied Trinity; denied return of Christ

•          Emphasized God’s immanence

•          Said the Bible is record of human experience

•          There is no external authority, whether Scripture, church, or historic creed, that takes precedence over the immediate experience of believers

•          Immensely popular with the people

•          great public speaker

•          Translated Plato’s works into German

•          Large funeral when he died

•          Ideas would be sharply challenged by Barth