Protestant Liberalism Movement Research Paper

Introduction The Protestant Liberalism movement of the 19th century arose in response to the views of F. D. E. Schleiermacher. Schleiermacher was an influential German writer, who opposed the rationalism of the Enlightenment. In opposition to rationalism, he stressed the importance of religious feeling and the need to relate Christian faith to the human condition. In other words, the focal point of the movement was to connect Christian faith to modern knowledge. However, some prominent liberal writers believed the life of Christianity depended on adapting scripture to accommodate modern culture. The writers thought that some Christian beliefs were outdated and therefore did not suit the cultural norms. As a result, the focus changed and scriptures were re-interpreted to align with present-day views. Alister McGrath noted that, “Liberal theology is viewed as a mediator between two unacceptable alternatives, the restatement of traditional Christian faith and the total rejection of Christianity”. Ultimately, Protestant Liberalism developed into an anti-dogmatic and humanitarian reconstruction of the Christian faith. The influence of liberalism led to the development of new liberal theology movements. Among the new movements was Liberation Theology, Black …show more content…
Although the movement originally developed during the anti-slavery and suffragette movements, it was not a challenge for Christian tradition until the 1980s. A major concern for the movement is the male oriented construction of traditional theology. As a result, one of the most significant aspects of the movement is the emphasis on the maleness of God. In particular, they challenge the maleness of Christ as the foundation for belief and the norm for beliefs within humanity. The belief is that women can image God as well as men because God is genderless. Therefore, feminist theologians insist that theology be

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