Chapter 27

1. Chapter 27 Major theological traditions and developments in the twentieth century

2. Questions to be addressed in this chapter • What shift occurred in twentieth century theology that was characteristic of the liberal Protestant movement? • What conservative theological developments occurred in the twentieth century? • What were the effects of arguably the most significant religious event in Roman Catholicism in the twentieth century? • What is the status of Eastern orthodoxy in relation to the other major Christian traditions in the twentieth-century?

3. Liberal Protestantism: Bultmann and Tillich • Existentialism had become primarily a framework for atheism in the twentieth century, but Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) and Paul Tillich (1886-1965) re-appropriated it for Christian theology. • Bultmann pioneered form criticism of the Bible, shifting the focus from God to the communities who worshipped him. • Bultmann was concerned to translate theological concepts into contemporary ways of understanding. • Tillich’s primary approach to explaining Christian faith was “correlation”, providing answers to traditional questions in contemporary language. • Attempts to ground our lives on anything other than God result in inauthentic life and incompleteness.

4. Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism • The Fundamentals (1910-1915) defended the fundamental doctrines of Christianity to Christian workers all over the world. • The Scopes “Monkey” Trial (1925) drove a deep wedge between Fundamentalists and modern culture. • Evangelicals, led by Carl Henry and Billy Graham, sought to bring conservative Christianity back to cultural relevance.

5. Common commitments of Evangelicals • Scripture as the ultimate authority; • The uniqueness of Christ and his achievement of redemption through death on the cross; • The need for personal conversion, or being “born again”; • The importance of personal witness to others in evangelism.

6. Roman Catholicism • Vatican II (1962-1965) most significant event of Catholicism in twentieth century: • Updates the mass from Latin into local languages • Bible is described as God’s manifestation of himself and the ultimate source of truth • Ecumenism: Christ can be found outside the Church • Karl Rahner (1904-1984) and Hans Küng (1928-) are the most influential theologians of Catholicism in the twentieth century.

7. Eastern orthodoxy • Largely hidden from the West until the fall of communism. • Claims to be the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. • Comprised of fifteen separate autocephalous churches, each recognizing the others as canonical. • Distinctive today for its understanding of salvation as participation in the deified humanity of Jesus Christ (theosis).

8. Summary of main points • Liberal Protestantism largely adopted the framework of existentialism and emphasized human experience over and above literal doctrines about God. • Evangelicalism grew out of Fundamentalism and holds to conservative interpretations of the Bible and traditional Christian doctrine. • The Second Vatican Council was the twenty-first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church and reflected the Church’s readiness to acknowledge the developments of the modern world. • By the end of the twentieth century Eastern orthodoxy, while continuing to affirm its central historic beliefs, entered into ecumenical discussions with Catholicism and Protestantism.