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[German Version] The Religiöser Menschheitsbund (Religious Humanity Alliance) was founded in 1921 by R. Otto in analogy to the League of Nations. As an inter-religious group it aimed to bring the ideals of social justice and peace to bear at an international level. Through the gathering of representatives of various religions, attention was to be drawn to the ethical implications of political action, and a contribution made to the “actualization of common moral goals” (Otto). In its orientation to…

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[German Version] (May 27, 1777, Bünde, Westphalia – Apr 19, 1840, Altena), 1801 pastor in Lüdenscheid, 1802 in Kronenberg, 1808 head of the Bürgerschule in Schwelm, between 1815 and 1840 pastor in Altena on the Lenne, from 1824 to 1827 superintendent in Iserlohn (1808 Dr.phil., Heidelberg). Rauschenbusch published numerous theological and historical works, including the …

[German Version] (Jun 30, 1892, Turoschein, East Prussia – Jun 9, 1966, Bonn-Bad Godesberg), studied theology and philosophy from 1911 to 1914 (Lic.theol., Dr.phil.); this was followed by military service until 1919. In 1919 he became pastor in Berlin-Neukölln, in 1928 in Berlin-Britz; he was removed from office in 1934 following disciplinary proceedings. After medi-¶ cal studies, he practiced as a doctor from 1938. In the 1920s Piechowski took part in founding religious socialist organizations. Around 1930 he was one of the best-known representatives of the federation of Religious Socialists (I) in Germany. His survey Proletarischer Glaube (1927, 51928) documents the religious thought-world of industrial workers; it is regarded as one of the first case studies in modern sociology of religion. Piechowski called for a far-reaching,…

[German Version] (May 13, 1874, Beerfelden – Feb 13, 1971, Berlin) became pastor in Rüsselsheim in 1905, in Eisenach in 1918, and was professor of religion at the Pädagogische Akademie (teacher training college) in Kiel from 1931. Fuchs was dismissed from the civil service in 1933. During the Third Reich, he was forbidden …

[German Version] (Jun 2, 1816, Weißensee near Berlin – Jun 8, 1868, Weißensee), studied theology in Berlin from 1834 onward and received his Lic.theol. in 1845. After having been refused a Habilitation, Krause was active as a liberal Protestant journalist: he became editor of the Zeitschrift für die unirte evangelische Kirche in 1848 and …

[German Version] (Sep 27, 1873, Sayda, Saxony – Jan 9, 1954, Leipzig). While studying theology in Leipzig, he began teaching in Zittau and Leipzig in 1899. In 1906 he earned his habilitation in Leipzig and in 1907 in Marburg, where he was appointed associate professor in 1911 and full professor of systematic theology in 1919. In 1922 he moved to Halle and in 1926 to …

[German Version] (Nov 4, 1865, Greifswald – Oct 12, 1945, Frankfurt am Main) became pastor in Hirschberg im Riesengebirge (Polish: Jelenia Góra), from 1895 to 1935 in Frankfurt am Main (a German Evangelical Reformed congregation). From 1891 to 1903, Foerster edited the Chronik der Christlichen Welt . In 1915, he became honorary professor of the ph…

[German Version] (Feb 18, 1829, Birnbaum, Posen – Jul 2, 1896, Berlin). Following his studies of theology in Halle (with F. Tholuck and Julius Müller) and Berlin, Kögel taught at a Gymnasium in Dresden from 1852 to 1854. From 1857, he was pastor of the German Protestant congregation in The Hague. In 1862, he was appointed the fourth court chaplain at Berlin Cathedral and chief councillor at the ministry of education and cultural affairs. In 1868, he received his Dr.theol. in Bonn. In 1881, Kögel, …

[German Version] Precursors of an explicit Protestant theological antidogmatism go back to the Reformation period. It played a central role in the theology of the Enlightenment. Numerous theologians and philosophers of religion in the late 18th century presented the beliefs of the Christian faith with a massive criticism of dogma (e.g. J.G. Herder, Von Religion, Lehrmeinungen und Gebräuchen, 1798). The phrase became a shibboleth in theological politics in the last third of the 19th century. It was mostly theologians holding ecclesiastical positions that…

[German Version] (Jan 11, 1879, Niederbobritzsch, Saxony – Jul 22, 1950, Mügeln near Leipzig). From 1897 to 1903, Mulert studied theology and philosophy in Leipzig, …

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[German Version] I. Terminology; Natural Science – II. Philosophy of Religion – III. Dogmatics I. Terminology; Natural Science The term panentheism originated as a theological concept, but it is also used in the natural sciences. It expresses the view that the world exists in God, even though God is more than the world (Transcendence and immanence: I; see also II and III below). The major arguments for panentheism from the perspective of the natural sciences include the standard arguments for classical philosophical theism (Natural theology). Panentheists a…

[German Version] (Jun 18, 1885, Hildesheim – Dec 1, 1955, Hamburg). Knolle, a cofounder of the Luther Society in 1918, became chief pastor of St. Petri in Hamburg in 1924. In 1929 he received his D.theol. from Halle. In 1933 he was appointed general superintendent in Hamburg, but conflicts with the Deutsche Christen (German Christians) forced him to resign his office the next year. In 1950 he was appointed professo…

[German Version] I. Church History Talk of a “new” or “modern” Protestantism sur…

[German Version] I. Philosophy of Religion – II. Dogmatics – III. Practical Theology I. Philosophy of Religion The term pantheism (from Gk πᾶν/ pán, “all,” and ϑεός/ theós, “God”) is a product of the 18th-century critical debates about religion. Coined in discussions about B. de Spinoza, it refers to religio-philosophical conceptions that undertake to relate God and the world through the idea of an all-embracing unity. Its central concept is the immanence of God (Transcendence and immanence) in the totality of all that ex…

[German Version] I. General – II. Church History – III. Systematics – IV. Practical Theology – V. Missiology I. General The expression liberal theology became prevalent in the “Saddle Period” (Reinhart Koselleck) of Neo-Protestantism between 1780 and 1820; it denotes a type of “modern theology” that combines strong demands for individual freedom through criticism of religious tradition, differentiation of subjective faith from ecclesiastically defined confessions of faith, an individualistic understanding of reli…

[German Version] (Sep 25, 1851, Kassel – Mar 11, 1913, Cologne). After attending school and military service, Jatho studied theology in Marburg and Leipzig. In 1876, he entered the service of the church (pastor in Bucharest and Boppard am Rhein). After 1891, he held office in Cologne. In 1903, Jatho published the first collection of his sermons. This publication and subsequent others of a similar nature attracted great attention because of their vibrant expression of religion, although they also e…

[English Version] Nagel, Julius (17.9.1809 Bahn, Pommern – 17.1.1884 Breslau), seit 1835 Pfarrer in Colzow, Insel Wollin. Obwohl während des Theologiestudiums in Berlin von F. Schleiermacher beeinflußt, vertrat N. eine streng unionskrit. Haltung. Sie führte 1…

[English Version] I. Kirchengeschichtlich …