3.4. Cultural Protestantism and Dialectical Theology
German philosophy has been received in at least three different ways
in theology since the times of Hegel and Schleiermacher.^189 First, Karl
Marx and the emerging socialism understand the struggle between
lord and servant as a struggle between social classes. Problems of
societal power and violence are important for this intellectual tradition
to the present. While socialism and class struggle have been extensively
discussed in the theology of liberation, for instance, Marxist views of
recognition have not had significant theological reception.
Another philosophical current emphasizes the constitution of indi-
vidual subject and its role in grasping the fragmentary modern world.
Sören Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger are the most prominent
philosophers taking this view. They highlight subjectivity and per-
sonal attachment in ways that to some extent resemble the medieval
idea of commendation and the Reformation emphasis on personal
faith. At the same time, this modern current is much more individu-
alistic and experience-based than the earlier conceptions of personal
involvement. The‘existential’tradition of Kierkegaard and Heidegger
becomes prominent in the dialectical theology of the twentieth century.
Schleiermacher remains the keyfigure of a third philosophical and
theological current, the cultural Protestantism of the nineteenth cen-
tury. This current appreciates humanism and historical-critical
research, promoting the values of the Enlightenment. Schleiermacher’s
view of the feeling of absolute dependence as the primary event of
religion offers a platform that complements humanist ideals with a
subjective and experience-based personal conviction.
Cultural Protestantism (1870–1920) and dialectical theology
(1920–60) are often regarded as the two major currents of modern
theology. While the former applies the Enlightenment principles to
the study of religion, the latter joins Kierkegaard and Heidegger in
considering human existence in terms of subjective decision-making.
We will study four leading theologians of these movements.
In his influential history of the doctrine of justification and atone-
ment, Albrecht Ritschl discusses Schleiermacher’sviewofjustification
(^189) For the theological relevance of these currents, see Lessing 2000–9; Ford 2005;
Kristiansen-Rise 2013.
152 Recognition and Religion