modernism

Modernism, in Protestant theology, emerged as a significant movement from the mid-17th century through the 1920s. It represented a departure from strict adherence to tradition, emphasizing human reason and individual experience as valid sources of religious understanding. This intellectual current, influenced by the Enlightenment and Romanticism, sought to reconcile religious thought with modern knowledge and cultural shifts.1

Key tenets included confidence in human reason, the primacy of the individual, and the belief in human progress. Thinkers like Friedrich Schleiermacher, often called the father of modern Protestant theology, focused on the feeling of absolute dependence as a path to God-consciousness. Later figures like Albrecht Ritschl and Adolf von Harnack further developed these ideas. The movement also saw a re-evaluation of the Bible's authority, moving from a strict view of verbal inspiration to interpretations that considered historical and psychological dimensions. This period saw a significant shift in how Protestant theology engaged with the modern world.123