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Anti-Rationalist Developments: Supernaturalism And The German Religious Awakening, Kevin M. Vander Schel

Religious Studies Faculty Scholarship

The emergence of post-Kantian theological rationalism in early-nineteenth-century German Protestantism ushered in a variety of novel theological approaches that sought to move beyond traditional presentations of doctrine to examine anew the rational and historical basis of religious faith. It also met with strong opposition from preachers and theologians, who rejected the accommodation with Enlightenment rationalism, defended the inescapably supernatural character of Christian revelation, and sought to reimagine the relation of Christian communities to the state and its civil and educational institutions. This chapter presents an inquiry into this opposition to theological rationalism, which proceeds in three parts. It explores: (1) …