Schleiermacher, a German theologian at the turn of the nineteenth century, is truly one of the masters of modern theology: he sought to rebuild Protestant theology in the wake of the Enlightenment and of Kant's destruction of traditional metaphysics. He was the founder of "liberal theology" with its emphasis on inner experience and the knowledge of God as mediated through history. This volume concentrates on the key texts and ideas in Schleiermacher's thought. It presents the essential Schleiermacher for students and the general reader. Keith Clements's introductory essay and notes on the selected texts set Schleiermacher in his historical context, chart the development of his thought and indicate the significance of this theology in the development of Christian theology as a whole. Substantial selections from Schleiermacher's work illustrate key themes:

Religion as feeling and relationship

The distinctiveness of Christianity: redemption through Jesus Christ

The nature of theology as reflection and communication

Hermeneutics: conversation with history

God and the world

The person and work of Christ

Nation, Church and State

Christianity and the religions