Paul Tillich's Influence On Theology

Paul Tillich was considered an intellectual German American Christian existentialist theologian, who impacted theology in the 20th century. Given his background, Paul grew under a Lutheran Pastor, Johannes his father. He studied theology and attended seminary and earned two Doctorates at the age of 21. He enlisted in the German army as a Chaplain and was placed on the deadliest post in this war. Here he wrote his father stating, “Hell is all around us. It’s unimaginable” (Taylor 2017). This probably gives us some insight of why his theology changed from a political stand point and turned to an existentialist view. During his time as a professor, another theologian named Reinhold Neibuhr visited him and was impressed with his teaching. Later, Neibuhr invited him to come and teach at Union Theological Seminary, where the staff would take a 5% …show more content…
While in prison, he wrote several pages of literature that presented numerous provocative ideas in which talks about religion less Christianity. He tends to see the secular view in a positive sense. He concluded that humans no longer need him for dependency, which allow God to build on us a relationship of love. We don’t need God for explanations, for our science and intellect were enough. Our problems should be solved on our own and because we don’t have to depend on God then we can live in a responsible relation to Him. John Robertson published a book in 1963 titled, “Honest to God”, which Robertson reflected off Ronald Smiths 1970 book “The Doctrine of God” adhering to the primacy of secularization that mimics Harvey Cox in secularism. Robertson used some of Bonhoeffers analysis, along with other theologians as Tillich and Bultmann, that resented God in a pantheistic and mystical term, appealing to a secular culture that have a more post enlightenment views of ultimacy that would become more acceptable to their