Tillich (Outstanding Christian Thinkers)
by J. Heywood Thomas
Category: Religion

Paul Tillich (1886-1965) was a remarkable and a singular theologian who was as much at home in a philosophical discussion as he was in the pulpit and seemed as keenly interested in art and politics as he was in his work as a professional theologian. His attacks on Nazism led to the banning of his books, his dismissal from Frankfurt University and, ultimately, his departure for the United States in November 1933. He continued to live and work in America after the war, engaging in many lecture tours around the world. Professor Heywood Thomas reviews critically the philosophical background to Tillich's theology, including his debts to Schelling, Kant and Husserl. He surveys Tillich's achievement as a philosophical theologian, examining his ontological approach to Christology and salvation and his understanding of the Church as a spiritual community. He concludes with an exploration of Tillich's contribution to the changed situation of theology today. Tillich's many points of contact with key thinkers in theology and philosophy (including Heidegger, Otto, Bultmann, Adorno and Barth) make him a compelling figure for those interested in the history of ideas in the twentieth century.