Free Republic

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, is a Christian hero for many. Executed by the Nazis just days before the end of WWII for his participation in a plot to assassinate Hitler, Bonhoeffer is hailed as a 20th-century martyr. But Bonhoeffer struggled with a moral dilemma – his religious views were in stark contrast to the evil he saw all around him. He chose to face possible imprisonment and execution and to remain faithful to the principles of his belief in God. Across the political and theological spectrum, Bonhoeffer is celebrated as an icon of true Christianity and his theological writings...

Hans Küng, a controversial Swiss Catholic theologian, professor and priest, who was once censured by the late Pope John Paul II, has died at age 93. Küng, who was known to be critical of Catholic theology, passed away at his home in Tübingen, Germany, on Tuesday, according to a report by Vatican News. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, himself the subject of critique by Küng, released a statement quoted by Vatican News commending the late theologian for trying “to revive the dialogue between faith and the natural sciences and to assert, with regard to scientific thought, the reasonableness and necessity of...

The influential and controversial Swiss theologian Hans Küng died Tuesday at the age of 93. The German Catholic Church’s official website said that Küng died on the afternoon of April 6 at his home in Tübingen, southwest Germany. Küng served as a theological adviser at the Second Vatican Council but repeatedly clashed with Rome in the years that followed. The tensions culminated in a 1979 declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) that Küng had “departed from the integral truth of Catholic faith, and therefore he can no longer be considered a Catholic theologian nor function...

ROME, March 14, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) - In a recent interview, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), acknowledged that he must sometimes correct Pope Francis on matters of dogma, noting that the pope is not a "professional theologian." In a March 1 interview with the German newspaper Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cardinal Muller was asked about his relationship with the pope and whether he is his strongest opponent. Muller first explains that he had been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. Concerning Benedict, he adds: "With him, I was closely connected due to the fact...

(CNSNews.com) – For E. Calvin Beisner and his colleagues at the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation (CASC), every day is Earth Day because Christians are called by God to be good stewards of the planet and its inhabitants. Beisner believes that it is not carbon emissions but global warming activism and international climate treaties that are a threat to the nation’s future and the world’s poorest populations.

Jesuit theologian Roger Haight, whose writings on Christology, especially in his 1999 book “Jesus: Symbol of God,” led the Vatican to bar him from teaching in Catholic institutions, has received a further punishment: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has barred Haight from writing on theology (he may continue a work in progress on Ignatian spirituality) and he is forbidden to teach anywhere, even non-Catholic institutions. That means that at the end of the coming semester Haight, who resides at America House in New York, will stop teaching at Union Theological Seminary in Upper Manhattan.The CDF began...

YIKES! How did Schleiermacher come out so high!?! Better go back and reread Calvin..... You scored as Karl Barth. The daddy of 20th Century theology. You perceive liberal theology to be a disaster and so you insist that the revelation of Christ, not human experience, should be the starting point for all theology. Karl Barth 100% John Calvin 67% Martin Luther 67% Anselm 47% Jonathan Edwards 33% Friedrich Schleiermacher 33% Augustine 7% Jürgen Moltmann 7% Paul Tillich 0% face='Arial' size='1'>Charles Finney 0% Which theologian are you?created with QuizFarm.com

Friday, May 18, 2007 Lutheran professor of philosophy prepares to enter Catholic Church Dr. Robert Koons, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas, will be entering the Catholic Church next week following several years of considering the teachings and history of the Catholic Church. In a post over at Right Reason, he writes: Several weeks ago, I learned through a mutual friend that Frank Beckwith was intending to return to the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, Frank learned that I myself have been moving in the direction of Rome for the last several years. I am very...

ST GREGORY NAZIANZUS IS THE DOCTOR OF THEOLOGIANS. HIS PROFOUND WORDS ARE: GOD ACCEPTS OUR DESIRES AS THOUGH THEY WERE A GREAT VALUE. GOD LONGS ARDENTLY FOR US TO DESIRE AND LOVE THE SUPREME BEING WHO IS ALWAYS OUR FATHER, BROTHER AND LOVER. GREGORY'S MESSAGE IS FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY FOR JUSTICES IN ALL COURTS OF LAW: SOCIAL, CIVIL, CRIMINAL, CORPORATE OR CANON. HE WROTE ABOUT GOD'S JUSTICE AND EXPLAINED IT. NO ONE CAN ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN GOD OR DIVINE ATTRIBUTES WITHOUT EXPRESSING AND DISCOVERING JUSTICE. LIKE MANY OTHER DOCTORS, GREGORY SUFFERED SLANDER, INSULTS AND EVEN PERSONAL VIOLENCE. HE IS FAMOUS...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During his 16 years as theologian of the papal household, Cardinal Georges Cottier was often asked: Why does the pope need a theologian? Pope John Paul II was a respected theologian and so is Pope Benedict XVI. It's hard to imagine either one of them having enough theological doubts to justify the appointment of a full-time consultant. But if people imagine the papal theologian sitting around waiting for the pope to pose a question, the reality is quite different, Cardinal Cottier said. The papal theologian's main task is to vet the many thousands of words prepared...

The conventional Hollywood wisdom has long held that religious and family-friendly movies are not high earners. But this wisdom is beginning to wane in the face of recent theater trends. The five top-grossing movies so far this year are rated either PG or PG-13, and all of them have surpassed the $100 million mark. Two of last year’s top 5, Shrek 2 and The Incredibles, were PG-rated animated films. This kind of success is causing executives to rethink their standard fare. Family-friendly movies, especially animated ones, have brought people to the movies who haven’t gone in years. And they will...

For the last quarter of a century, this non-Catholic has had a pope. Now that John Paul II is gone, I am even more of an orphan than the Christians in the Roman church. For they will surely have another pope, but that one may not be mine, since I haven't converted. I am sure I am reflecting the views of many Protestants. Who else but John Paul II gave voice to my faith and my values in 130 countries? Who else posited personal holiness and theological clarity against postmodern self-deception and egotism? Who else preached the gospel as tirelessly...

There is little argument over the fact that G. W. Bush was elected President partly due to the strength of his Christian profession. Yes, America is still comprised of a host of Christian people. Statistics show that of those Christians who voted in the 2000 presidential election, the vast majority voted for Bush. Bush's Christian profession has served him well as a constant blanket of protection from criticism. Even though many of his policies diametrically oppose fundamental Christian teaching, Bush continues to enjoy immense popularity among evangelical Christians. Why? They feel he is one of them. However, President Bush has...

ROME, DEC. 12, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The rosary has found an unlikely fan in a leading Protestant theologian. John Paul II's recent apostolic letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" states, "To go through the scenes of the rosary with Mary is like going to the 'school" of Mary to read Christ, to penetrate his secrets, to understand his message." The rosary can even promote ecumenism, the Pope affirms. That is a position shared by professor Stephan Tobler of the University of Tübingen, in Germany, a Reformed evangelical theologian, Vatican Radio reported. "I must say that I read it in one go," Tobler said...