The Dreams and Nightmares of Christian Liberalism

In the nineteenth century, some of the Protestant Christians facing new challenges of secular science, history and philosophy decided to listen, to learn from and even to outflank their critics. This ‘liberal theology’ was creative, honest, necessary and – as it turned out – horribly dangerous. This lecture will trace liberalism’s ordeal from its early ideals to its deep involvement in the First World War, and discuss its continuing relevance in the contemporary world.