IntroductionAlbrecht Ritschl was one of the most significant theologians in the history of Christianity. Although many criticize him for introducing ideas that led to a more liberal theology, his intentions were nonetheless honorable. Ritschl lived in a time when Christianity was no longer considered relevant or feasible, and his reinterpretations were an attempt to keep Christianity applicable to modern society. His defenses, however, often resulted in a corruption of doctrine and left Christianity open to attack. Thus, Ritschl was an extremely influential theologian, although many wonder how positive this influence might have been. Ritschl's Theology Ritschl's theology was greatly influenced by the philosophers of his time. Immanuel Kant had said that the mind was incapable of understanding anything other than what could be sensibly felt or that was beyond ordered reason and logic. Likewise, Ritschl was influenced by the Tübingen school of theology, which he came to strongly oppose. Tübingen theology was extremely skeptical of Christianity, but it also promoted mysticism. Furthermore, the school did not take into account the history of the Church1. Thus, Ritschl's theology would take a less extreme approach. He would reject mysticism on the grounds that theology must be firmly grounded in reality, particularly moral and ethical realities. On this basis he also rejected natural theology.2 Ritschl's theology was to some extent in agreement with Kant's philosophy. He recognized that the mind was limited to its experiences, but believed that it could understand moral issues as they affected the individual.3 Thus, everything was reduced to judgments of fact or value. Judgments of fact can be objectively proven, but judgments of value cannot. Thus, the value judgments were left...... middle of article ......Bibliography Ahern, Annette. “Social Justice: Now, Later or Never? The contribution of Albrecht Ritschl and Johannes Weiss to the theology of social justice. Studies in Religion/Religious Sciences 32, no. 3 (2003): 281-97. http://sir.sagepub.com/content/32/3/281 (accessed February 18, 2012). Douglas, J.D., Philip Wesley Comfort, and Donald Mitchell. Who's who in Christian history. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992. Eckman, James P. Exploring Church History. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002. Geisler, Norman L., and William E. Nix. A general introduction to the Bible. Rev. and expanded. Chicago: Moody Press, 1996. Gonzalez, Justo L. The History of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2010. Pierard, RV Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd ed. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.