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TILLICH
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Paul Tillich ( 1886-1965) was a German-born theologian who gained notoriety in Germany during the Third Reich, and in the United States during the days of the Social Gospel at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Tillich, described as an austere German scholar by his friend and former student, famous American Psychologist, Rollo May, was expelled from Germany by the Third Reich for his outspoken views against Hitler. Upon hearing Hitler speak in the late 1930's (Tillich was on the platform, also) Tillich called Hitler a barbarian: he described him as butchering the German language. The reasons for Tillich's rage against the Reich are many: one of Tillich's students was beaten at the college where he taught, and Tillich's 'social gospel', focused on benevolence and good works did not lend well to the Third Reich's intolerance, bigotry, And cruelty.
Tillich's father was a Lutheran minister. His wife Hannah, was with Paul Tillich when he Was expelled from Germany after losing his university professorship after his position of resistance became know. But Tillich's Christianity, could probably best be described as A christian-oriented philosophy instead: He personally denied many of the basic tenets Of traditional Christianity. For example, when asked about the existence of Satan , He replied, " If there is a devil, I do not know" (1) an irony for a theologian opposing Hitler. His concepts of God were also more pantheistic or 'oversoulish' than traditionally Judaeo-Christian. He stated, for example,
"God does not exist, He is not one being, over against other beings, but being itself"He saw God as more of a life force. He had been strongly influenced by the "Higher Criticism model of Bultmann: what does not appeal to the rational mind is to be Discarded as myth in Scripture. This appealed to the rather high-minded sophistication Of German intelligentsia, but again was not in line with historical beliefs that scripture Was indeed the Word of God. Reason preceded faith for Tillich. His views were far More akin to modern existential thought than to Christianity, even to the more liberal German Lutheranism of the time. In this he fit well into the venue of Union Theological Seminary during the late 1930's and 1940's.(2)
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