IntroductionAlbrecht Ritschl was one of the most important theologians in the history of Christianity. Although many accuse him of introducing ideas that led to a more liberal theology, his intentions were nevertheless honorable. Ritschl lived in a time when Christianity was no longer considered relevant or viable, 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 that influence may have been. Ritschl's Theology Ritschl's theology was greatly influenced by the philosophers of his time. Immanuel Kant had declared that the mind is incapable of understanding anything more than what can be experienced sensorially or that is beyond ordered reason and logic. Likewise, Ritschl was influenced by the Tübingen school of theology, which he came to firmly oppose. Tübingen theology was extremely skeptical of Christianity, but also promoted mysticism. Furthermore, the school neglected Church history.1 Therefore Ritschl's theology would take a less extreme approach. He would reject mysticism on the grounds that theology must be firmly rooted in reality, particularly moral and ethical realities. On this basis he also rejected natural theology.2 Ritschl's theology agreed to some extent with Kant's philosophy. He agreed that the mind was limited to its experiences, but believed that it could understand moral issues as they affect the individual.3 Therefore everything was reduced to judgments of fact or value. Judgments of fact could be demonstrated objectively, but value judgments could not. So the value judgments were left... half of the paper... 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/Science Religieuses 32, n. 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 enlarged. Chicago: Moody Press, 1996.Gonzalez, Justo L. The History of Christianity: The Reformation in the Present Day. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2010.Pierard, R.V. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd ed. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.