Shailer Mathews

Shailer Mathews

Shailer Mathews (born May 26, 1863 in Portland (Maine) , † October 23, 1941 in Chicago ) was an important representative of American liberal theology and the social gospel movement .

Life

Mathews, the son of a businessman, studied theology , history and economics . From 1887 he was professor of rhetoric at Colby College, from 1889 there professor of history and political economy . From 1894 he taught until his retirement at the Divinity School of the newly founded University of Chicago as a professor for various theological disciplines (1894–97 New Testament , 1897–1905 Systematic Theology , 1906–33 Historical and Comparative Theology).

theology

Mathews is considered to be one of the founders of the Chicago Theological School and an important representative of the social gospel movement. As a liberal theologian, he endeavored to apply strictly scientific methods in theology. Mathews, who was himself a Baptist, was involved in the ecumenical movement . From 1912 to 1916 he was President of the Federal Council of Churches in America .

professorship

At the Divinity School of the University of Chicago there is a professorship named after him for New Testament and early Christian literature, which was held by Langdon Gilkey , Hans Dieter Betz and, until 2020, Margaret M. Mitchell .

Works (selection)

• The Social Teachings of Jesus , 1897
• A History of New Testament Times in Palestine , 1899
• The French Revolution , 1900
• The Messianic Hope in the New Testament , 1905
• The Church and the Changing Order , 1907
• The Social Gospel , 1909
• The Gospel and the modern Man , 1910
• The Social Teaching of Jesus , 1910
• Scientific Management in Churches , 1911
• The Individual and the Social Gospel , 1914
• The Spiritual Interpretation of History , 1916
• Patriotism and Religion , 1918
• The Validity of American Ideals , 1922
• The Faith of Modernism , 1914
• Jesus on Social Institutions , 1928
• The Atonement and the Social Process , 1930
• The Growth of the Idea of ​​God , 1931
• Immortality and the Cosmic Process , 1933
• Christianity and Social Process , 1934
• Creative Christianity , 1935
• The Church and the Christian , 1938
• Is God Emeritus? 1940
• Autobiography: New Faith for Old. To Autobiography , 1936

literature

• Kenneth Smith: Shailer Mathews: theologian of social process . Duke University , Durham 1959.
• Christian Schwarke:  Mathews, Shailer. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 5, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-043-3 , Sp. 1011-1013.

Web links

• Guide to the Shailer Mathews Papers . University of Chicago Library. Accessed January 31, 2010