ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains Ernst Troeltsch's own typology required him to classify every form of Christianity both in a sociological dimension and in an inner experiential dimension. It rings down the curtain on the overall historical context by focusing on what had been gathering force on the horizon all along: World War I. The book presents the Social Problem also leads naturally to a look at the role of Social Democracy as the catalyst of political change, and its influence on Protestantism. It breaks new ground by applying critical methods of historical and contextual interpretation to this icon of mainstream Protestantism. The book relates the recent religious trends including the debate between Peter Berger and advocates of Black and Latin American liberation theologies—and reflects on its significance in the context of the present global crisis.
