Neuere Veröffentlichungen und Vorträge / Recent Publications and Lectures

 

Veröffentlichungen / Publications

 

- bevorstehend / forthcoming: Christianity and Democracy Today: International Perspectives, eds. David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson (London: Routledge, 2025).

 

This volume explores Christianity’s relationship with democracy in a global perspective. How are the various democratic ideals being addressed by influential Christian intellectuals, theologians, ethicists, churches and church leaders around the world today? The contributors reflect on the status of the democratic idea in the churches, theological academy and public religious life in a variety of social and political contexts. They consider how the democratic idea can be cultivated in Christian communities and intellectual traditions with a view to contemporary challenges. Christianity and Democracy Today will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, theology, and political science.

 

Table of Contents

David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson, Introduction
David P. Gushee, Christianity and Democracy Today in the United States
Paul Silas Peterson, Christianity and Democracy Today in Europe
Fuk-tsang Ying, Christianity and the Struggle for Democracy in China
Chandra Mallampalli, Christian Conversion, Democracy and Minority Vulnerability in India and Neighboring Countries
Nicola de Jager, Inside-Out or Outside-In: Christianity and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Paul Freston and Joanildo Burity, Christianity and Democracy Today in Latin America
Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Democracy as a Religious Concept? Theological Narratives and Political Mythologies in the Russo-Ukrainian War

 

https://www.routledge.com/Christianity-and-Democracy-Today-International-Perspectives/Gushee-Peterson/p/book/9781032965765?srsltid=AfmBOoq5IfUknHDPnH1uOYjZBENiEN91c2SO0P3ucpnSI_wjTmmPv-RD

 

- "'...auf der Hospitalität begründet' – Zum Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Militär und Hilfsorganisationen mit Blick auf die Entstehungsgeschichte der Johanniter", in Brandenburgische Provinzial-Genossenschaft, Johanniterorden, Mitteilungsblatt, Nr. 35, Dezember 2024, 8-9.

 

- "'Erhaltung des Friedens': Die Logik der Abschreckung und die Sprache der militärischen Leistungsfähigkeit", in Ethik und Militär – Kontroversen der Militärethik und Sicherheitskultur / Ethics and Armed Forces: Controversies in Military Ethics and Security Policy, Ausgabe 2/24, Thema: "Kriegstüchtig, wehrhaft – und friedensfähig?" (2024) https://www.ethikundmilitaer.de/ausgabe/02-2024/article/erhaltung-des-friedens-die-logik-der-abschreckung-und-die-sprache-der-militaerischen-leistungsfaehigkeit

 

- "Freiheit und Verantwortung führen uns zu den Grundfragen des Menschseins", in Zur Sache Bw 46/2 (2024), 64-66.

https://www.bundeswehr.de/resource/blob/5863374/ed61437f3f0688b24573cf0f3bd7e261/zur-sache-bw-46-2-2024-data.pdf

 

- "A year of destruction and the future of Ukrainian democracy: Ethical analysis of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine twelve months after the 2022 invasion", in Analecta of the Ukrainian Catholic University 10 (2023), 253-277, open access: https://nz-theology.ucu.edu.ua/en/potochnyj-tom/  PDF: https://nz-theology.ucu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/08_peterson_253-277.pdf

 

- "The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine: An analysis of the dilemmas from an ethical perspective," in Ethik und Gesellschaft 15/2 (2021), 1-23, published on July 31, 2022, open access:
https://ethik-und-gesellschaft.de/ojs/public/journals/5/dm/EuG-2-2021/EuG-2-2021-art-7.pdf

 

- Review of Klaus-Michael Kodall, 1933 – Die Versuchung der Theologie (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2022), in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 30/2 (2024), 349-354.

 

- Review of James Ambrose Lee II, Confessional Lutheranism and German Theological Wissenschaft. Adolf Harleß, August Vilmar, and Johannes Christian Konrad von Hofmann (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022), in Theologische Literaturzeitung 148/6 (2023), 600-602.

 

- "'The Earth is the Mother of All People' (Chief Joseph): The Concept of Sustainability and Its Religious and Ethical Dimensions", in Analecta of the UCU 9 (2022), 131-151, open access:  https://nz-theology.ucu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/09_paul-silas-peterson-2.pdf

 

- "Demokratie heute", in Zeitschrift für Evangelische Ethik 66/4 (2022), 299-303.

 

- "The public sphere of democracy and the wisdom tradition," in Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society 8 (2022), 133-158, open access: https://brill.com/view/journals/jrat/8/1/article-p133_10.xml

 

- "Gott in Safenwil: Wandlungen im Gottesbild, der 'Entwicklungszug der Menschheit' und die Entstehung der Krisis-Theologie in Karl Barths frühen Predigten", in Gotteserschütterung – Gottesvergewisserung: Die Gegenwartsrelevanz der Gotteslehre Karl Barths, eds. Gregor Etzelmüller and Georg Plasger (Zürich: Theologischer Verlag, 2022), 157-179.

 

 

Vorträge / Lectures

 

- "…mit Menschlichkeit" – zur Minimierung von "Kollateralschäden", Deutschland-Österreich-Schweiz (DACH) Tagung Militärethik 2024, Armee-Ausbildungszentrum Luzern, Switzerland, September 3-6, 2024, Sept. 5.

 

- "Citizens in uniform" ("Staatsbürger in Uniform") in today’s Bundeswehr: Contemporary military ethics and the principles of leadership culture ("Innere Führung") in light of the "turning point" ("Zeitenwende") and the call for "warfighting capability" ("Kriegstüchtigkeit") in Germany, at the Annual Conference 2024 ("What makes European military ethics distinctive?") of the European Chapter of the International Society for Military Ethics, Tallinn, Estonia, May 22-24, 2024, https://www.euroisme.eu/index.php/en/events/annual-conference

 

- "Veränderte Transformationen: Vom steten Fortschritt zum sich beschleunigenden Krisenbewusstsein?" Fachgruppentagung der Fachgruppen Systematische Theologie und Praktische Theologie der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft für Theologie, Stiftung Leucorea, Wittenberg, Feb. 17, 2024.

 

- "Christianity, democracy and power", Conference of the Society for the Study of Theology, Warwick University, April 18-19, 2023.

 

- "The global ethics of democracy: Multiple modernities, new paradigms of East-West relations and the mutual enrichment and co-realization of open and free pluralistic societies", international conference, The Global Universal World System: Humanistic Reflections and Prospects of the East Asian Growth Model, December 10, 2022, Advanced Research Center for Humanities, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, South Korea, www.sch.ac.kr Flyer (PDF):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uh5arz2qcxy1fab/Conference%20The%20Global%20Universal%20World%20System%20Dec%2010%2C%202022.pdf?dl=0

 

- "Christianity and democracy today in Europe", Christianity and democracy today: International perspectives, Sat., Oct. 29, 2022, Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Tubingen,

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r85jret3hf6gwrq/Flyer_Christianity_and_Democracy_Symposium_Oct_29_2022_Tubingen.pdf?dl=0

 

- "Political identities, Christianity and democracy", International Forum - 15th Ecumenical Social Week: Wandering Identity: Considering Meanings and Values, Institute of Ecumenical Studies, Ukrainian Catholic University, Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine, October 3-7, 2022, www.esweek.org.ua

 

- "Ethical and religious dimensions of sustainability", University of Hohenheim Summer School 2022, theme "Work, Digitalization and Sustainability", University of Hohenheim, July 11, 2022, https://wiso.uni-hohenheim.de/summerschool

 

- "The public sphere, democracy and truth claims: Ethical and theological perspectives", Ecumenical School for Dialogue 2022, theme: "Truth-telling and reconciliation in the context of religious, national and geopolitical conflicts", Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv, July 6 2022 http://www.ecumenicalstudies.org.ua/eng/announcements/6423 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DRexUZINrw

 

 

Akademische Stellen / Academic Positions

 

2024 - heute/today

Wissenschaftlicher Angestellter am Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr, Potsdam

(Academic employee at the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr in Potsdam)

 

2023 - 2024 (Wintersemester / winter semester)

Verwaltungsprofessor für Systematische Theologie, Institut für Ethik und Theologie, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (Interim Professor for Systematic Theology, Institute for Ethics and Theology, Leuphana University Lüneburg)

2022 - 2024
Lehrbeauftragter, Fachgruppe Berufsethik, Fakultät IV Sozialwissenschaften, Hochschule für Polizei Baden-Württemberg, Villingen-Schwenningen (Lecturer, subject area: Professional ethics, Faculty IV Social Sciences, Police College Baden-Wuerttemberg, Villingen-Schwenningen)

 

2021 (Sommersemester / summer semester)

Lehrstuhlvertretung Systematische Theologie / Ethik an der Evangelisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Lehrangebote in Bonn und am Institut für Evangelische Theologie der Universität Köln (Interim Professor for Systematic Theology / Ethics at the Protestant Faculty of Theology of the University of Bonn, course offerings in Bonn and at the Institute for Protestant Theology of the University of Cologne)

 

2017 - 2024

Akademischer Mitarbeiter im Fachgebiet Evangelische Theologie an der Universität Hohenheim (Academic Staff Member at the Department of Protestant Theology of the University of Hohenheim)

 

2016 - heute/today

Privatdozent an der Evangelisch-theologischen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Privatdozent at the Protestant Faculty of Theology of the University of Tübingen)

 

2011 - 2018

Akademischer Mitarbeiter an der Theologischen Fakultät der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (Academic Staff Member at the Theological Faculty of the University of Heidelberg)

 

2011 - 2017

Akademischer Mitarbeiter an der Evangelisch-theologischen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Academic Staff Member at the Protestant Faculty of Theology of the University of Tübingen)

 

 

Forschungsinteressen / Research Interests

 

- Dogmatik, Ökumenik und Ethik (Dogmatics, ecumenics and ethics)

- Militärethik (Military ethics)

- Innere Führung (Leadership philosophy and culture of the German military) 

- Krieg und Frieden in Theologie und Ethik (War and peace in theology and ethics)

- Polizeiethik (Police ethics)

- Christentum und Demokratie (Christianity and democracy)

- Theologie und Theologiegeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts (Twentieth century theology and its history)

- Gegenwärtige englisch- und deutschsprachige Theologie (Contemporary English and German language theology)

- Kirche und Säkularisierung (Church and secularization)
- Die Reformation und das Vermächtnis der Reformation (The Reformation and the legacy of the Reformation)

- Protestantismus und Christentum der Neuzeit (Protestantism and Christianity in the modern period)

- Einheit und Vielfalt des Christentums (Unity and diversity of Christianity)
 

 

Projekte / Projects

 

2021 - heute

Christianity and democracy

 

Forthcoming: Christianity and Democracy Today: International Perspectives, eds. David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson (London: Routledge, 2025).

 

This volume explores Christianity’s relationship with democracy in a global perspective. How are the various democratic ideals being addressed by influential Christian intellectuals, theologians, ethicists, churches and church leaders around the world today? The contributors reflect on the status of the democratic idea in the churches, theological academy and public religious life in a variety of social and political contexts. They consider how the democratic idea can be cultivated in Christian communities and intellectual traditions with a view to contemporary challenges. Christianity and Democracy Today will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, theology, and political science.

 

Table of Contents

David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson, Introduction
David P. Gushee, Christianity and Democracy Today in the United States
Paul Silas Peterson, Christianity and Democracy Today in Europe
Fuk-tsang Ying, Christianity and the Struggle for Democracy in China
Chandra Mallampalli, Christian Conversion, Democracy and Minority Vulnerability in India and Neighboring Countries
Nicola de Jager, Inside-Out or Outside-In: Christianity and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Paul Freston and Joanildo Burity, Christianity and Democracy Today in Latin America
Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Democracy as a Religious Concept? Theological Narratives and Political Mythologies in the Russo-Ukrainian War

 

https://www.routledge.com/Christianity-and-Democracy-Today-International-Perspectives/Gushee-Peterson/p/book/9781032965765?srsltid=AfmBOoq5IfUknHDPnH1uOYjZBENiEN91c2SO0P3ucpnSI_wjTmmPv-RD

 

- Symposium - Christianity and democracy today: International perspectives, Sat., Oct. 29, 2022, Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Tubingen, flyer:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r85jret3hf6gwrq/Flyer_Christianity_and_Democracy_Symposium_Oct_29_2022_Tubingen.pdf?dl=0

 

- Chandra Mallampalli, South Asia's Christians: Between Hindu and Muslim - Book Presentation and Conversation with the Author, Fri., Oct. 28, Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Tubingen, flyer:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a76n1amuyn2r22w/flyer_book_presentation_and_conversation_pdf.pdf?dl=0

 

 

2016 - 2020

Editorial project: Generous Orthodoxies: Essays on the history and future of ecumenical theology, edited by Paul Silas Peterson (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2020), xxxiv + 262 pages.

 

Short Description: After the birth of the Protestant ecumenical movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and following the first great wave of universal Christian ecumenism in the 1960s and 1970s after the Second Vatican Council, prominent theologians of nearly every ecclesial tradition charted new territory in the last decades of the twentieth century. They crossed boundaries within their own ecclesial traditions and built bridges to other Christian churches – churches that were once excluded from fellowship. In the development of these new programs of ecumenical theology, the theologians redefined their own confessional identities and, in many cases, crossed the liberal-conservative divide within their own traditions. This volume introduces this fascinating dynamic of theological mediation, redefinition and generosity. It shows how the ecumenical impulses, which were directed outwardly to other traditions, had reflexive effects inwardly. Working in the realms of both historical and systematic theology, the essays in this volume provide a critical analysis of the history of this general theological sentiment and offer an outlook for its future.

 

Table of Contents
Brian D. McLaren, Foreword
Paul Silas Peterson, Introduction
Part One: Ecumenical reform theologies
Andrew Meszaros, Yves Congar: The Birth of “Catholic Ecumenism”
Matthew L. Becker, Edmund Schlink: Ecumenical Theology
Dorothea Sattler, Otto Hermann Pesch: Ecumenical Scholasticism
Ronald T. Michener, George Lindbeck: Ecumenical Unity through Ecclesial Particularity
Nikolaos Asproulis, John D. Zizioulas: A Pioneer of Ecumenical Dialogue and Christian Unity
Part Two: Overcoming liberal-conservative polarities
Ben Fulford, Hans Frei: Beyond Liberal and Conservative                         
Friederike Nüssel, Wolfhart Pannenberg: Liberal Orthodoxy
Jay T. Smith, Stanley J. Grenz: The Evangelical Turn to Postliberal Theological Method
Part Three: Boundary crossings in philosophical, systematic and ethical theology
William E. Myatt, David Tracy: Difference, Unity, and the Analogical Imagination
Christophe Chalamet, Robert Jenson: God’s Way and the Ways of the Church
Victoria Lorrimar, Stanley Hauerwas: Witnessing Communities of Character
Christine M. Helmer, Marilyn McCord Adams: Philosophy, Theology, and Prayer
Part Four: Ecumenical theology today
Wolfgang Vonday, Pentecostalism and Christian Orthodoxy: Revision, Revival, and Renewal
Johanna Rahner, Shifting Paradigms – Future Ecumenical Challenges
Michael Amaladoss, Theology today in India: Ecumenical or interreligious?
Bernd Oberdorfer, Next Steps – and Visions? Lutheran Perspectives on Doctrinal Ecumenism

 

“Orthodoxies! In the plural? Perhaps somewhat like what happened on the day of Pentecost when there was a kind of amazement that the wondrous works of God were indeed pronounced even while there was perplexity about ‘what does this mean?’ These pages also reverberate with dogmatic, philosophical, and contextual witnesses to the ecumenical soundscape of the twenty-first century, announcing that there are fresh opportunities to engage the truth claims of Christian doctrine amid the challenges of our post-colonial and post-Christendom world.” -- Amos Yong, Professor of Theology & Mission and Dean of the School of Theology and School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Seminary

“This collection is a riposte to theological polarization. It contains a cloud of witnesses to the possibility of generous theological engagement—engagement between denominational traditions, and engagement between liberals and conservatives. These witnesses are themselves diverse; there are many disagreements between them. These pages, however, bring them together, and show them to be participants in a common theological endeavor—and to be a resource for all in the present who resist the temptation to separate.” -- Mike Higton, Professor of Theology and Ministry, Durham University

 

"This dense collection of diverse, detailed, and often thought-provoking studies takes a deep dive into some thinkers and themes to suggest possibilities of engagement across different perspectives or traditions in contemporary Christianity." -- Philip Hobday, review of Peterson, ed., Generous Orthodoxies: Essays on the History and Future of Ecumenical Theology (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick, 2020), in Reviews in Religion & Theology 30/1-2 (2023), 77-79, here: 77.

 

 

2015 - 2018

Core-Member of the international ecumenical dialog "Multiple Reformations? The Heidelberg-Notre Dame Dialog on the Legacies of the Reformation Age," with conferences in Rome, Heidelberg, Notre Dame and Jerusalem. See Jan Stievermann and Randall Zachman, eds., Multiple Reformations? https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/multiple-reformations-9783161556524)

 

 

2014 - 2017

Editorial project: The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses (London: Routledge, 2017).

The volume is a collection of 15 original essays that provide interpretations of and responses to one of the most complicated and controversial issues regarding the global transformation of Christianity today: the continuing decline of established Christianity in the Western world. The contributions are from theologians and scholars of religion from different contexts across the Western world, from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the USA. Two of the essays also approach the matter from the perspective of World Christianity and African Christianity. The contributions are also written from different church traditions (both Catholic and Protestant) and from different theological orientations on the conservative-liberal spectrum. I propose a variety of practical suggestions regarding ecclesial reform on pages 250 to 258: “When analyzing the difficult situation for many churches today, it is important to avoid apocalyptic presentations of these contemporary trends. The Holy Spirit has guided the church through much more difficult situations. At the same time, however, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the many churches of established Christianity will continue in these trends of decline for some time. In this regard, these churches are being forced to go through the often-painful process of orderly shrinking. This is not to claim, however, that they will disappear. Some of these churches are already going through processes of unification with other churches (church fusions). Furthermore, some of the individual congregations within these denominations are thriving. Every context is unique, and every church tradition is developing its own strategy of reform. The following suggestions address general issues that seem to be shared in many contexts. This section addresses 1. the concept of mission, 2. the importance of youth and young adult ministries, 3. the necessity of a gentle apologetics, and 4. the significance of the teaching about the priesthood of all believers today.” (page 250) See also: David Andrew Gilland, review of Peterson, ed., The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World, in Reading Religion (June 26, 2018), http://readingreligion.org/books/decline-established-christianity-western-world Etienne Lapointe, review of Peterson, ed., The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World, in Religious Studies Review 46/4 (2020), 552: "The book brings together authors mainly from the field of theology, but the fact remains that their approaches are diverse and adopt different perspectives: sociohistorical (Part 1), sociological (Part 2 and 3), and philosophical (Part 4 and 5). The result is a coherent book offering stimulating points of view that raise questions as much as they shed light on the question of the decline of Western Christianity and its future." On this subject, see also: Harriet Sherwood, "'Christianity as default is gone': the rise of a non-Christian Europe," The Guardian, 21 Mar 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/christianity-non-christian-europe-young-people-survey-religion You can hear a brief introduction to this volume here: https://soundcloud.com/paul-peterson-120418036/the-decline-of-established-christianity-in-the-western-world-interpretations-and-responses   On October 4th I gave a lecture titled "The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses" at the symposium titled Western secularization and reversed Christian mission: New challenges and opportunities in a globalized age, Radboud Universität (Nijmegen, Netherlands).
https://www.ru.nl/nim/nim-foundation/vm/news-items/@1232635/nim-symposium-2019/
Flyer (PDF) https://www.ru.nl/publish/pages/944330/nim_symposium_2019_2.pdf
This symposium is dedicated to the changing landscape of Christianity in the Western world, especially focusing on the twin dynamics of secularization and reversed mission. Many new questions have emerged concerning these twin dynamics and the general diversification of expressions of Christianity especially in the urban centers, such as: What are the potential opportunities and challenges regarding the new forms of intercultural, ecclesial and ecumenical exchange? How can traditional ecclesial institutions and theological educational institutions positively influence the ongoing process of transformation, especially as they mediate between established religious traditions and contemporary religious movements? What can we learn from one another? How shall we understanding the dynamics of transformation, interpret them and respond to them? This symposium will focus on these issues while also providing an opportunity to introduce a recently published collection of essays in the series Studies in World Christianity and Interreligious Relations that interprets and responds to the changing context of Christianity in the Western world today (The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson, London: Routledge, 2017).

 

 

2014 - 2016

Co-Organizer (with Dr. Harald Matern and Prof. em. Dr. J. Christine Janowski) of the Post-Doctoral Research Group of the Pfullingen Theological Research Group (Promovierten-Kreis des Theologischen Arbeitskreises Pfullingen).

 

 

2014 - 2015

Co-Organizer (with Christina Drobe, Alexander Kupsch, Markus Mühling and Martin Wendte) of the international conference in Tübingen: Rationality in Conversation – Rationalität im Gespräch: Symposium zum 60. Geburtstages von Christoph Schwöbel, Feb. 6-7, 2015.

 

 

2013 - 2017

Book project on the Reformation, its legacy and ecumenism today, Reformation in the Western World: An Introduction (Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2017).

Why did the Reformation happen? What was its prehistory? How did it unfold? How did it influence the surrounding cultures and the social and political orders in which it emerged? Was the Reformation a positive or a negative event? Is the Reformation over? Did the Reformation lead to democracy, capitalism and secularism? What relationship did the Reformation have to political power? And how can the Reformation be remembered by both Catholics and Protestants today? In this book, these questions and many others are answered from a historical and ecumenical-theological point of view. The status of ecumenism today and the issue of the Reformation itself in ecumenism are also analyzed. See also: Amy Nelson Burnett, Review of Peterson, Reformation in the Western World, in Lutheran Quarterly 32/1 (2018), 122-124; Brian L. Hanson, Review of Peterson, Reformation in the Western World, in Reading Religion, 9 Oct., 2018, http://readingreligion.org/books/reformation-western-world; Hartmut Lehmann, “500 Jahre Reformation. Neuerscheinungen aus Anlass des Jubiläums,” in Historische Zeitschrift 307/1 (2018), 85-131, esp. 106-107; Hartmut Lehmann, "New Publications for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation," in Lutheran Quarterly 32/3 (2018), 307-355. You can hear a chapter by chapter introduction to Reformation in the Western World here: Reformation in the Western World: An Introduction
https://soundcloud.com/paul-peterson-120418036/reformation-in-the-western-world-an-introduction

 

 

2011 - 2015

Habilitationsschrift (post-doctoral degree qualification monograph) on Karl Barth in historical context: The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 1905–1935 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018).

From the introduction: “In the foreground of this inquiry is Barth’s relation to the features of his time, especially radical socialist ideology, WWI, an intellectual trend that would later be called the Conservative Revolution, the German Christians, the Young Reformation Movement and National Socialism. Barth’s view of and interaction with the Jews is also analyzed along with other issues, such as radical thinking, anti-liberalism, alterity, anti- or trans-historicism, Expressionism and New Objectivity. Specific questions disputed in the secondary literature are also addressed, such as the place of WWI in Barth’s intellectual development, his role in the Dehn Case, his reaction to the rise of fascism in Europe, his relationship to 19th century modern liberal Protestantism, his relationship to the Leonhard Ragaz-wing of the Religious Socialists and his relationship to the Weimar Republic. Critical analysis of Barth’s theological development will be provided at key points in the following chapters. As will be argued, Barth’s theological development and the basic concepts of Neo-Orthodoxy were deeply connected to the cultural and sociopolitical developments of the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. Furthermore, as will be demonstrated, Dialectical Theology and National Socialism emerged from the same environment and they shared many similarities. The following inquiry entails three major parts. The first part (Introduction) offers a general background to the major issues from this era that were important for Barth’s development. In the second part (Chapters 1-4) the primary material of this investigation, including Barth’s publications and correspondences, is organized in a chronological framework. The third part (Chapter 5, Conclusion) deals with specific issues (Barth, Dialectical Theology and National Socialism; Barth and the Jews; Expressionism, New Objectivity, anti-historicism, authoritarianism and alterity) and questions: Is Barth best understood through the theological lens alone? Was Barth in continuity or discontinuity with 19th century modern liberal theology? Was Barth apolitical in Weimar Germany? And finally, did Barth contribute to the toxic forces that led to the downfall of the Weimar Republic?” (pages 7-8) See also: Paul Schroffner, review of Peterson, The Early Karl Barth, in Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie 140 (2018), 313-316. Christophe Chalamet, review of Peterson, The Early Karl Barth, in Reading Religion, October 12, 2018, http://readingreligion.org/books/early-karl-barth My response to Chalamet’s review is found in the comments section below the review. The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 1905–1935 was debated in Amsterdam: Controversy about the Early Karl Barth: A Symposium on Paul Silas Peterson's The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 1905-1935. A Debate between Five Experts on the early Karl Barth: Bruce McCormack, Rinse Reeling Brouwer, Kees van der Kooi, Edward van ‘t Slot and the author Paul Silas Peterson. Dec. 14, 2018, PThU-zaal, 1E 24, Protestant Theological University, Amsterdam https://www.pthu.nl/actueel/agenda/!/7948/barth-and-beyond-a-one-day-symposium I gave a brief introduction to the book to open the debate. This only addresses a few parts of the book. You can hear this introduction here: The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 2018 (Amsterdam debate) https://soundcloud.com/paul-peterson-120418036/paul-silas-peterson-the-early-karl-barth-historical-contexts-and-intellectual-formation-2018  You can hear the rest of the debate here: Barth and Beyond symposium: discussing Paul Silas Peterson's take on Karl Barth https://soundcloud.com/user-740785502/barth-and-beyond-symposium-discussing-paul-silas-peterson#  You can hear a chapter by chapter introduction to The Early Karl Barth here: The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 2018 (intro to the chapters) https://soundcloud.com/paul-peterson-120418036/the-early-karl-barth-historical-contexts-and-intellectual-formation-2018-intro-to-the-chapters The publisher, Mohr Siebeck in Tübingen, has kindly made the introduction of the book (frontmatter and pages 1 to 9) freely available to download as a PDF here: Paul Silas Peterson, The Early Karl Barth Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 2018, Introduction (PDF) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i1WpsM09GPfqjd8_Md2I7hnORSIiPgLZ/view?usp=sharing see also Arie L. Molendijk, review of Peterson, The Early Karl Barth, in NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion 75/1 (2021), 137-139, https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/aup/jtsr/2021/00000075/00000001/art00012

 

 

2008 - 2017

Editorial work on Cotton Mather’s Biblia Americana (1693-1728), the first edition of the oldest comprehensive Bible commentary written in British North America (10 vols.).

 

 

2006 - 2011

Doctoral dissertation, published in 2015 as The Early Hans Urs von Balthasar: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation (Berlin/ Boston: Walter de Gruyter).

Although Hans Urs von Balthasar’s earliest publication is from 1925, and although he was a mature forty years old in 1945, there is a deficiency in the secondary literature regarding his early literature, its historical backgrounds and non-theological sources. In this study Balthasar is presented in relation to the various contexts in which he was both drawing upon and responding to from the 1920s to the 1940s. The major contexts analyzed here are the broad central European Germanophone cultural context, the Germanophone Catholic cultural context, the German studies context, the French Catholic renewal literature and theology of the early 20th-century, the popular journal Stimmen der Zeit, Neo-Scholasticism, early 20th-century French Catholic culture, Swiss fascism, National Socialist literature, the Renouveau Catholique, the George-Kreis and many others. Balthasar’s early anti-Semitism and some of the problematic aspects of his early work are also addressed in this study. His understanding of the modern age, his relationships with some key intellectual figures and his later reflections on his early work are also introduced. The book offers a comprehensive study of Balthasar’s early intellectual development. See also: Fergus Kerr, "Great theologian's Jewish problem," review of Peterson, The Early Hans Urs von Balthasar, in The Tablet, Vol. 269, No. 9113 (Issue 15 August 2015), p. 20; Manfred Lochbrunner, review of Peterson, The Early Hans Urs von Balthasar, in Theologie und Philososphie 91/2 (2016), 300-303. Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, review of Peterson, The Early Hans Urs von Balthasar, in Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte 22 (2015), 148-150.

 

 

Postgraduales Studium und qualifizierende Forschung/ Post-graduate education and qualifying research

 

2013 - 2016

Evangelisch-theologische Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany - Habilitation

 

2006 - 2013

Evangelisch-theologische Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany - Dr. theol.

 

2005 - 2006

University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - M.Th.

 

2002 - 2005

Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon, USA - M.A.

 

 

Preis/ Prize

 

2014

Dr. Leopold-Lucas-Nachwuchswissenschaftlerpreis/ Dr. Leopold Lucas Junior Scholar Prize for "The Early Balthasar: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation".

 

 

Vorträge/ Lectures

 

"…mit Menschlichkeit" – zur Minimierung von "Kollateralschäden", Deutschland-Österreich-Schweiz (DACH) Tagung Militärethik 2024, Armee-Ausbildungszentrum Luzern, Switzerland, September 3-6, 2024, Sept. 5.

 

"Citizens in uniform" ("Staatsbürger in Uniform") in today’s Bundeswehr: Contemporary military ethics and the principles of leadership culture ("Innere Führung") in light of the "turning point" ("Zeitenwende") and the call for "warfighting capability" ("Kriegstüchtigkeit") in Germany, at the Annual Conference 2024 ("What makes European military ethics distinctive?") of the European Chapter of the International Society for Military Ethics, Tallinn, Estonia, May 22-24, 2024, https://www.euroisme.eu/index.php/en/events/annual-conference

 

"Veränderte Transformationen: Vom steten Fortschritt zum sich beschleunigenden Krisenbewusstsein?" Fachgruppentagung der Fachgruppen Systematische Theologie und Praktische Theologie der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft für Theologie, Stiftung Leucorea, Wittenberg, Feb. 17, 2024.

 

"Christianity, democracy and power", Conference of the Society for the Study of Theology, Warwick University, April 18-19, 2023.

"The global ethics of democracy: Multiple modernities, new paradigms of East-West relations and the mutual enrichment and co-realization of open and free pluralistic societies", international conference, The Global Universal World System: Humanistic Reflections and Prospects of the East Asian Growth Model, December 10, 2022, Advanced Research Center for Humanities, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, South Korea, www.sch.ac.kr Flyer (PDF):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uh5arz2qcxy1fab/Conference%20The%20Global%20Universal%20World%20System%20Dec%2010%2C%202022.pdf?dl=0

 

"Christianity and democracy today in Europe", Christianity and democracy today: International perspectives, Sat., Oct. 29, 2022, Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Tubingen, https://www.dropbox.com/s/r85jret3hf6gwrq/Flyer_Christianity_and_Democracy_Symposium_Oct_29_2022_Tubingen.pdf?dl=0

 

"Political identities, Christianity and democracy", International Forum - 15th Ecumenical Social Week: Wandering Identity: Considering Meanings and Values, Institute of Ecumenical Studies, Ukrainian Catholic University, Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine, October 3-7, 2022, www.esweek.org.ua

 

"Ethical and religious dimensions of sustainability", University of Hohenheim Summer School 2022, theme "Work, Digitalization and Sustainability", University of Hohenheim, July 11, 2022, https://wiso.uni-hohenheim.de/summerschool

 

"The public sphere, democracy and truth claims: Ethical and theological perspectives", Ecumenical School for Dialogue 2022, theme: "Truth-telling and reconciliation in the context of religious, national and geopolitical conflicts", Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv, July 6 2022 http://www.ecumenicalstudies.org.ua/eng/announcements/6423 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DRexUZINrw

 

"Der russische Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine. Ethische Dilemmata und kirchliche Debatten", Kirchlich-Theologischer Arbeitskreis des Evangelischen Kirchenbezirks Sulz am Neckar, Evangelisches Gemeindehaus, Sulz am Neckar, March 31, 2022.

 

"'Ad veram unitatem ecclesiae' (CA 7). Das Einheitsproblem im Zuge der Reformation", Evangelisch-theologische Fakultät der Universität Münster, April 27, 2021.

 

"'Dein Reich komme' – Das Reich Gottes im Christentum und seine gegenwärtige Bedeutung", Universität Hohenheim SMD-Gruppe im Rahmen der Vortragsreihe: "Vaterunser", smd.uni-hohenheim.de Dec. 16, 2020.

 

Eröffnung der Karl Barth-Ausstellung im evangelischen Gemeindehaus in Hechingen (Schloßackerstraße 88), March 1, 2020; Alexander Kauffmann, "Kein Stück aus dem Museum", Schwarzwälder Bote, March 1, 2020, https://www.schwarzwaelder-bote.de/inhalt.hechingen-kein-stueck-aus-dem-museum.d30641c8-9a5c-4c68-be7b-787679c6befc.html 
 

"Vor welchen Herausforderungen steht die Kirche?" for the Ökumenische Hochschulgemeinde at the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart), November 4, 2019. Flyer (PDF) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J5Rx2uIp8mQ4JEMwygRPPvtKzttjqBWu/view?usp=sharing http://www.oehg.de/de/

 

"The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses" at the symposium titled Western secularization and reversed Christian mission: New challenges and opportunities in a globalized age, Radboud Universität (Nijmegen, Netherlands), October 4, 2019. https://www.ru.nl/ptrs/@1233534/nim-symposium-2019-western-secularization-and/
 

"Modernediskurse in der Zeitschrift 'Hochland' in der Zwischenkriegszeit", conference: "Die Ambivalenz der Moderne - Modernediskurse und Reform in der Katholischen Theologie der Zwischenkriegszeit", Internationale und interdisziplinäre Tagung im Rahmen des Forschungsschwerpunktes "Christliche Identität in der Moderne" der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Wien, May 24, 2019 https://ktf.univie.ac.at/forschung/forschungsschwerpunkte/christliche-identitaet-in-der-moderne/aktivitaeten/

 

"Das Gottesbild in den Predigten Karl Barths aus der Safenwiler Zeit: Historische und gegenwärtige Bedeutungen", conference: Gotteserschütterung – Gottesvergewisserung: Die Gegenwartsrelevanz der Gotteslehre Karl Barths. Internationales Karl-Barth-Symposium, Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek, Emden. May 11, 2019. Karl-Barth-Gesellschaft: https://karl-barth-gesellschaft.de/ Conference Program (PDF): http://karl-barth-gesellschaft.de/wp-content/uploads/Einladung-Emden-Barth-Symposium-2019.pdf

 

"A Brief Introduction to The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 1905–1935," Controversy about the Early Karl Barth: A Symposium on Paul Silas Peterson's The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 1905-1935. A Debate between Five Experts on the early Karl Barth: Bruce McCormack, Rinse Reeling Brouwer, Kees van der Kooi, Edward van ‘t Slot and the author Paul Silas Peterson. Protestant Theological University, Amsterdam, Netherlands, December 14, 2018.

 

"Geschichte der Reformationsforschung," Reformationsjubiläum 2017: Was hat es gebracht und wie geht es weiter? (Institut für Ökumenische und Interreligiöse Forschung der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Tübingen), Kloster Niederaltaich, Germany, June 9, 2018.

 

"Reformation und Ökumene," Evangelisches Gemeindehaus, Gültstein, Germany, November 11, 2017.

 

"Schriftautorität. Die historische Entstehung der Lehre und ihre gegenwärtige Bedeutung," Theologische Hochschule Reutlingen, Reutlingen, Germany, April 24, 2017.

 

"The Reformation and Scriptural Authority: The Historical Emergence of the Teaching and its Contemporary Significance," Multiple Reformations? The Heidelberg-Notre Dame Colloquies on the Legacies of the Reformation (Multiple Reformations and the Authority and Interpretation of Scripture), University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind., USA, March 13, 2017.

 

"Die Ökumenische Bewegung und die Gruppe von Farfa Sabina: Gemeinschaft der Kirchen und Petrusamt, Lutherisch-katholische Annäherungen (2010)" and "Evangelische Ekklesiologie und die Ökumene," 8. Fiechter Ökumenetage, Benediktinerabtei St. Georgenberg-Fiecht, Vomp-Fiecht, Austria, January 21-22, 2017.   

 

"The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: A Contemporary Echo from Troeltsch’s Church-Sect-Mysticism Typology," Multiple Reformations?:  The Heidelberg-Notre Dame Colloquies on the Legacies of the Reformation (Multiple Modernities? Confessional Cultures and the Many Legacies of the Reformation Age), 22-25 September, 2016, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, September 23, 2016.

 

"Gegenwärtige Lage der Landeskirchen in Deutschland: Statistik und Interpretationen [the Contemporary Situation of the Large Regional Protestant Churches in Germany: Statistics and Interpretations]," and "Evangelische Antworten: Liberale, konservative und kirchlich-institutionelle [Protestant Responses: Liberal, Conservative and Ecclesial-Institutional]," Pfarrkonvent 2016 Kirchenbezirk Vaihingen an der Enz/ Pastors’ Convention 2016 of the Church District Vaihingen an der Enz, Kloster Volkenroda, Volkenroda, Germany, July 12-13, 2016.

 

"Die Einheit der Kirche in der Pluralität der Kirchen [the unity of the church in the plurality of the churches]," Evangelisch-theologische Fakultät der Universität Tübingen/ Protestant Faculty of Theology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, June 15, 2016.

 

"Commemorating the Reformation from an Ecumenical Perspective," Multiple Reformations?:  The Heidelberg-Notre Dame Colloquies on the Legacies of the Reformation (The Many Faces of the Reformation), Rome Global Gateway - Notre Dame International, Rome, Italy, March 9, 2016.

 

"Die Ökumene nach der ökumenischen Bewegung [Ecumenism after the Ecumenical Movement]," Evangelisch-theologische Fakultät der Ruhr-Universität Bochum/ Protestant Faculty of Theology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany, June 23, 2015.

 

 

Lehrveranstaltungen/ Courses at the Universities of Tuebingen, Heidelberg, Hohenheim, Cologne, Bonn, Lüneburg and at the Police College Baden-Wuerttemberg (Hochschule für Polizei Baden-Württemberg) (2011 - today)

 

- Dogmatik im Überblick (Vorlesung/ lecture course)

- Ethik im Überblick (Vorlesung/ lecture course)

- Evangelische Ethik (Vorlesung/ lecture course)

- Ekklesiologie (Vorlesung/ lecture course)

- Einführung in die Religionswissenschaft (Vorlesung/ lecture course)

- Berufsethik (Vorlesung/ lecture course)

- Einführung in das Studium der Evangelischen Theologie

- German Language Theology from the Reformation to today

- Contemporary Debates and Approaches in English Language Theology

- Repetitorium der Dogmatik

- Prolegomena 

- Gotteslehre

- Schöpfungslehre

- Christologie

- Rechtfertigungslehre

- Soteriologie

- Anthropologie

- Ekklesiologie und Sakramentenlehre

- Eschatologie

- Bibelkunde AT

- Bibelkunde NT

- Theology in America – The Major Protestant Voices from Puritanism to today

- Die Confessio Augustana und die Confessio Helvetica posterior

- Ecumenical theology

- Christian Realism

- Klassiker der neueren Evangelischen Theologie

- Die Stätten der Reformation (Studienreise, Exkursion nach Eisenach, Mühlhausen, Eisleben, Wittenberg)

- Rom – Kirchengeschichte (Studienreise, Exkursion nach Rom)

- Albert Schweitzer – Theologie und Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben (Studienreise, Exkursion nach Elsass)

- Die Württembergische Landeskirche in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus

- Kritische Fragen und Antwortversuche in Sachen des Glaubens

- Das große Umdenken - Theologie des 20. Jahrhunderts

- Ethik der Freiheit

- Kirche, Gesellschaft und Staat

- Christoph Blumhardt (1842–1919) – Kirche, Reich Gottes und Religiöser Sozialismus in Zeiten des Umbruchs (Studienreise, Exkursion nach Bad Boll)

- Die Ökumenische Bewegung des 20. Jahrhunderts

- Religionskritik

- Religionen und Konfessionen

- Theologie im Religionsunterricht

- Christentum und Demokratie (Christianity and democracy)

- Krieg und Frieden in Theologie und Ethik (war and peace in theology and ethics)

 

 

Mitgliedschaften/ Memberships

 

Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Theologie (WGTh)

 

Society for the Study of Theology (SST)

 

International Society for Military Ethics in Europe (EuroISME)

 

Arbeitskreis Militär und Sozialwissenschaften e.V. (AMS)

 

 

 

Veröffentlichungen/ Publications

 

2025

 

Forthcoming: Christianity and Democracy Today: International Perspectives, eds. David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson (London: Routledge, 2025).

 

Table of Contents
David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson, Introduction
David P. Gushee, Christianity and Democracy Today in the United States
Paul Silas Peterson, Christianity and Democracy Today in Europe
Fuk-tsang Ying, Christianity and the Struggle for Democracy in China
Chandra Mallampalli, Christian Conversion, Democracy and Minority Vulnerability in India and Neighboring Countries
Nicola de Jager, Inside-Out or Outside-In: Christianity and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Paul Freston and Joanildo Burity, Christianity and Democracy Today in Latin America
Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Democracy as a Religious Concept? Theological Narratives and Political Mythologies in the Russo-Ukrainian War

https://www.routledge.com/Christianity-and-Democracy-Today-International-Perspectives/Gushee-Peterson/p/book/9781032965765?srsltid=AfmBOoq5IfUknHDPnH1uOYjZBENiEN91c2SO0P3ucpnSI_wjTmmPv-RD

 

2024

 

"'...auf der Hospitalität begründet' – Zum Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Militär und Hilfsorganisationen mit Blick auf die Entstehungsgeschichte der Johanniter", in Brandenburgische Provinzial-Genossenschaft, Johanniter Orden, Mitteilungsblatt, Nr. 35, Dezember 2024, 8-9.

 

"'Erhaltung des Friedens': Die Logik der Abschreckung und die Sprache der militärischen Leistungsfähigkeit", in Ethik und Militär – Kontroversen der Militärethik und Sicherheitskultur / Ethics and Armed Forces: Controversies in Military Ethics and Security Policy, Ausgabe 2/24, Thema: "Kriegstüchtig, wehrhaft – und friedensfähig?" (2024) https://www.ethikundmilitaer.de/ausgabe/02-2024/article/erhaltung-des-friedens-die-logik-der-abschreckung-und-die-sprache-der-militaerischen-leistungsfaehigkeit

 

Freiheit und Verantwortung führen uns zu den Grundfragen des Menschseins, in Zur Sache Bw 46/2 (2024), 64-66. https://www.bundeswehr.de/resource/blob/5863374/ed61437f3f0688b24573cf0f3bd7e261/zur-sache-bw-46-2-2024-data.pdf

 

Review of Klaus-Michael Kodall, 1933 – Die Versuchung der Theologie (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2022), in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 30/2 (2024), 349-354.

 

2023

 

"A year of destruction and the future of Ukrainian democracy: Ethical analysis of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine twelve months after the 2022 invasion", in Analecta of the Ukrainian Catholic University 10 (2023), 253-277, open access: https://nz-theology.ucu.edu.ua/en/potochnyj-tom/  PDF: https://nz-theology.ucu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/08_peterson_253-277.pdf

 

Review of James Ambrose Lee II, Confessional Lutheranism and German Theological Wissenschaft. Adolf Harleß, August Vilmar, and Johannes Christian Konrad von Hofmann (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022), in Theologische Literaturzeitung 148/6 (2023), 600-602.

 

2022

 

"'The Earth is the Mother of All People' (Chief Joseph): The Concept of Sustainability and Its Religious and Ethical Dimensions", in Analecta of the UCU 9 (2022), 131–151. Open access:  https://nz-theology.ucu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/09_paul-silas-peterson-2.pdf

"Demokratie heute", in Zeitschrift für Evangelische Ethik 66/4 (2022), 299-303.

 

"Gott in Safenwil: Wandlungen im Gottesbild, der 'Entwicklungszug der Menschheit' und die Entstehung der Krisis-Theologie in Karl Barths frühen Predigten", in Gotteserschütterung – Gottesvergewisserung: Die Gegenwartsrelevanz der Gotteslehre Karl Barths, eds. Gregor Etzelmüller and Georg Plasger (Zürich: Theologischer Verlag, 2022), 157-179.

 

"The Russian War of Aggression against Ukraine: An Analysis of the Dilemmas from an Ethical Perspective," in Ethik und Gesellschaft 15/2 (2021), 1-23, published on July 31, 2022, open access:
https://ethik-und-gesellschaft.de/ojs/public/journals/5/dm/EuG-2-2021/EuG-2-2021-art-7.pdf

 

"The public sphere of democracy and the wisdom tradition," in Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society 8 (2022), 133-158. Open access https://brill.com/view/journals/jrat/8/1/article-p133_10.xml

 

Review of The Oxford Handbook of Reinhold Niebuhr, eds., Robin Lovin and Joshua Mauldin (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021), in Reviews in Religion & Theology 29/1-2 (2020), 56-59. Open access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/rirt.14091

 

2021

 

"Liberal Protestant dogmatics today," in Reviews in Religion and Theology 28/4 (2021), 345-350.
Open access http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/rirt.14046   

 

Review of Hartmut Rosenau, Der Anstoß des Glaubens - Das Theodizeeproblem und seine möglichen Lösungen (Münster: LIT, 2020), in Theologische Literaturzeitung 146/4 (2021), 340-342.

 

Review of Manfred Lochbrunner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, 1905-1988: Die Biographie eines Jahrhunderttheologen (Würzburg: Echter, 2020), in Theologische Revue (März 2021), www.theologische-revue.de

PDF: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Ejournals/index.php/thrv/article/view/3243/3266
 

2020

 

"'Zurück zur Individualität!' Die Rezeption moderner Religionsphilosophie im Hochland in der Weimarer Zeit," in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 27/2 (2020), 220-241.

 

Review of Charles Taliaferro and Elsa J. Marty, eds., A Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) in Reviews in Religion & Theology 27/4 (2020), 563-564.

Review of Roger Olson, The essentials of Christian thought: Seeing reality through the Biblical story (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2017), in Reviews in Religion & Theology 27/4 (2020), 538-540.

Generous Orthodoxies: Essays on the history and future of ecumenical theology, ed. Paul Silas Peterson (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2020), xxxiv + 262 pages.

 

"Introduction," in Generous Orthodoxies: Essays on the history and future of ecumenical theology, ed. P. S. Peterson (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2020), xvii-xxxiv.

 

2019

 

"Romano Guardini in the Weimar Republic and in National Socialist Germany: With a brief look into the National Socialist correspondences on Guardini in the early 1940s," in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 26/1 (2019), 47-96.

 

2018

 

"Is the term 'Catholic fascism' necessary? On the historiographical classifications of post-World War I religious-fascist ideology," in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 25/1–2 (2018), 104-128.

 

Review of Group of Farfa Sabina, Communion of Churches and Petrine Ministry: Lutheran-Catholic Convergences, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014, in Reviews in Religion & Theology 25/4 (2018), 671-674.

 

"'The text of the bible is stronger': The rebirth of Scriptural authority in the Reformation and its significance," in Multiple Reformations? The many faces and legacies of the Reformation, eds., J. Stievermann and R. C. Zachman (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018), 65-92.

 

Review of Wolfgang Greive, Die Glaubwürdigkeit des Christentums: Die Theologie Wolfhart Pannenbergs als Herausforderung, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 2017, in Theologische Literaturzeitung 143/11 (2018), 1172-1174.
 

Review of Berthold Wald, ed., Krise und Erneuerung der Kirche: Das Zweite Vatikanische Konzil. Paderborn: Bonifatius Verlag, 2016, in Theologische Literaturzeitung 143/11 (2018), 1196-1198.

 

Review of W. Bradford Littlejohn and Scott N. Kindred-Barnes, eds., Richard Hooker and Reformed Orthodoxy (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2017), in Theologische Literaturzeitung 143/10 (2018), 1048-1050.

 

The Early Karl Barth: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation 1905–1935 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018), XIV + 474 pages (Habilitationsschrift).

 

Review of Volker Leppin, ed., Reformatorische Theologie und Autoritäten. Studien zur Genese des Schriftprinzips beim jungen Luther (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015) in Religious Studies Review 44/1 (2018), 113.

Review of Andrea Strübind and Tobias Weger, ed., Jan Hus – 600 Jahre Erste Reformation (München: De Gruyter, 2015) in Religious Studies Review 44/1 (2018), 113-114.

Review of Robert Pope, ed., T&T Clark Companion to Nonconformity (London:  T&T Clark, 2013) in Religious Studies Review 44/1 (2018), 113.

 

2017

 

"A third time, Erich Przywara, the Jews and Stimmen der Zeit: With a response to Aaron Pidel and a brief look into Przywara’s late letters to Carl Schmitt," in Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte 24/2 (2017), 202-239.

 

The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. Paul Silas Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 296 pages.

 

"An introduction to the essays and to the phenomenon of established Christianity in the Western World," in The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 1-30.

 

"Causes of the decline: Historical, empirical and theoretical perspectives," in The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 33-74.

 

"Interpretations of the decline and responses to it," in The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 99-125.

 

"Christianity in the Western World after the Decline: Challenges, opportunities and outlooks," in The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 239-265.

 

(Translation) Olivier Abel, "The Religion of Decline: A Perspective from the Philosophy of Religion," in The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 227-236.

 

(Translation) Eberhard Tiefensee, "More than just de-Christianisation: Christian Mission in Face of Religious Indifference in East Germany," in The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses, ed. P. S. Peterson (London: Routledge, 2017), 129-144.

 

Reformation in the Western World: An Introduction (Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press), 287 pages.

 

"Der autoritäre Thomas [the authoritarian Thomas]," in Zeitschrift für Ideengeschichte 11/2 (2017), 45–52. [On the history of neo-Thomism in the 19th and 20th century; subject of the issue: "Spätzünder," delayed reception.]

 

(Translation) Angelika Neuwirth, Wie entsteht eine Schrift in der Forschung und in der Geschichte? Die Hebräische Bibel und der Koran - The Genesis of Scripture in Research and in History: The Hebrew Bible and the Quran, ed. Jürgen Kampmann, transl. P. S. Peterson (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017), 238 pages.

 

"Joel (Book and Person) in Christianity," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, Vol. 14: Jesus - Kairos (Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2017), 421-423.

 

2016

 

"Religion and the new populism," The Immanent Frame (December 2016), URL: https://tif.ssrc.org/2016/12/20/religion-and-the-new-populism/

 

"Einleitung [Introduction]" (together with Christina Drobe, Dirk-Martin Grube, Alexander Kupsch, Markus Mühling and Martin Wendte) in Rationalität im Gespräch: Philosophische und Theologische Perspektiven -- Rationality in Conversation: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives, ed. Markus Mühling, Christina Drobe, Dirk-Martin Grube, Alexander Kupsch, Paul Silas Peterson and Martin Wendte (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2016), 1-10.

 

"Die Ökumene nach der ökumenischen Bewegung [Ecumenism after the Ecumenical Movement]," in Rationalität im Gespräch: Philosophische und Theologische Perspektiven -- Rationality in Conversation: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives, ed. Markus Mühling, Christina Drobe, Dirk-Martin Grube, Alexander Kupsch, Paul Silas Peterson and Martin Wendte (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2016), 303-310.

 

Rationalität im Gespräch: Philosophische und Theologische Perspektiven -- Rationality in Conversation: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives, ed. Markus Mühling, Christina Drobe, Dirk-Martin Grube, Alexander Kupsch, Paul Silas Peterson and Martin Wendte (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2016), 458 pages.

Articles in Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism, ed. Stephen Ross (Routledge):

"Marburg School"
"Reinhold Niebuhr"
"Alfred Rosenberg"
"Max Scheler"
"Oswald Spengler"
"Weimar Republic"

 

2015

 

"The Decline of Established Christianity in Germany: Contemporary History and Protestant Responses," in Religion – Staat – Gesellschaft: Zeitschrift für Glaubensformen und Weltanschauungen/ Religion – State  – Society: Journal for the Study of Beliefs and Worldviews 16/1-2 (2015), 181-215.

 

Review of Alexander Weiß, Soziale Elite und Christentum: Studien zu ordo-Angehörigen unter den frühen Christen [Social Elite and Christianity: Studies on the Ordo-Members Among the Early Christians] (Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2015), in Reviews in Religion and Theology 22/4 (2015), 386-388.

 

Cotton Mather, Biblia Americana, Vol. 5 Proverbs -- Jeremiah, Senior Editor: Jan Stievermann; Associate Editors: P. S. Peterson and Michael Dopffel; Editorial Assistants: Helen K. Gelinas and Angelika Nemec (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015), XVIII + 1101 pages.

 

"Why Gun Violence Calls for Religion in Politics," Sojourners, 7 Oct. 2015, URL: https://sojo.net/articles/why-gun-violence-calls-religion-politics

 

(Translation) Peter Schäfer, Anziehung und Abstoßung: Juden und Christen in den ersten Jahrhunderten ihrer Begegnung -- Attraction and Repulsion: Jews and Christians in the First Centuries of their Encounter, ed. Jürgen Kampmann, transl. P. S. Peterson (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015), 120 pages.

 

"Once again, Erich Przywara and the Jews: A response to John Betz with a brief look into the Nazi correspondences on Przywara and Stimmen der Zeit," in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 21 (2015), 148-163.

 

"Gesellschaftliche Folgen der Entkirchlichung Deutschlands? Überlegungen zu einer umstrittenen Frage," in Deutsches Pfarrerblatt 115 (2015), 312-318.

 

"Diagnosing Western Modernity: A Review Article," in Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie 57 (2015), 267-284.

 

Review of Terry Eagleton, Culture and the Death of God (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2014) in Politics, Religion and Ideology 16 (2015), 315-318.

 

"Haggai (Book and Person): III. New Testament and Christianity," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, Vol. 10: Genocide – Hakkoz (Berlin/ Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2015), 1148-1150.

 

The Early Hans Urs von Balthasar: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation (Berlin/ Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2015), XVIII + 379 pages.

 

2014

 

(Translation) Friedrich Hermanni, "Felix Culpa, Christianity," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, vol. 8 (Berlin/ Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2014), 1109-1111.

 

Cotton Mather, Biblia Americana, Vol. 4 Ezra - Psalms, Senior Editor Clark Maddox; Associate Editor P. S. Peterson (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014/ Grand Rapids: Baker Academic Press), XXIV + 865 pages.

 

"Thomas Pfau and the emergence of the modern individual," The Immanent Frame (November 2014), URL: https://tif.ssrc.org/2014/10/30/thomas-pfau-and-the-emergence-of-the-modern-individual/

 

"Lessons Learned Studying Theology in Europe," Trans-Formed: Living the Gospel in an Everyday World (November 2014), URL: http://www.westernseminary.edu/transformedblog/2014/11/07/lessons-learned-studying-theology-in-europe/

 

"On Brad S. Gregory’s The Unintended Reformation," in Theologie.Geschichte: Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kulturgeschichte 9 (2014), URL: http://universaar.uni-saarland.de/journals/index.php/tg/article/view/656/701

 

Review of Pieter De Witte, Doctrine, Dynamic and Difference (2012), in International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church 14 (2014), 83-85.

 

"Churches and public schools," The Immanent Frame (May 2014), URL: https://tif.ssrc.org/2014/05/06/churches-and-public-schools/

 

"Schechina-Vorstellungen in der Bibelauslegung des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts in England und in den britischen Kolonien in Nordamerika," in Das Geheimnis der Gegenwart Gottes. Zur Schechina-Vorstellung in Judentum und Christentum, eds. Bernd Janowski and Enno E. Popkes (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014), 341-360.

 

(Translation) Giorgio Agamben, Leviathans Rätsel -- Leviathan’s Riddle, ed. Friedrich Hermanni, transl. P. S. Peterson (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014), 106 pages.

 

2013

 

"Dominium terrae: exegetical and theological reflections," in To Discern Creation in a Scattering World, eds. Jacques Haers and Frederiek Depoortere (Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 19-29.

 

"Friedrich Hermanni’s Metaphysics," in Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie 55 (2013), 526-538.

 

"Conceptualizing pluralism and consensus in the modern Western world," The Immanent Frame (Oct. 2013), URL: https://tif.ssrc.org/2013/10/16/conceptualizing-pluralism-and-consensus-in-the-modern-western-world/

 

"Freedom in the 1990s," in Scottish Journal of Theology 66 (2013), 414-430.

 

(Translation) Seyla Benhabib, Gleichheit und Differenz. Die Würde des Menschen und die Souveränitätsansprüche der Völker im Spiegel der politischen Moderne -- Equality and Difference. Human Dignity and Popular Sovereignty in the Mirror of Political Modernity, ed. Volker Drehsen, transl. Stefan Eich and P. S. Peterson (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2013), 164 pages.

 

2012

"Erich Przywara on Sieg-Katholizismus, bolshevism, the Jews, Volk, Reich and the analogia entis in the 1920s and 1930s," in Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/ Journal for the History of Modern Theology 19 (2012), 104-140.
 

2011

 

(Transl.) Lieven Boeve, "Transzendenz, Andersheit und die Dezentrierung des Subjekts: Theologische Anmerkungen bezüglich zeitgenössischer Hermeneutik der Religion," transl. Daniel Geese and P. S. Peterson, in Die Relationalität des Subjektes im Kontext der Religionshermeneutik: Arbeitsdokumentation eines Symposiums, ed. Gerhard Oberhammer (Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2011), 77-112.

 

"Civitas terrena: On Heinrich August Winkler's Geschichte des Westens," in Theologie.Geschichte: Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kulturgeschichte 6 (2011), URL: http://universaar.uni-saarland.de/journals/index.php/tg/article/view/476/515

 

"Fortschritt und Untergang: die antimoderne Moderne in Hans Urs von Balthasars frühen Schriften," in Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte 24 (2011), 225-247.
 

2010

 

"Anti-Modernism and Anti-Semitism in Hans Urs von Balthasar's Apokalypse der deutschen Seele," in Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie 52 (2010), 302-318.

 

"Der neue Atheismus und die Geschichte des Christentums," in Theologische Rundschau 75 (2010), 364-370.

 

"Biblia theologica," in Reviews in Religion & Theology 17 (2010), 448-455.

 

"On Nature and Bioethics," in Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics (=The New Bioethics) 16 (2010), 74-86.

 

"'The Perfection of Beauty': Cotton Mather's Christological Interpretation of Shechinah Glory in the Biblia Americana and its Theological Contexts," in Cotton Mather and Biblia Americana - America's First Bible Commentary: Essays in reappraisal, ed. by Reiner Smolinski and Jan Stievermann (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010), 383-412. [Paperback: Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011].

 

"New Atheism and old Christianity more majorum," in Reviews in Religion & Theology 17 (2010), 136-143.

 

2009

 

"Creatio ex pulchritudine: A comparative analysis of David Bentley Hart's doctrine of creation versus Plotinus's account of prohodos (emanatio)," in Ars Disputandi (=International Journal of Philosophy and Theology) 9 (2009), 72-102.

 

2008

 

"The unquantifiable value of imago Trinitatis: Theological anthropology and the bioethical discourse on human dignity," in Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics (=The New Bioethics) 14 (2008), 27-38.

 

 

(Portrait: Leuphana Universität Lüneburg)