The Romantic Era

From St. Augustine, to St. Thomas Aquinas, to Martin Luther, and finally Frederick Schleiermacher in the Romantic Era, the late Rev Gary Fox gave an succinct run down of what he thinks are the four most influential thinkers in Christianity from a Protestant point of view. The following few lines give you a taste of what he's on about:

"When you think about it, Christian theology has bounced back and forth through the ages like a pinball. Just consider our little series: Paul said it was all about faith, and philosophy had nothing to do with it. Justyn Martyr and Origen said we could reconcile mind and heart. Augustine used his brain like nobody before or since, but ultimately said it was all about faith. St. Thomas Aquinas rediscovered Greek philosophy, bringing an end to the Dark Ages and reconciling head and heart. Martin Luther had a tortured soul and a brilliant mind, but ultimately said it’s all about faith and grace, and nothing more. Then Frederick Schleiermacher insisted we could once again bring our full mental faculties to the church, and made a place for both honest science and honest religion in the Christian faith. And finally, Karl Barth, with some help from the 20th Century, insisted the gap between Creator and creation is infinite, bridgeable only by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ."

Good read.