Blackwell Reference Online

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Dorothee Sölle was a popular theological writer in the best sense. Her books were, for the most part, brief, readable, and not over-laden with scholarly apparatus. At the time of her death, she was one of Germany's most widely read writers on religious faith. At that time a spokesperson for the Protestant Church in Germany stated, “Up until the end of her life, Sölle championed the credibility of theology.” “Her theological statements always had the character of courageous, perhaps perilous thought.” She began her studies in classical philosophy and philology and moved into theology while still an undergraduate. In her nearly 40-year career she wrote or co-wrote more than two dozen books. Most of her books were first written in German and then translated. While she never held a major academic post in the German university system, her work was well known and well regarded on both sides of the Atlantic. She can be described as a mystic as well as an academically trained theologian. While she identified herself as a feminist rather late in her career, she displayed a sensitivity to class and cultural issues which incorporated many feminist concerns from very early in her writing. She has aptly been described as a political theologian as well. Dorothee Nipperdey was born in Cologne on September 30, 1929 to the family of a labor lawyer. She was the fourth of a family of five children. ... log in or subscribe to read full text