Rudolf Bultmann

Rudolf Karl Bultmann (1884—1976) was a liberal theologian whose ideas appear to have led to the 1960s Christian atheism movement. According to the historian Hans Schwarz, Bultmann "did not pick and choose" his Christianity . Nevertheless, his works, often espousing the bizarre notion of demythologization, were interpreted as blazing green lights for Cafeteria Christianity. For academics, his work is what they recommend to students in need of intellectual theological sustenance, i.e. one of the Academy's approved greasy spoons.

Was Bultmann liberal?

The answer appears to be no. His demythologization was a call to take out the myth-making of his professor Wilhelm Herrmann from Christian theology. His intentions may have been grossly misinterpreted. His demythologization was intended to be a return to orthodoxy, though he isn't usually seen as a Neo-orthodoxy figure.