Mitigated Freedom? Thomas Propper's Reappraisal as Theological Tribute to Autonomy

Thomas Propper's (1941-2015) systematic theology, that was deemed particularly innovative especially in the German-speaking Catholic realm but thus far has garnered hardly any international attention, poses the question of whether a reflection of the is and ought of freedom yields any returns for the question of God and moreover for ethics.(1) A theological way of thinking should be established that helps with understanding faith whilst also offering philosophical justification.(2) For eminently theological reasons, Propper pursues a theology of freedom because God's self-revelation as love can be adequately inferred through concepts of freedom.(3) Propper's theological approach of a question of the contemporary philosophy of subject and freedom also involves the inclusion of authority-critical thought.(4) According to Propper's own information, Hermann Krings's freedom thinking in particular alongside his transcendental philosophy,(5) tracing back to Immanuel Kant and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, is applicable to Propper's own approach.(6) Consequently, for Propper a theological argument can be given only from man (ex parte hominis). For such an argument to be convincing, it must fulfil satisfy two criteria: it must be able to exist in the application of one's own reason ("im Gebrauch der eigenen Vernunft") and in the execution of freedom ("im Vollzug der Freiheit").(7)