Yet, the philosopher established himself within the religious hierarchy through his book, On Religion, which actually defended religion against materialism and skepticism. At the times, his approach was novel: he asserted that religion is primarily not a matter of doctrine but rther of feeling, intuition and experience. The religious instinct is an element in man’s nature independent of thought, and by it all men are united to the ‘spirit of the universe’.

From this early position, Schleiermacher progressed towards orthodox Christianity, at least in appearance. Building on his prior presuppositions:

Devotion to Christ, he taught, is the essence of true religion, and in order to come to feel devotion all that is needed is faith.

This enabled the philosopher to use Biblical language about Christ without a corresponding understanding and belief, “not what we think but what we experience is the important thing.”

“My Christian feeling is conscious of a divine spirit indwelling me, which is distinct from my reason,” he explained.

Christian experience consists of life, not doctrine. It derives from Christ, to be sure, but it is Christ within, not Christ revealed in Scripture and by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is simply ‘the original interpretation of the Christian feeling’, and by means of our own feeling we are free to add further interpretation.

How did his popularity rise? The undiscerning Christians were confused by his language and supposed he brought them the truth, having answered the intellectual attack on Christianity.

Murray provides much more information about Scheiermacher and his influence on Protestant denominations by providing a means whereby the essence of Christianity could remain unaffected, no matter how much of the Bible was rejected. “The real thing in the religious discourse is imparting of the religious consciousness,” he wrote.

Update: An interesting article by Holly Reed:

Schleiermacher introduced his refreshingly new vision of religion as a feeling: “Religion is to seek this and find it in all that lives and moves, in all growth and change, in all doing and suffering. It is to have life and to know life in immediate feeling, only as such an existence in the Infinite and Eternal.” (On Religion, 36) He goes on to say: “…true religion is sense and taste for the Infinite.” (On Religion, 39) Schleiermacher is arguing against religion as mere “knowing,” which would characterize the rational approach of doctrinal orthodoxy, and would fall within the realm of speculative theology. Nor is religion simply “doing,” which is a critique of religion-as-morality, natural religion and behaviors associated with Pietism. Instead, Schleiermacher places religion in the realm of feelings, making it an interior, personal experience with an element of the unknowable and the mysterious.