Johann Baptist Metz (born 1928) is a Catholic theologian. He is Ordinary Professor of Fundamental Theology, Emeritus, at Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster, Germany. A student of Karl Rahner, he broke with Rahner's transcendental theology in a turn to a theology rooted in praxis. Metz is at the center of a school of political theology that strongly influenced Liberation Theology. Metz is one of the most influential post-Vatican II German theologians. His thought turns around fundamental attention to the suffering of others. The key categories of his theology are memory, solidarity, and narrative. His works in English include: The Emergent Church, Faith in History and Society, Poverty of Spirit, and Hope against Hope. Collected articles can be found in A Passion for God: The Mystical-Political Dimension of Christianity, translated by Matthew Ashley and in John K. Downey, ed., Love's Strategy: The Political Theology of Johann Baptist Metz. Herder & Herder’s edition of Faith in History and Society is a new translation of Metz’s classic work complemented by an extensive study guide for students and teachers.