Häring, born in Pforzheim in 1937, was a student and collaborator of the Swiss theologian Hans Küng (1928–2021) at the University of Tübingen in the 1970s and received his habilitation in dogmatic and ecumenical theology.
In 1980 he received a professorship in Systematic Theology at the University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. His chair was transformed into a professorship for theory of science and theology in 1999 in the course of a new study concept.
After his retirement in 2005, he became a scientific advisor at the "Project Weltethos" by Hans Küng. Most recently, he lived in Tübingen.
Häring’s focus was on the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue as well as questions of church reform. In 2009, he was awarded the Herbert Haag Prize for Freedom in the Church.
In addition to the "Project Weltethos" and "Wir sind Kirche" (We are Church), Häring was also associated with the "Church from Below" initiative.