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Dr. Karl Barth was a professor of dogmatic theology at the University of Basel
Switzerland.
Barth is thought to be one of the most important evangelical scholars and authors
of his time, having influenced in academia and mainstream culture.
He is best known for his
commentary on Epistles and featured in the cover of Time Magazine.
Having rejected liberal
theology he forged a path that sought to stress the elimination of contrary thinking of "truths"
that were widely accepted.
In his two-hundred-and-thirty-page volume, "
Evangelical Theology:
An Introduction
", Barth digs deep into his Christian experience and academic training to re-
examine the main focus of the gospel and the theology behind it.
While
"Evangelical Theology:
An Introduction"
is now here near the depth of multivolume "Church Dogmatics", Barth delivers
an thought provoking look at his perspective on theology and its relationship to both the church
and individuals.
Karl Barth starts the book with his lectures of Theology and Theological existence,
then
dives into the threats to theology and importance of theological work.
During these lectures
Barth tries to strike a balance between a professor and counselor.
Toiling between theological
"truths" and how they are neither apparent to "the man on the street" but also need to be
explained in simple terms so all can understand.
Barth even surprised with the thought that
while the "central affirmations of the Bible are not self-evident; the Word of God itself, as
witnessed to in the Bible is not immediately obvious in any of its chapters."
Barth seemingly
takes the stance that unless we seek to understand the Word of God and dive into its deep
simplicity using every means possible, we fail.
To Barth this would include philogical ,
historical criticism and analysis, textual relationships and even conjecture.
All of this to reach
man and let him know of his condition.
However, Barth would later go out of his way to claim
theology, if influenced by others, including some of the above methods would lead to an "utter
failure" in its testimony.
It appears he wishes to have it both ways.
Karl Barth intertwines many aspects in "Evangelical Theology: An Introduction" that
may make it hard for some to follow.
Barth sometimes usages extensive high-minded language
that requires the reader to follow closely to his statements and their meanings.
For instance, He
quotes from multiple biblical languages and texts, assumes the reader is aware of some of his (or
others) theological stances, and at times is extremely dogmatic or seeking to instruct others and
not clearly defining a well thought out argument.
While this book is based on a series of lectures
Barth gave and then translated for consumption, it becomes evident that Barth is speaking to a
specific group that clearly share in his approach and theological constructs.
Of great note is that Barth is attempting to draw our attention to the Word which not only
was there at the beginning but "was with God" and "was God".
By completely basing all
theology on the historic and interpretive fact of Truth (Aletheia) and Word (Logos) we gain an
understanding on what is essential; Christ and Him Crucified for our sake and the relevant truth
that will draw us into a saving relationship with Him.
Barth takes aim at those that would seek to
use theology as a means to prove their conservative or liberal point stating
"all those on the right
or on the left, whose spirits are all too cheerful or naive, may and
should repeatedly discover
anew in the study of theology that everything in theology is somewhat more 'complicated' than
they would like it to be. But those spirits who are all too melancholic and hypercritical should
discover and rediscover that
everything here is also much 'simpler' than they, with deeply
furrowed brow, thought necessary to suppose".
Barth depicts himself of holding close to the Word of God as possible whole emphasizing
the sovereignty of God and his teachings on "election".
Barth deeply believes that theology is a
sacred work that "can be done only in the indissoluble unity of prayer and study.
Prayer without
study would be empty.
Study without prayer would be blind."
He expects those that do theology or even attempt to present theology to others bath ourselves in prayer and no be a "lazy student"
in our search for discernable "truth".
Barth attempts to present his theology of the New Testament as being understood based
on the Old Testament and an evolving revelation of the Living God.
While on the surface this
sounds great, Barth's dogmatic view on "truth" at time limit seems to limit his possible thought
process.
By this I mean he emphatically teaches on an issue then attempts to bring in areas that
don't follow his initial bar.
While I'm sure at this point he is only seeking to emphasize certain
points, the switch between scholarly and anecdotal evidence, especially when talking about a
new though, can be surprising.
Surely, it may be in the translation.
Dr. Karl Barth's
"Evangelical Theology: An Introduction"
is a demanding and
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stimulating text that has caused me to rethink some of my preconceived ideas, notions and
theological positions.
While I consider myself a conservative pastor, I am encouraged to allow
"the word speak for itself" and allow it to be its best explainer leading to proper exegesis.
While
Barth's work has been translated and become extremely influential in Europe and America, I
must admit some of his nuanced thinking is troubling.
The lectures found within the text are
dynamic and thought provoking.
Clearly Barth is interested in making sure that while we are in
the midst of theology we do not forget that "whoever calls on his name will be saved" and that
this person may "live and work with a promise".
While this volume was a translated work and
based on lectures, it is a strong piece of work that accurately reflects a mature and informative
discussion that is needed on the topic theology
Gustavo Gutierrez is a Peruvian philosopher, catholic theologian and Dominican Priest
that currently is a professor at the University of Notre Dame.
While Gutierrez has studied
medicine and literature, he is best known for his theological stance on liberation theology.
Gutierrez played a key role in developing a new area of theology that arose in the 1960's and
70s.
This theological focus was Gutierrez's attempt to create a theological system that was based
on economic concerns connecting salvation and "liberation" of marginalized peoples.
One of the
questions the text raises is "How can the needs of the people be met and reconciled
within a
system that was setup to oppress for the sake of keeping power in a vacuum?".
Gutierrez
became one of the foundations and driving forces behind not only liberation theology, but
sparked the introduction of black liberation theology, feminist theology and other theological
structures.
He is best known for his book
"A theology of Liberation"
which is an influential text
and ushered in a new era in theology.
In this three-hundred-and-forty-page volume,
"A theology
of liberation",
Gustavo Gutierrez presents and explores a theology of context, specifically that of
poor disadvantaged peoples living in poverty in the third world.
While
"A Theology of
Liberation"
is now considered a pioneering effort and a prophetic call to challenge and change
Christians in the 21
st
century, it was not received well due to its call for changes in systems of
industrial countries that Gutierrez saw as sinful because of oppression and injustice.
Gustavo Gutierrez, after lecturing on the topic "A Theology of Liberation" given to
religious leaders and priests in 1964, began to develop his theological stance.
As he honed and
sharpened his thoughts over the next six years in other conference presentations, Gutierrez took a
summarization of his pastoral and political stances along with his unique biblical interpretations
and produced "A Theology of Liberation".
In the opening of the book Gutierrez succinctly
describes theology as a "critical reflection on praxis" and liberation theology as "a critical
reflection on the Christian praxis in the light of the Word of God."
Karl Barth, a contemporary
of Gutierrez, would support this idea as in his book "
Evangelical Theology: An Introduction
" he
puts forth the idea that "the true hearer of the word of God is the one who puts it into practice".
1
This thought, seemingly a nod to James 1:22 (
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.) and the impending answer to the question of "what is the duty of
the church and Christians to their fellow man?".
Gustavo Gutierrez postulates that liberation is a single salvific process, and to understand
theology we must extend theology to rely on central themes in the Bible such as Charity, the
study of human societies and cultures, teachings from the Vatican and other secondary sources
that provide distinct worldviews.
In his view, theology devoid of critically reflecting on society
and responding to its pressing needs are simply inadequate.
Again, this is also a similar view
Karl Barth takes as well as Henri Bouillard, a French theologian who advocated that "a theology
that is not up to date is a false theology.
2
"
In Gutierrez's view, a true Christian is able to identify
1
P78 Barth, Karl. Evangelical Theology: An Introduction.
Grand Rapids, MI.
Erdmans, 1963.
2
P124 Kelly, Patricia.
Ressourcement Theology A Sourcebook.
NY, NY.
T&T Clark, 2021.
the plight of others and work towards "liberating" them from their injustice.
This in turn shows
that they are truly Christian and function just as Christ would by fighting for the marginalized
and the oppressed.
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There are a couple of things however that are causes for concern with this
view.
First, Gutierrez positions of authority or economic advantage as keeping those less
fortunate or less developed down.
Thus, almost identifying those who "have" as "sinful" for
oppressing others.
Secondly, the liberation he proposes is from "all that limits or keeps human
beings from self-fulfillment".
This is a slippery slope as it is a self-centered approach.
While
some "new age" authors like Joshua Banks would agree with this sentiment
3
, more conservative
theologians like Dean Inserra, would suggest that any gospel that is self-centered is
error
.
4
Thirdly, Gutierrez appears to advocate violence be met with violence if needed in order to
liberate oppressed people.
This would seemingly go against most biblical teachings including
that of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King who advocated civil disobedience.
As you get deeper into reading
"A Theology of Liberation"
, Gutierrez clearly is
identifying a need for pastoral reflection and community action as a function of liberation and
salvation throughout society.
Because God dwells in humankind, "history is the living temple of
God" and central to God.
Thus, the treatment of our neighbor and our relationship with God
shows our true spirituality.
Which Gutierrez defines as "participation in the struggle for
liberation of those oppressed by others".
Overarching themes of Marxism abound as well, which
calls for an examination of social, political and economic standings caused by capitalist societies.
Which even call for a revolution to overturn capitalist efforts to alleviate social conflict and
injustices among societies.
The use of the Old Testament and Catholic theology runs deep within the text.
Gutierrez
makes several connections to the Old Testament theme of restoring goods or persons as well as
the freeing of Hebrews.
Then, goes on to talk about the authority of Rome ( introduction p28-29,
75-82) but seemingly calling the church part of the evil and suppressive system (p10, p78).
On
the surface these statements are contradictory, but when placed within the framework of
Gutierrez's understanding of the call for elimination of systems and incorporating Marxist
philosophies of a classless society, one begins to understand his cadence and the nuance in which
he speaks.
Gutierrez is saying not only has modern capitalist society caused harmful damage to
the world, but Christians and the church itself, which are to be agents of God, have failed to live
up to their responsibilities to correct society.
Gutierrez's
"A Theology of Liberation"
is a classic volume that has allowed others like
James Cohn to stand on his shoulders on produce similar works where theology is done through
context, or a different structure than normal.
Gutierrez is successful in calling attention to the
problem of the marginalized and oppressed as he seeks to propel a larger discussion of
challenging the church to actively participate in changing economic and political systems in
3 P21. Banks, Joshua.
Jesus Others you:
The Self Centered Gospel.
CS Independent Publishing, Detroit Michigan,
2016
4 P63, p151. Inserra, Dean.
Getting Over yourself.
place that are utilized to oppress people.
Gutierrez does an admirable job of connecting theology
to the daily lives of Christians, who at times may compartmentalize their Christianity.
By
challenging us to view theology through a historical or contextual lens, Gutierrez seeks to
influence us to think differently about the movement that so many profess.
While liberation
theology and Gutierrez's stance are new discussions for me, I cannot help but to believe that the
points made are worth reviewing.
While some would suggest that Gutierrez has stepped outside
of the bounds of theology, I would disagree and suggest that just as he states, there must be
practicality in the application of our theology.
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