" Barth worked in a religious culture in which - possibly for the last time in Protestant history - sophisticated theological ideas were accorded great prestige, even when they were repudiated. The institution and forms of the Christian life which nurtured such a massive project as the Church Dogmatics scarcely exist, or exist only in somewhat embattled forms"
Looking around me, I can't help but feel the same way. The modern church is characterised by an almost anti-intellectualism, where proper thought and reflection is marginalised in preference for "life application".
We no longer seek to sharpen our understanding of the faith, making sure that proper action is guided by proper thought. Instead, so many approach the Christian faith as if it were some manual for life, giving point by point direction on how to do this or that. Whilst I cannot deny the need for practical theology, I cannot help feeling that we have, in doing so, "tamed" the Word of God, thinking that it can be bent to our own purposes, limited by our needs.
(For those wondering, the Church Dogmatics is a massive multivolume work by the theologian Karl Barth, who is regarded as one of the finest theologians of the 20th Century, in the company of Calvin and Augustine. This work has shaped alot of modern theological reflection, particularly Christology)
3 comments:
I think the other word for "life application" is "experiential".
Whether that is a product of post-modernism or consumerism (
"try one and see!"), that is up for debate.
Otherwise, I've always maintained that "great faith is not the absence of great doubt". So...keep on studying.
Honestly I have no problem with experiential theology...historically theology has always drawn from the "quadrilateral" of scripture, reason, experience and tradition (in differing portions of course), and rightly so.
What is lamentable, however, is a failure to reflect on the broader issues of faith and ministry. For example, people are interested "how to lead worship", but rarely stop to think "what is worship?".
I believe Barth himself commented: "Doctrine has been superceded by life"....meaning that the church's focus has shifted from a desire to sharpen and clarify it's statements, to the question of how to live. Whilst the latter is absolutely necessary, the problem is that praxis (proper practice/living) is being sought without orthodoxy (proper thinking), leading to our modern pop-Christian fads on "How you can use the bible to have a healthy diet!"
True.
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