I grew up in a church where Barth, Brunner, and Bultmann were demonized. Having read a bit of Barth and learned a bit about Brunner, I am sad at how much I and my fellow church members missed. First, these three (or at least two; Bultmann is next week) brought theology back from the classical liberal stronghold. They took God and Scripture seriously (even if not how evangelicals prefer). We should have learned this about them. Second, their views on Scripture may provide a necessary correction to the all too common bibliolatry found in evangelicalism. Too often, evangelicals act as if the Bible were God. It is not. The Bible is, I believe, a thoroughly human AND a thoroughly divine book. By focusing solely on the divine, we miss the human. Both are important. Just as in the incarnation, humanity and divinity make Scripture what it is. To think otherwise is to disregard, disrespect, and distort Scripture.
So, let us learn from Barth, Brunner, and Bultmann. Let us hear their truth. Let us discern their error. In turn, let us hear our truth and, most importantly, let us discern our error. None of us has grasped the entirety of truth; we all have bits and pieces. Therefore, we need each other. Let us choose to listen respectfully and to decide wisely.
Tag(s): theology karl barth
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