Apprentice 2 Jesus

Barth

  • The Power of the Word and the Scriptures

    I am picking up Barth again, slogging through the second volume (which is actually 1.2). The power of the Word and the Scriptures is key for Barth. The section I am currently working through is incredibly exciting. (No, really. It is.) The Church is not merely a human institution. This is not “a human polity,… Read more

  • Why the Scriptures?

    “From a human standpoint the preservation of the Church depends, therefore, on the fact that Scripture is read, assimilated, expounded and applied in the Church, that this happens tirelessly and repeatedly, that the whole way of the Church consists in its striving to hear this concrete witness.” (Karl Barth) Read more

  • The Double-Edged Sword of Updating Confessions

    Confessions of faith are vital for a church. Barth’s position is that all confessions arise out of conflict. This is true. The Nicene Confession arose out of conflict over the deity and humanity of Christ. Confessions, in Barth’s view, come into a need for revision from time to time because of conflict. Controversies arise and… Read more

  • Barth and Church Authority

    As I continue to wonder if I’m reading Barth correctly, I am struck by his trust of the Church. He is Reformed, so the authority of the Church is not as encompassing as the Catholic view. Still, he believes in the authority of the Church. Church authority is spiritual authority: in all its forms it… Read more

  • Barth — It’s the Word of God, but not THE Word of God

    This is a concept from Barth I struggled with years ago, but now have a level of comfort in understanding: The Bible contains the Word of God. Okay, I lie. I don’t “understand” it. I’m comfortable with it. Growing up conservative Pentecostal, having the Bible AS the Word of God was an important doctrinal statement.… Read more

  • The Outpouring of the Spirit and the Lordship of Christ

    I’m on a roll. More than two pages in a row seemed to make sense in Barth. In Vol. 1.2 he discusses “The Freedom of Man for God.” He takes up the issue of just what the outpouring of the Spirit means in the life of the believer. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit exalts… Read more

  • Whoa! Something from Barth I understood! (I think)

    In Vol. 1.2, Barth discusses the Church having its origin in Christ. One of his main points is this: Seeing then that the life of the children of God is a dependence upon the incarnate Word, it is an incarnate life. Not secondarily, but primarily and radically, it is the life of a community… Their… Read more

  • One Down…Thirteen to Go

    Volume I.1 of Church Dogmatics… done. I can’t wait until I actually start understanding something! Some quotes on the Holy Spirit from Barth: The Holy Spirit is the authorisation to speak about Christ; He is the equipment of the prophet and apostle; He is the summons the Church to minister the Word. He is the… Read more

  • Fresh

    Some thoughts from Barth… The Word of God is an encounter that is genuine. The Word of God always tells us something fresh.THIS is what I love about the Word of God! I understand that Barth would not limit the Word of God to the Bible, but as to the Bible, I still find it… Read more

  • No love lost for liberalism

    Theologically speaking, Barth had no love lost for liberalism. The emptiness of liberal theology is what drove him back to the Word in the first place. He spares no feeling for the failure of the Church to proclaim the Word of God. The catastrophic crash of orthodoxy in the 18th century, the consequences of which… Read more