Quinquagesima Sunday, 2014.Where Is Love?

Quinquagesima Sunday, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn #27    O Bless the Lord                    4:21

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 305:1-5               Soul Adorn Thyself             4:23

Where Is Love?

The Hymn # 305:6-9                             Soul, Adorn Thyself             4:23

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657               Beautiful Savior                    4:24   

The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Gospel. St. Luke 18. 31.

THEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood. and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Quinquagesima Sunday

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Where Is Love?

One of the signs of madness is to search for something in the wrong place and to continue to obsess about it.

Everyone is in favor of love. No one is against it. 

Rather than work through each verse of the love chapter in 1 Corinthians, I am going to point out where love comes from. As most people realize, Paul was pointing out to the Corinthians that they boasted of all their spiritual gifts, but were lacking in love. He did that with a great rhetorical flourish. He identified all the marks of love, leaving it unsaid that they were missing that in Corinth, no matter what they boasted.

According to the finest minds at Fuller Seminary, a lovey church will grow because everyone wants love. Everyone is drawn to love.

The LCA did a study of growing churches and found that the growing ones were known as "nurturing congregations." I knew one staffer who was at a designated nurturing church. After the study, he said, "We lost it."

The Synodical Conference congregations were once known for being relatively strong, but they decided they needed to be more loving. In fact, Fuller taught all their leaders that being loving was the key. 

This is all very basic and a sign of our present madness and blindness that no one knows where love is, to quote Oliver from the musical.

Love Is the Fruit of the Gospel

Although it is a favorite word, genuine love is not as popular as the term itself. TV has made love, love, love popular, but I have also heard love, love, love, love, love. In relationships, there is a greater quest for love but not the achievement of love.

Love grows from faith in Christ and the forgiveness of sins. Galatians 5 identifies love as the fruit of the Spirit - one of nine listed. But love is listed first.

Another way of saying this is - When love is lacking, there must be a lack of faith in the Gospel.

Fruit means the result of the Spirit. We have messed up the agricultural meaning, as I pointed out to a religion class. Fruit is far more than apples and oranges. Most plants (even grass) flower and fruit. That is - they form a flower to produce a seed. The formation of the seed is called fruiting, whether it is grass, wheat, corn, or strawberries. The food value feeds us and also helps spread the plant.

Luther often challenged his audience to consider their repentance and faith if they felt cold and lacking in love. He did not have programs and exercises for them to perform.

First We Love the Word of God

Obeying the First Table of the Ten Commandments comes from abiding in Christ through worship and desiring sound doctrine. It is not shocking to find that so many are confused today. They wander around looking for something to please them rather than seeking what is faithful to God's Word.

There is no excuse, because most have easy access to the Scriptures. Every single person is responsible to know the Word of God and trust that God speaks directly to us through His revealed Word. That is the voice of the Holy Spirit - never-changing.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice." Those who trust in the Savior follow Him, and Him alone. I know this is an age where someone is supposed to impress the crowds with being a guru, a shaman (medicine man), charismatic enough to make the cover of Time, Newsweek, or the Milwaukee Journal.

Sheep are smarter than a lot of people, sorry to say. Sheep follow the voice of their shepherd and run from others. If there is no choice available, everyone has a Bible as the guide, the ruling norm. No book judges the Bible, because the Bible judges all the books of man.

Holy Spirit - Always at Work in the Word

Since love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love is only going to come from the Word of God. 

I enjoy teaching non-Lutherans about the Spirit, because they are eager to hear about it, while the "conservative" Lutheran pastors are in constant rebellion against this basic teaching of the Bible.

Two parts of this are essential to know and to guard. Jesus said - Guard the Word. 

A. The Spirit always works in the Word.

B. The Spirit never works apart from the Word.

Lutherans have neglected A. Pentecostals are weak on B - but I hear they are abandoning their use of tongue-speaking as a required sacrament.

Both parts are essential, because the Christian Church is built upon one foundation alone - Christ, who comes to us through the Word. He does not rely on relationships, friendship programs, social programs, entertainment, youth programs, or snacks. If some pastor says, "We built up our church through baseball tournaments," (that's a quote) - then run away...screaming.

An abundance of the Word is an abundance of the Spirit - the Gospel. Taking away from the Word, by hiding the Sacraments, by turning the sermon into a coaching session - that is robbing people of the Spirit, the Gospel, faith, and love.

Spirit, Jesus, Gospel, Faith
The Bible is a sermon about Christ, as Luther often stated. The Spirit brings the Savior to us, showing us God's mercy and love in the forgiveness proclaimed by the cross. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, no one needs to doubt this forgiveness.

Our problem with doubt is reflected in doubting God's complete forgiveness. Faith in Jesus means trusting this is completely true, not partially true. This Gospel does not mean forgiveness for minor sins only, for sins we can conquer (which is impossible) but for all sins forever. Nevertheless, we remain sinners until we die and need the daily forgiveness that comes from the Spirit at work in the Gospel.

Love does not grow where people harbor resentment and strive to get even. Every time something minor bothers us, we should ask, "Do I want the same things that I do be overlooked?" If the answer is yes, then it should be overlooked. If we fool ourselves into thinking we have no sin, then we need repentance.

Luther said the surest sign of repentance is not harboring resentment. It is far better to excuse and to cover for the slights of the moment, which are often unintended.

Why Are Things So Bad Everywhere in the Church?
Someone wondered where the Lutherans pastors will come from in the future. I know hundreds through various contacts and Facebook. Many are ex-pastors or wish they could be. Their own clergy have treated them like dirt.

Everyone wants to elect new leaders, who are just like the old leaders. The problem is lack of faith, not the right political candidate.

There is a great love for power and luxury, but not for the Word. Nothing is done according to the Scriptures, but according to business, money, and the fads of the day. A choir tour (MLC) notes that they will have an organ at only two churches on the tour. That is just one fad - entertainment instead of worship, tickling the ears instead of the Means of Grace.

If someone wants to address this problem, the unbelieving and corrupt clergy arise as one and begin to cast their stones, picking and choosing the best and most painful ones.

Best Book on Faith
The best book on faith is the Gospel of John. He also writes often about love - God's love, the love of the Savior for His sheep, love of the Word.

Since John's Gospel emphasizes faith in Christ so often and presents Christ in such an appealing way, there is no better book to strengthen faith and to produce the fruit of the Spirit, love. Because the Gospel is the energy of God, it will bear fruit.

Classic Ichabod - Karl Barth's UOJ - Smells like LCMS-WELS UOJ

Charlotte Kirschbaum was the Commie babe who bedded Barth in his own home, moving in shamelessly. Many Barthians claim she was a major contributor to the gaseous Church Dogmatics that Barth claimed as his own. Note the Church Growth parallels with adultery, apostasy, and plagiarism.

Karth Barth was so cute in his Swiss Army uniform - I had to post this photo for laughs. It looks like a scene from Laugh In.

My friend from Yale explored Barth's love for Marxism and his known affinities with the red cause. Barth-Kirschbaum is the official theologian for Fuller Seminary, where most of the leaders of WELS, Missouri, the ELS, and ELCA have attended.

Here ve haff da luffly Barth family, Karl mit Charlotte, und Kinder, und Frau Barth way over on da outside right. Das machen me schniffle ein bischen. Zo touching und varm. Der kleine Hans hat two mommies - eine Hausfrau und eine va-va-voom Commie. [Translated into German to keep the caption G-rated.]

Carl Braaten, the son of missionaries, latched onto Leftist theologians, incorporating Barth-Kirschbaum and Tillich (another adulterer) into Lutheran theology. Barth's $1,000 set now sells for $99. Tillich is a has-been, known chiefly for his promiscuity and sadistic fetishes.

Note the catchy subtitle, which came from an orthodox Lutheran.
The UOJ dimwits use that phrase in all their essays attacking justification by faith.

Carl  Braaten, Justification, 1990:

We cannot hold a universalism of the unitarian kind. People are not too good to be damned. There is no necessity for God to save everybody nor to reject anyone. God is not bound by anything outside of himself. He is not bound to give the devil his due. If we take into account God's love, he would have all to be saved. If we reckon with his freedom, he has the power to save whomsoever he pleases. This does not lead to a dogmatic universalism. But it does mean that we leave open the possibility that within the power of God's freedom and love, all people may indeed be saved in the end. This follows as a possibility from the fact that God is free from all external factors in making up his mind. (p. 139)

...

Then Why Evangelize? (heading, Braaten, p. 140)

...

Barth's doctrine is radically objective. [Bratten now quotes Barth-Kirschbaum verbatim.]

There is not one for whose sin and death he did not die, whose sin and death he did not remove and obliterate on the cross...There is not one who is not adequately and perfectly and finally justified in Him. There is not one whose sin is not forgiven sin in Him, whose death is not a death which has been put to death in Him...There is not one for whom he has not done everything in His death and received everything in His resurrection from the dead. (Barth, Church Dogmatics, IV, 1, 638)

In the face of literally hundreds o fsuch beautiful passages, evangelicals understandably ask, Then what is the point of evangelism? If the heathen are already saved in Christ, and nothing more needs to be added, then where is the urgency in world evangelization? (Braaten, p. 140)


Universalism-Denying
The parallels with WELS, Jon Buchholz, Jay Webber, and Don Patterson are obvious. They deny they are Universalists while confessing the basics of Universalism. Texas WELS even featured an essay where someone read from the Universalist creed and said, "See - we are not Univesalists." The truth hurts.

The language is borrowed the Halle's Knapp, because Halle was pivotal in the transition from a Biblical Pietistic school to a Rationalistic university.

Earlier, Samuel Huber taught the same way, but the Wittenberg theologians crushed him like a bug. The same kind of Enthusiasm came back via Pietism, since that movement was allergic to orthodox confessions but overly fond of unionism. Spener was the first union theologian, but not the last.

UOJ makes anything possible (except rejection of UOJ). Take money from unrepentant adulterers? No problem? Plagiarize the false doctrine of Fuller Seminary? That is spoiling the Egyptians. Engage in child porn file swapping? You are forgiven because you are sorry you got caught again.

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From Wikipedia and George Hunsinger:

Relationship with Charlotte von Kirschbaum

When Barth first met Charlotte von Kirschbaum in 1924 he had already been married for 12 years to his wife, Nelly, with whom he had also had five children.^[14] In 1929, von Kirschbaum, with Barth's consent, moved into the Barth family household. This arrangement–described by one scholar as "convoluted, extremely painful for all concerned, yet not without integrity and joys"–lasted for 35 years.^[15]

A kind of household of three relationship developed between Barth, von Kirschbaum and Barth's wife, Nelly. The long-standing situation was not without its difficulties. "Lollo",^[16] as Barth called the 13-year-younger von Kirschbaum, once wrote to Barth's sister Gertrud Lindt in 1935, where she expressed her concern about the precarious situation:

"The alienation between Karl and Nelly has reached a degree which could hardly increase. This has certainly become accentuated by my existence."^[17]

The relationship caused great offence among many of Barth's friends, as well as his own mother.^[18] Barth's children suffered from the stress of the relationship.^[18] Barth and von Kirschbaum took semester break vacations together.^[18] While Nelly supplied the household and the children, von Kirschbaum and Barth shared an academic relationship. Barth has fallen victim to criticism for his relationship with Charlotte von Kirschbaum. One critic has written: "Part of any realistic response to the subject of Barth and von Kirschbaum must be anger."^[19] Hunsinger summarizes the influence of von Kirschbaum on Barth's work: "As his unique student, critic, researcher, adviser, collaborator, companion, assistant, spokesperson, and confidant, Charlotte von Kirschbaum was indispensable to him. He could not have been what he was, or have done what he did, without her."

1. ^ George Hunsinger's review of S. Seliger, Charlotte von Kirschbaum and Karl Barth: A Study in Biography and the History of Theology.
2. ^ Hunsinger
3. ^ Eberhard Busch, Karl Barths Lebenslauf, München: Kaiser, 177ff.
4. ^ Karl Barth: Gesamtausgabe, Teil V. Briefe. Karl Barth – Eduard Thurneysen: Briefwechsel Bd. 3, 1930–1935: einschließlich des Briefwechsels zwischen Charlotte von Kirschbaum und Eduard Thurneysen, eds. Caren Algner; Zürich: TVZ, Theologischer Verlag, 2000, p. 839.
5. ^ ^a b c Busch, Karl Barths Lebenslauf, 199 = Karl Barth: His Life from Letters and Autobiographical Texts (Fortress Press, 1976), 185-6.
6. ^ S. Seliger, Charlotte von Kirschbaum and Karl Barth; quoted in K. Sonderegger's review.

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http://www3.ptsem.edu/Content.aspx?id=1933&menu_id=72

	Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Systematic Theology Department of Theology 102 Hodge Hall Phone: 609.252.2114 Fax: 609.497.7728 Email: george.hunsinger@ptsem.edu (Presbyterian)
Profile
George Hunsinger is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Systematic Theology. He earned his B.D. from Harvard University Divinity School and his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Yale University. He served as director of the Seminary’s Center for Barth Studies from 1997 to 2001. He has broad interests in the history and theology of the Reformed tradition and in “generous orthodoxy” as a way beyond the modern liberal/conservative impasse in theology and church. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he was a major contributor to the new Presbyterian catechism. He teaches courses on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the Reformed tradition, the theology of the Lord’s Supper, the theology of John Calvin, and classical and recent Reformed theology. He is the founder of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. --- http://www.theopedia.com/George_Hunsinger George Hunsinger is an ordained Presbyterian minister and theologian. He is currently the Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Hunsinger was the director of the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton from 1997 - 2001. Hunsinger received a BD from Harvard University Divinity School and an MA, MPhil, and PhD from Yale University. His work has focused primarily on the theology of Karl Barth. Hunsinger was the recipient of the 2010 Karl Barth Prize and joins previous prize recipients Eberhard Jüngel, Hans Küng, John W. de Gruchy, Johannes Rau, Bruce McCormack, and others. Hunsinger has also been associated with the postliberal movement and is an authoritative interpreter of Hans Frei. He has a long history of anti-war and human rights activism and is also an open critic of the war in Iraq. Since 2003 he has been active in the Ecumenical movement through the Faith and Order commission and recently completed a book on The Eucharist and Ecumenism: Let Us Keep the Feast, published by Cambridge University Press in 2008. --- http://libweb.ptsem.edu/collections/barth/reviews/CharlotteKirschbaum.aspx?menu=296&subText=468&disclaimer=668 Charlotte von Kirschbaum and Karl Barth: A Study in Biography and the History of Theology Suzanne Selinger, Charlotte von Kirschbaum and Karl Barth: A Study in Biography and the History of Theology (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998), viii + 206pp. $29.00 Reviewed by: George Hunsinger When Charlotte von Kirschbaum first heard Karl Barth lecture in 1924, she was 24 years old, financially almost destitute, and in poor health. Deeply religious and a voracious reader with a keen interest in theology, she had already devoured Barth's 1919 Römerbrief, at the recommendation of her pastor, shortly after it had appeared, and then avidly kept up with Barth's work through the journal Zwischen den Zeiten. At a time when only a tiny fraction of the general population, virtually all male, went on for a university education, she had been trained for a career as a Krankenschwester or Protestant nurse. It was George Merz, her pastor, who first recognized her intellectual gifts. After guiding her through confirmation in the Lutheran church, Merz included her in the intellectual circle he had gathered around him in Munich, which included Thomas Mann. It was also Merz, by then editor of Zwischen den Zeiten and godfather to one of Barth's children, who had taken her with him to that lecture, and who introduced her to Barth afterwards. Barth invited them both for a visit to his summer retreat, the Bergli, in the mountains overlooking Lake Zurich. Merz and von Kirschbaum went to the Bergli that summer and returned the next. Von Kirschbaum made a very good impression. She was drawn into the circle of theological friends who spent their summers at the chalet. Pastor Eduard Thurneysen, Barth's closest friend, and Gerty Pestalozzi, owner with her husband of the Bergli, took an interest in furthering her education. (Becoming a Krankenschwester had required no special academic training or higher degrees.) Ruedi Pestalozzi, Gerty's husband and a wealthy businessman, paid for her to receive secretarial training, after which she became a welfare officer at Siemans, a large electronics firm in Nuremburg. In October 1925 Barth switched university teaching appointments from Göttingen to Münster. His wife and family remained behind until a suitable residence could be found. In February 1926 von Kirschbaum visited Barth for a month in Münster, shortly before his family was to join him, but while he was still living alone. Barth's situation at this time is worth noting. He was 39 years old, had been married to Nelly (then aged 32) for nearly 13 years, and had five young children. The marriage, not a particularly happy one, had by his own account left him feeling resigned to loneliness. After his parents had prevented him in 1910 from marrying Rösy Münger, whom he deeply loved and never forgot -- and who died in 1925 -- he had submitted in 1911 to an engagement and then in 1913 to a marriage, with Nelly, that had in essence been arranged by his mother. (Barth always carried a photograph of Rösy with him for the rest of his life, sometimes wept when looking at it, and would continue over the years to visit her grave.) Although we do not know exactly what happened between Barth and Charlotte von Kirschbaum in that fateful encounter of 1926, we do know that from that point on they were in love with each other, that Barth immediately gave her manuscript after manuscript for advice and correction, and that she committed herself henceforth to doing everything she possibly could to advance his theological work. After spending a sabbatical at the Bergli in the summer term of 1929, with von Kirschbaum at his side as his aide, Barth announced in October that she would be moving into the family household to be a member of it. This arrangement -- convoluted, extremely painful for all concerned, yet not without integrity and joys -- lasted for nearly 35 years until 1964 when von Kirschbaum had to be admitted to a nursing home with Alzheimer's disease. These were exactly the years of Barth's most productive intellectual life. As his unique student, critic, researcher, advisor, collaborator, companion, assistant, spokesperson, and confidant, Charlotte von Kirschbaum was indispensable to him. He could not have been what he was, or have done what he did, without her. The reverse would also seem to have been true. Von Kirschbaum was a strong, noble and unconventional woman who made her own choices and willingly bore their great costs. The costs of the arrangement with Barth were many, not least a total rejection by most of her own family, and a thousand constant humiliations from church, society, and the larger Barth clan (not excluding Barth's mother, who eventually tempered her harsh disapproval). Many real exits opened up along the way (such as a proposal of marriage from the philosopher Heinrich Scholz), but she never took any of them. What she once wrote in particular to a friend would seem to hold true of her whole life: "It is very clear to me that Karl had to act in this way, and that comforts me whatever the consequences." From her first encounter with his theology in her youth to the very end of her life, she felt gripped by a sense of the greatness of Barth's contribution, an excitement that she once described simply with the words, "This is it!" During one of Barth's last visits to her in the nursing home, she said, "We had some good times together, didn't we?" We may well wonder also where Nelly Barth was in the midst of all this. There is undoubtedly much we will never know. But we do know that in her own way she never ceased to believe in her husband and his work. We know that the two of them experienced a reconciliation after Charlotte departed the household, that she and Karl both visited her at the nursing home on Sundays, that she continued those visits after Karl died in 1968, and that when Charlotte herself died in 1975, Nelly honored Karl's wishes by having Charlotte buried in the Barth family grave. Nelly herself died in 1976. Visitors to the Basel Hörnli cemetery today can see the names of all three together engraved one by one on the same stone. The book by Suzanne Selinger is not the first to cover this territory, nor will it be the last. As a study in the history of theology, it succeeds reasonably well. The sections on how Barth and von Kirschbaum respectively viewed male/female relationships as bearing the image of God are interesting and worth reading. As a biographical study, however, the book seems less successful. The author seethes with so much resentment toward Karl Barth that as I closed the book I had an image of him as St. Sebastian. At the level of adjectives, he takes a lot of hits. Unfortunately, Charlotte von Kirschbaum fares little better. The author unwittingly undermines her purposes of sympathy and compassion -- unless one can persuade oneself that it is not demeaning to scorn the life that Charlotte von Kirschbaum actually chose for herself and openly affirmed, as opposed to one that could not have been and never was. --- http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/0-271-01824-0.html --- http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1465536?uid=3739536&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=47698978832417 --- Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel 1 year ago   Ichabod, Thank you for posting this about the late liberal esteemed Karl Barth. I say, "Liberal, esteemed," because, up until this Ichabod posting, I never knew anything much about Barth, except that he was highly regarded by some, to be, a first rate (questionable and liberal) theologian. I offer a few comments of this Ichabod posting regarding Suzanne Selinger's book, as it is reviewed by George Hunsinger. By reading his review, I think that it leaves the reader with more questions, than answers - most, likely, better, that way....: Hunsinger says the following: (1) "........This arrangement -- convoluted, extremely painful for all concerned, yet not without integrity and joys -- lasted for nearly 35 years until 1964 when von Kirschbaum had to be admitted to a nursing home with Alzheimer's disease. These were exactly the years of Barth's most productive intellectual life....... My comment: Oh! really? - I wonder why that was so? I thought Barth's attraction to this highly intelligent woman was her love of theology, - and that they "shared" this mutual "interest?" Hunsinger says the following: ........From her first encounter with his theology in her youth to the very end of her life, she felt gripped by a sense of the greatness of Barth's contribution, an excitement that she once described simply with the words, "This is it!" During one of Barth's last visits to her in the nursing home, she said, "We had some good times together, didn't we?"....... My comment: "Gripped?" "Was Charlotte von Kirschbaum's "gripping experience" that mutual love for theological stimulation?" Hunsinger says the following: ......Nelly honored Karl's wishes by having Charlotte buried in the Barth family grave. Nelly herself died in 1976. Visitors to the Basel Hörnli cemetery today can see the names of all three together engraved one by one on the same stone...... My comment: "Were they all buried horizontally? And, if so, in what order? Right to left or left to right? Or, were they all buried vertically? And, if so, - in what order? As I intimated earlier, this review leaves much to be desired - many questions still linger..... Ichabod - Thank you for the great read! It has inspired me, enough now, that I feel that I can throw away all my drug store tabloids and save the 3 dollars plus per issue! I'd rather read about some past theological history, instead of all those drug store scandal sheets. Finally – I feel that I can now appreciate, Barth! I never knew how much effort, Barth put into all his liberal theology! How much he is to be admired! I wonder if he is (now) being commensurately rewarded for all of his endeavors. I suppose that last statement, could have ended with another question mark.....Or, maybe not...... Nathan M. Bickel - emeritus pastor www.thechristianmessage.org www.moralmatters.org