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| Charlotte Kirschbaum is the Commie babe who lived with Karl Barth in a cabin in the summers and moved in with Barth's family later. She probably wrote most of the Dogmatics and the research for his lectures. When she died, "his" writing stopped. |
Lutherans should concentrate on the Lutheran Reformation rather than the Stephanite (LCMS) Sex Cult, but the faithful should also study the modern theologians - with discernment.
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| This is a basic academic treatment of Barth, allowing that his relationship with his hawt assistant caused considerable scandal and embarrassment. |
Barth is the official theologian of Fuller Seminary, which is the dominant school for liberal and conservative Protestants - and some Catholics. Many conservative Evangelicals think Karl - or rather Charlotte - is the bomb. He was not only a flagrant adulterer and plagiarist, but also a dedicated Communist, sending his mistress to a key Party meeting.
The only thing the Synodical Conference has learned from Barth-Kirschbaum is how to get away with plagiarism. Like nursery school, only the bad habits catch on, and the disease organisms flourish.
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| This Fortress book by a friend of Tillich is quite good - honest about his academic weaknesses and paganism. Tillich's wife wrote the tell-all about his affairs with the wives of his students and his fascination with sado-masochism. |
Tillich soared in the estimation of Protestants and Catholics from the 1960s one, but I wonder if he has much influence today. He is a good example of leaving the faith behind completely while making a living from it. He also plagiarized the work of others, as exemplified by the best-selling The Courage To Be, based on the research of his graduate student.
Barth wrote so ambiguously that he was able to fool the undiscerning. One of my classmates teaches at a famous conservative Evangelical school. He became extremely upset with me when I categorized Barth as a liberal. With Tillich there is no doubt.
In both cases - Barth and Tillich - theology is divorced from the Word of God, except when the Scriptures are handy as a podium. As I repeated to a liberal at Concordia Ft. Wayne, Barth's theology is summarized by "holding the newspaper in one hand, a Kalashnikov in the other, while standing on the Bible." That quip was not original to me, but it enraged the liberal professor, as intended. Jay Webber was peeved, but I was the only one in the room to answer the question about Barth - and I was just visiting.
Bultmann out-lived many original scholars and became the leading New Testament scholar after World War II. The 1950s were quite prosperous for the mainline denominations, and they appreciated a famous man who backed up their mythical treatment of the Bible.
Meet the Founder of Modern Theology - Halle's Schleiermacher
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| Friedrich Schleiermacher studied at Halle University as an unbeliever and also taught there in the same capacity. Halle was a center of Pietism and soon became a center of anti-Biblical Rationalism. |
“According to Schleiermacher, the decree of redemption already means that human beings are agreeable to God in his Son; an individual act of justification in time is not first needed in each individual person. It is only necessary that each individual person become aware that in God’s decree of redemption in Christ he is already justified and made agreeable to God.”
Hoenecke, Dogmatics, III, p. 339. Hat-tip to Joseph Schmidt.
"Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"
J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
Decree of redemption - does that sound like the LCMS Brief Statement of 1932?
In Christ - does that sound like Jay Webber's eternal mantra?
Schleiermacher is generally considered the pivotal figure for modern theology, divorcing faith from belief. Halle University turned Biblical studies on its head and became a hotbed for anti-Biblical teaching - especially UOJ.
It is fashionable for modern theologians to distance themselves from Scheiermacher, but they really start from his perspective. If they have been induced to read a lot of earlier theologians, Schleiermacher is definitely on the list. Barth is especially close to the same rhetorical tricks, but Barth is easier to spell and pronounce, so the modern theologians refer to Barth.
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| Liberal Roman Catholic theologians enjoy the philosophical smokescreen thrown up by Paul Tillich, who is very much like their Karl Rahner. Two of my classmates, both Catholic leaders and now retired, were offended by my faith in the Virgin Birth and Resurrection of Christ. They said, "There is no use talking with you, Jackson." They were also offended that a visiting Catholic theologian believed the New Testament was historical, though he called the Old Testament mythical. |
