Christopher P Whittington | Moody Bible Institute (original) (raw)

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is a theological giant among the like of Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and John Calvin. ... more is a theological giant among the like of Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and John Calvin. His commentaries on the Scriptures and his greatest endeavor, Church Dogmatics, not only reformed the academic world but in turn the whole ministry of the Church. Where Barth has been embraced, his theology has sunk into the fabric of Christendom as a reconstitution of the catholic confession of Christianity. Yet, as any good theologian might, Barth's challenges to the paradigms of his day are still held in tension by dynamic opponents. However, Barth seems to always have his constituents, and it's safe to say that at seminaries and Bible colleges across the world his students will always be found. A study of Barth's theology is not only a movement through the historical development of Christianity, but a look into the heart of ministers of the Gospel today. Examining and reexamining his theology sheds light on the training Christian ministers are receiving as they go out to proclaim the Gospel. One aspect of his Dogmatics that is both highly in uential yet highly controversial is his Doctrine of the Word. Karl Barth's Doctrine of the Word radically reshapes our approach to the Scriptures, and thus, to the preaching of the Scriptures. By de ning Barth's Doctrine of the Word in Church Dogmatics, connections to the proclamation of the Church in Barth's commentaries on the Scriptures become more vibrant and nally realized in Barth's book on homiletics. It is admittedly di cult to nd a singular de nition for Karl Barth's Doctrine of the Word. This is no doubt due to Anselm's in uence on Barth's theology, "Every theological statement is an inadequate expression of its object. The actual Word of Christ spoken to us is not an inadequate expression of its object, though of course every attempt on our part, even the highest and the best, to reproduce that Word in thought or in speech is inadequate. Strictly speaking, it is only God himself who has a conception of God." 1 Barth's apprehension to make concrete claims about God stems from his acknowledgement that there is no such claim that could be adequate, and this shapes Barth's characteristic dialectical theology. Rather than poring over Dogmatics to nd a de nition on the Word, it is more e cient to see what the Doctrine of the Word is as it relates to the Church, or more pertinent to this study, to the ministry of the Church that is proclamation. Section ve of Dogmatics, The Nature of the Word of God, is the central expression of Barth's doctrine and the most common aspect subjected to heated controversy. Tending to this aspect of Dogmatics I.1 will lend to the fullest understanding of Barth's position on the Word without exegeting the entire volume of his Dogmatics. Even in this section, as focused as it is on theological propositions on the nature of the Word, Barth cannot depart from the ministry of the Word which is inherent to its nature. Two points are particularly helpful in de ning the Word as it pertains to preaching, The Word of God as the Speech of God and The Speech of God as the Act of God. Barth opens the rst point, "Church proclamation is talk, speech. So is Holy Scripture. So is even revelation in itself and as such… God's Word means that God speaks." 2 By validating God's speech in a threefold form, Barth elevates preaching above that which is mere talk about the Word of God. For Barth, this ideal means that God's own speech is contained within the speech of the Church. The preacher's role as an interpreter of Scripture and literal voice of the Church would presuppose that it is her preparedness as a conduit for the Word of God is of utmost importance.

As Jesus entered into the final days of his life, he sat down with the disciples and blessed, bro... more As Jesus entered into the final days of his life, he sat down with the disciples and blessed, broke, and gave bread and wine to his disciples, the Eucharist. In this, Christ imagined, created, 1 and gave to us a sacrament that continually defines his Church today. Perhaps more meaningfully, Jesus binds the Eucharist inextricably to his revelation within the Church in the narrative of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. When Jesus "blessed, broke, and gave" the bread to the two men, 2 Luke says, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized him." Jesus establishes his word to them, notably, they exclaim "our hearts burn[ed] within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures…" Yet, his presence is not revealed until he communes with them, rather, when he administers the sacrament of communion. In the Eucharist, Jesus artistically imagines, creates, and gives the Church the means by which he establishes particular places within the world for the life of the world. To assist us in imagining Jesus as a Spirit-filled artist and seeing the Eucharist as his magnum opus , I will develop the ideas of art and place, briefly examine Christ in Trinitarian theology, exegete human participation in Creation in the Scriptures, and finally 3 admire the Eucharist itself.