Descriptive Review of Church Dogmatics in Outline, Ch 1

In my Introduction to Theology class, we have to do at least one "descriptive review" paper a week. The second week was on "Church Dogmatics in Outline" by Karl Barth. This paper is on the first chapter, entitled "The Task."

Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline – Chapter 1

Any time a theologian attempts to convey their beliefs, one must take into consideration the context in which the beliefs were forged. Karl Barth was deeply affected (like many others) by the great wars, and especially by World War II and the rise of Nazism. That said, Barth expounds theological treatises that still hold sway in many communities, and his contribution to theology cannot and, indeed, must not be ignored or dismissed. This paper will attempt to analyze the first chapter of Barth’s book, Dogmatics in Outline, and offer an evaluation of its significance and continuing value.

Question: Barth begins very clearly in this chapter (a prolegomena of sorts) to explain to the reader to what task he has set out to accomplish. In the preceding preface, the author has already told us that these lectures are given to students at the University of Bonn immediately following the war (in 1946). Barth’s purpose in this chapter is to answer the question, “What is church dogmatics?” This is made unequivocally clear by his summary statement “dogmatics is…” (9). The rest of the sentence and this chapter attempt to finish this phrase satisfactorily for both the students and the rest of the world (both of whom were still reeling in the aftershock of WWII and the Holocaust).

Answer: Barth posits, “Christian dogmatics is an attempt … to state definite facts … and present them in the form of a doctrine” (9). He goes on to say that the subject of dogmatics (that which does the study) is the church and that the object (that which is studied) is the “proclamation of the Gospel” (9-10). According to Barth, the church alone can attempt dogmatics. Barth also clarifies that this dogma is “not a thing which has fallen from Heaven to earth” (10), which implies his acknowledgement of erroneous interpretations. Moreover, Barth insists that what we are concerned with is not simply theory, but instead is the very proclamation of the gospel: “what as Christians do we really have to say?” (11) In summary, dogmatics is the act of weighing critically the content of what the church says to the world about G-d. This leads to the next question, how must we go about this process?

Method: Barth’s method appears at surface level to be ‘sola scriptura.’ To some, Barth appears to ignore reason for an extremist view that ONLY the bible can provide truth. Barth’s background in existentialism, alongside his criticism of the so-called “German Christians,” is key here to understanding his desire to jump immediately to Scripture and Confession as the only relevant sources for critical dogmatics over against reason and philosophy. If G-d exists, Kierkegaard posited, then G-d cannot be objectively known (Grenz 7). This theologian believed that since this is true, the starting point is an individual’s “leap of faith.” Barth echoes this sentiment (and goes into greater detail in the next three chapters) along with the theology of Calvin; Barth’s foundational claim is that we cannot find G-d, only G-d can find us.
Therefore, the event of G-d’s incarnation is the only real Revelation. Furthermore, “Holy Scripture is… the document of the manifestation of the Word of God in the person of Jesus Christ” (13). Barth is offering a way of doing theology that is rooted and anchored in the line of succession from the Event of Jesus down to our present day. The fact that the world of theology is still fresh off of the first real wave of biblical criticism comes into play here; Barth’s understanding of scripture is filtered through the previous century’s attempt at understanding the bible better.

Significance: In a time of groundlessness, angst, and foolishness that had recently led to genocide and war, Barth provides an anchor – don’t just ‘feel’ your way through it, that only leads to perversions like National Socialism – instead, the church must take account of its own proclamations by the standards of scripture and confession. Barth’s statements echo down to today, when Christian doctrine is still twisted and co-opted for worldly and quite evil purposes. Don’t let your reason fool you, Barth beseeches, but trust in the revealed G-d found in Jesus.

Evaluation: Barth’s theology is good for what it is. He does not attempt to engage in certain questions, such as proving G-d’s existence. Instead, the author claims that we just can’t know objectively about G-d and therefore, once we have taken that leap of faith, then we must examine that faith against the Revelation found in Jesus Christ. My only qualms with this approach are that for one, Barth seems to trust rather completely in the scriptures’ accuracy regarding the Incarnation. Also, Barth does not seem to have a plan to address the problem of evil, which in my humble opinion, might have been a necessary task in the face of the holocaust.

Descriptive Review of Surviving the Blight by Cannon

In my Introduction to Theology class, we have to do at least one "descriptive review" paper a week. The first week was on "Inheriting Our Mothers' Gardens" and I chose to review an essay by Katie Geneva Cannon on "Surviving the Blight."

With a title as consciously ambivalent as Inheriting Our Mothers’ Gardens, one may expect to find a wide swath of perspectives on the symbol of garden as it relates to “inherited” theology and worldview. In chapter four of this collection, Katie Geneva Cannon understands the metaphorical garden as related to the blighted plants of her African-American roots. In this, her main theme is the survival of a people and culture in spite of inhuman oppression and systemic de-humanization.
1. Questions/Audience:
Cannon, like the rest of the authors in the book, is writing to a global audience of women, and she is writing, in one sense, to inform others of her unique perspective. The author perceives her audience to be unaware to some degree of the “blighted” gardens of the African-American people who have suffered from the institution of slavery (and its effects) as it existed in the United States.
The questions that necessarily must be answered by all the authors in this book are (1) “from what history and culture does my version of feminist theology spring,” and (2) “what can I offer to the global dialogue as I examine this heritage.” Cannon’s unique take on these questions is apparent in her summary of the stories of oppression that begin her chapter; the author states that “hovering over all my cultural inheritance is the devastating reality that chattel tenure excluded any sort of social recognition of Black people as thinking, religious and moral beings” (83). Cannon must not only answer the first two questions, but she must do so with the reality that her cultural heritage is one that suffered under a conscious attempt at eradication.
2. Answer:
“Even with cultural self-expression outlawed, my ancestors never surrendered their humanity or lost sight of a vision of freedom and justice they believed to be their due” (84). With this statement, Cannon transitions from a recounting of the “blight” to a telling of the “surviving.” This is done with three specific “flowers” from her garden: folklore, spirituals, and prayer. In her accounts of all three, Cannon demonstrates that her heritage is full of the struggle for “freedom, resistance and self-determination” (85) and the “unflinching faith that they, too, were the people of God” (87). Both narrative and music are tied together in prayer, which the author describes as a “living bridge” (88).
3. Method:
The author approaches this task with the double-edged sword of narrative as her primary means of analysis. On the one hand, the reader can read the essay and feel as if all Cannon did was tell tales of her past; on the other hand, the tales of injustice and oppression allow the reader to see the garden from the author’s eyes. Cannon seems most concerned with placing the reader in the midst of the “blighted” garden, and letting the reader then appreciate more fully the beauty and strength of the surviving flowers.
4. Significance:
In a world where there are many injustices, the American enslavement and de-humanization of African-Americans stands out as one of humanity’s bleakest moments. If Cannon can effectively demonstrate for the global reader how her ancestors survived these times with a culture of “freedom, resistance and self-determination,” then hope can be offered to those in the world still suffering under the many facets of institutional and systemic oppression.
5. Evaluation:
As my tone may have indicated, I value both the author’s stories and approach. Cannon’s use of narrative is an effective tool as she first establishes why her ancestors’ history is unique in the magnitude and scale of the oppression. Next, her answers sufficiently demonstrate that “despite” the inhumanities, her culture retained its humanness and religion.
My only criticism is that Cannon does not go into much detail as to how exactly these “flowers” might be planted in someone else’s garden. Understanding one another is good, but contributing substantive answers to each other’s questions could be considered the true task of dialogue in theology. The author either does not have room or does not find it necessary to interpret her inherited culture for the non-African American. This, once again, is a double-edged sword; if any person so chooses, they could interpret the author’s history as similar to their own. Overall, I personally felt closer to an understanding of the author’s situation, and appreciated her task, method, and her application of the method.

coming this week

coming this week:

* posting my papers for class so far
* posting my thoughts on starting the MTS program at Perkins
* posting an update on what's been happening
* posting some thoughts about Jaimie and I's possible future plans
* posting some random crap...

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quiz?

You scored as Jürgen Moltmann,The problem of evil is central to your thought, and only a crucified God can show that God is not indifferent to human suffering. Christian discipleship means identifying with suffering but also anticipating the new creation of all things that God will bring about.

Which theologian are you?
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