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The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel! by Tony Payne (4 comments). Regular Sola Panel readers will no doubt have detected a little slowness and quietness over the past six weeks or so. … more
Kids’ culture watch spot: Facing fear by Gordon Cheng (3 comments). By popular demand (two people asked), here is my next script for a culture watch spot I did with the kids … more
Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia by Gordon Cheng (1 comment). It's a Sunday as I write this, and I'm speaking on Daniel 2 and 7 later this morning at a friend's … more
A constituent on same-sex marriage by Sandy Grant (34 comments). Last year, the Australian Parliament agreed that its Members of Parliament (MPs) should seek the … more
A tribute to John Stott by Sandy Grant (2 comments). Friends, I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I opened up my computer on Thursday morning to read … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 3): On giants’ shoulders by Scott Newling (26 comments). This is the third post in this series; you can read part one, and more
Bible reading with kids by Sandy Grant (0 comments). I was asked for recommendations for resources that would encourage parents to read the Bible with their kids, especially … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 2): Stepping aside (not out) so others can step up (not in) by Scott Newling (3 comments). This is the second post in this series; you can read the first post, Unassuming … more
One more sip of the coffee by Tony Payne (8 comments). Sandy Grant is a man of integrity. Back in the early days of Sola Panel, I wrote a post … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 1): Unassuming generations by Scott Newling (30 comments). There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’ that has been doing the rounds of late, and perhaps you … more
Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
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Important comment topic:
Which is the odd one out, and why?
<i>Barth was self-consciously standing in the Reformed Tradition, and he sought to write theology that was God-honouring, Christ-centred and true to the word of God. Weaknesses? He wrote too much; will I ever get to the end of it all?</i>
Hang on though, brother Bolt. I haven’t read much Barth either (all of Church Dogmatics Vol IV, and various bits over the years that friends have pointed out, so although it feels like a lot, I realize it isn’t).
But my reading of Barth—and yes, readers who have read Barth—suggests that he refuses to identify the Bible with the word of God, leaves the door open to universalism, and hesitates to remind people of judgement and the need to repent.
Now that may be second-hand scuttlebutt, but it’s scholarly scuttlebutt that appears to be well researched. I read it most recently in this book.
So if it’s true, it hardly stands in the Reformed tradition, does it? Any more than N.T. Wright, at least?
May I add that Peter was a very gracious and thorough doctoral thesis examiner. However, I’m curious as to how a Tasmanian could ever grow to be so tall. I thought most of them were hobbits who ate apples all day long and played cricket without ever winning.
Contra Gordon, I think Wright and Barth are in the “Reformed Camp” although we don’t have to like all the camping gear that they bring with them. Read Barth’s “Evangelical Theology” and his book of collected prayers and you’ll see where Peter is coming from.
<i>we don’t have to like all the camping gear that they bring with them.</i>
That’ll be the ‘plus’ in ‘gospel plus’ then.
I tend to think of Wright as Gospel plus works, and Barth as Gospel minus judgement, but then that’s probably just me.
‘Barth was self-consciously standing in the Reformed Tradition, and he sought to write theology that was God-honouring, Christ-centred’. Are you saying that he was NOT attempting to stand in this tradition? Is the ‘orthodox’ in the ‘neo-orthodox’ not his attempt? It sounds like are saying that he didn’t get there (by your standards), but this is not the same as saying this is not where he saw himself standing, is it?
The ‘refusal to identify the Bible with the word of God’ is a common furphy and caricature—he is protecting the fact that God revealed himself in the Word of God (i.e. The Word became flesh)—a thing that evangelicals who are increasingly a-historical need to keep remembering. He ‘leaves the door open for universalism’, in the same way as John 3:16 does. He ‘hesitates to remind people of judgement’—not so, he reminds people, just like the gospel does, that the judgement of God has already been borne by the Son of God on their behalf, so why take it upon themselves? And ignoring the need to repent?—not so, but perhaps the concept is missed by some when he puts it far more positively (following Scripture’s lead) that God has now invited fallen humanity to live truly as human beings for the first time in the freedom that has been brought by Jesus Christ.
Peter
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