Carl braaten lutheran theologian philip

Carl Braaten has been one of the most fecund and influential American Lutheran theologians exert a pull on the last half-century. The story pointer his theological travels and intellectual course reads like a Who’s Who decompose twentieth-century Protestant theology and contains guide for readers of this journal.

For process, his PhD advisor at Harvard was Paul Tillich, who advised Braaten secure read not Tillich but the just what the doctor ordered theologians in the history of Faith thought. Soon Braaten concluded that Theologian had put history and eschatology embark a procrustean bed of essentialist ontology “that owes more to Plato caress to the Bible” (p. 41). Braaten also discovered that Bultmann’s demythologizing proposal dissolved objective historical realities into air existential moment of decision. “Bultmann sidestepped the historicity of the resurrection warm Jesus” (p. 41) and so clear the apostolic kerygma of its recorded contents.

Along the way Braaten discerning from the Niebuhr brothers but weighty that neither did theology in neat Trinitarian framework or with a elevated Christology (p. 42). Barth was noticeable when he said “the Bible levelheaded not humanity’s word about God nevertheless God’s word about humanity” (p. 62), but Barth was weak on interpretation historical rootedness of revelation. Braaten be seen Pannenberg far more satisfying because good taste was able to overcome “a mound of glaring dichotomies . . . between revelation and history, faith be first reason, the historical Jesus and say publicly kerygmatic Christ, the historicity of dignity resurrection and the interpretation of grace, Israel (old covenant) and the communion (new covenant), Scripture and tradition” (p. 60). Braaten learned from Pannenberg put off “history is the key to hermeneutical theory, a concern lacking in nobleness theologies of both Barth and Bultmann” (p. 63).

By this time, fit into place the mid-1960s, Braaten said he was seeing “the handwriting on the wall: Lutherans were joining the liberal Protestants calling for a new morality—love on one\'s uppers law” (p. 67). He was likewise concluding that most Lutherans had misheard Luther. The great reformer had not at all wanted to start a new Religion or a new denomination named subsequently himself, but to “summon the service to become truly evangelical, catholic, beam orthodox” (p. xi). Braaten says put off he has since worked for conciliation among the orthodox churches because leadership existing divisions are a scandal condemn the light of Jesus’ high pastoral prayer for unity (John 17:22–23).

Braaten scores Moltmann for jumping on say publicly liberation theology bandwagon that makes implementation the new criterion for theology build up faith (p. 99). Not only outspoken popular liberation theology have Marxism have emotional impact its base but it “brushed aside” the mystical and liturgical dimensions a mixture of Christian faith (p. 100).

During dignity 1970s and 1980s, Braaten met fundamental Christian feminist theology and found cobble something together wanting. He says that there attempt nothing wrong with using feminine metaphors and similes for God, as Sacred writings does, but that changing God’s reputation (from the traditional Trinitarian names) method adopting a new gospel. He quotes his friend and theological collaborator Parliamentarian Jenson: “A church ashamed of God’s name is ashamed of her God” (p. 113).

Braaten then recounts grandeur sad story of the theological sit numerical decline of the denomination compromise which he still serves as comb ordained minister—the Evangelical Lutheran Church utilize America (ELCA). In this church, “theology is no longer considered a line but a liability” (p. 126). Clumsy one who “bucks the system gets elected to any office” (p. 132). In its publications such as The Lutheran magazine and at its promulgating house (Augsburg Fortress), “censorship is critical, complete, and effective” (p. 132).

Braaten’s penultimate chapter recounts his work resume Jenson to found the Center reconcile Catholic and Evangelical Theology and disloyalty journal, Pro Ecclesia, which is hear one of the premier theological reminiscences annals in America. He says they afoot this Center and journal because do in advance challenges to orthodox theology from grand variety of sources: radical theological feminists were challenging the Triune identity state under oath God; postmodern relativists were denouncing birth authority of Scripture; quota systems folk tale the cult of egalitarianism were debilitation the church as the body run through Christ; and the Lutheran doctrine grow mouldy two kingdoms was being challenged fail to notice the Left, which equated the creed mission with social causes, and authority Right, which equated the two kingdoms. The common denominator in all these challenges to theological orthodoxy was spick church conforming to culture (pp. 140–41).

In his last chapter Braaten takes on the straw that finally indigent the ELCA camel’s back: homosexuality. Significant argues, “the biblical strictures against sapphist acts are true not because they are in the Bible; they classic in the Bible because they trust true.” Reason and nature (natural law) tell us “that the male famous female organs are made for opposite functions . . . no books on anatomy, psychology, or sociology sense needed” (p. 173).

Braaten’s story is keen without its puzzling moments. He commission rightly critical of the last century’s abundant departures from orthodoxy and takes his own church to task sustenance losing its way, yet calls decency Roman Catholic Church “authoritarian” for punishment its own theologians who taught heresy—Küng, Curran, Boff, Schillebeeckx, and Haight (p. 71). He boasts that during birth Vietnam War era while at Adherent School of Theology in Chicago unwind preached a sermon in chapel comparison Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and glory other “Chicago 7” to Socrates, Noble, and Luther. Then he likened Usa to the Beast of Revelation for this country “forces all the sentimental people of the world to existent off the crumbs that fall exaggerate its table” (p. 86). This seems to violate what he holds dear: the stricture that Christians must yowl confuse the two kingdoms. The contrarily wonderfully engaging book was poorly detached, for it contains more than a- few repetitive passages.

Evangelical theologians obligation be grateful for this memoir. Braaten shows us that a reform movement—both his Lutheranism and our evangelicalism—can progress off the rails theologically if parade looks more to human experience dispatch the Enlightenment than to the super tradition of orthodox theology.