Theology the Lutheran Way

I just finished reading the translation of Oswald Bayer's ,,Theologie" which in English is entitled ,,Theology the Lutheran Way". The book is a solid presentation of Luther's theological approach. The first part deals with Luther, and Bayer presents his text via two methods: 1. we passively receive Christ's gifts, and 2. theology is undertaken by Scriptural study, trials, and prayers. Bayer also puts forward the thesis that theology is both academic and liturgical, and therefore both sides of theology must remain together, even if they do so in tension. That is a classic Lutheran approach.

The translation of this work is exceptional. The German language can be verbose (by American English standards), but the translator has treated us to a smooth and easy to read translation of Bayer's text. I highly recommend it.

Two other books written by Bayer have been translated into English: ,,Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification," and ,,Martin Luther's Theology". I have both of these books as well, and I am in the process of reading his ,,Living by Faith".

Check out this link on Bayer's biography.

Also see the website for the University of Tübingen. Bayer was a professor of systematic theology for many years at Tübingen.

The Philosphy of Identity

While reading through Oswald Bayer's book, ,,Theology the Lutheran Way", I came across this interesting quote:

,,In this sense, the modern philosophy of identity has altogether perverted the promise [the gospel] and made it into a form of self-referentiality [favoredness], directed back reflexively to the human ego, which thus claims to be able to verify itself But this philosophy is pure atheism.... People want to speak the truth about themselves but in the process they make God into a liar: Homo verax -- deus mendax [Humans speak the truth – God lies] (see, on the other hand, Romans 3,4)" (BaYer 133). [»Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true« (Romans 3,4)].

Essentially, Bayer is saying that the modern philosophy of the ego is nothing else than a philosophy that usurps the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods except Me. Bayer calls this atheism; we can also call it idolatry, for to say there is no God is essentially idolatry, for then the god that really exists is one's self. And that is nothing more than the first temptation into sin that we find in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent to take and eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. That tree had been forbidden to them, and it was enforced with the threat of death. The serpent tempted Adam and Eve to become like God, in essence, to take God's place and put themselves as the center of the universe and the lords of what is right and wrong.

Bayer argues that if we get caught up in this modern philosophy of identity, then we will become obsessed with the gift of our individuality and freedom. What then happens is that we end up losing the gift of the gospel and the giver of this gift, namely, God Himself (Bayer 134). Bayer argues that it is the responsibility of theology to challenge such athieistic and idolatrous philosophies and their attack on religion (Bayer 133).

The central object of theology is the gospel, and this is located in the promise that gives freedom (Bayer 134). The subject of theology is the performative word (Bayer 134). The gospel does what it promises and gives what it promises. The Holy Spirit uses the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected for us and our sins to give us the forgiveness of our sins and our sinfulness. The gospel is a powerful word of God that performs what it promises. In this gospel we find true freedom: freedom from our sin and freedom to live as God's children who love our neighbors and help them.

The Two Commissions

Pirate Christian Radio recently aired a sermon preached by Pastor Gervase Charmley entitled ,,The Two Commissions". You can listen to it here. The sermon is the last 50 minutes or so of the podcast.

If you like this sermon, check out Pr. Charmley's blogs:

Free St. Georges
Strict and Particular

Germans not flocking to church this Easter

Deutsche Welle has a brief article on Germany and Easter.

I am sure pastors and churches in Germany would like to see church attendance rise, especially at Easter. Here in the American northeast, it seems as if Christians are of the same mindset as those mentioned in the DW article, with the same percentages even.

I have been told and taught that we are now living in a post-modern Western society. I am not so sure about that. There certainly seems to be a strong modern ideal in my corner of the American northeast. Post-modernism, while it claims to be a return to things spiritual as an essential part of the human experience, does not necessarily translate to higher attendance at religious festivals or even in an interest in faith or God.

We do seem to be living in a post-Constantinian Christian world and living more in a first century world, as far as the Church is concerned. That is not necessarily a bad thing. To be sure, it is certainly a more challenging environment where Christianity is one of many religious possibilities for people to believe. It is also an exciting time, where each challenge also brings with it God's blessings. Hopefully, it will be a time of less obession with numbers, attendance, and finances, and more attention and delight in people and relationships: people with one another and people with Christ.

Time will certainly tell the tale. Perhaps the classic Devo song from the very early 1980s sums it up best: We're all living in a post-post-modern world.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

Christos aneste! Alethos aneste. Hallelujah!

Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist auferstanden ist. Hallelujah!

Kristus er oppstått! Han er steget virkelig. Halleluja!

Battlestar Sonatica - Baltar's Theme

This piece was written for BSG to musically score Baltar's experiences on the Cylon basestar. It has a classical sound to it, but when paired with Baltar it has a requiem-like tone in regards to who he is and what he has done.

It is interesting that the official title of this is "Battlestar Sonatica" and that it was written specifically for Baltar's character. In an earlier blog I noted that BSG seems to focus on Baltar's fall from grace and his redemption.

A couple of weeks ago I watched some of the original BSG episodes from 1978. The original Baltar character is similar to the reimaged character. Both fall from grace and both are redeemed, although in the original series Baltar's redemption is not fleshed out completely or satisfactorily.

"Battlestar Sonatica" has a somber and sad mood. This fits Baltar perfectly because, although he is directly linked to the annihilation of the colonies and also responsible for signing (at gunpoint) the authorization fo the Cylons to round up and execute Human resistance fighters on New Caprica, Baltar experiences extreme angst and Anfechtung throughout the series. This occurs all the while when he is receiving visions from God. BSG did an excellent job keeping this tension, especially when Baltar (and we the viewers) were not sure if he was only a con-man, delusional, suffering a nervous breakdown, or really chosen to be an intregal part of God's plan for Humans and Cylons. "Daybreak" finally settled the issue: he was really getting guidiance and visions from God; he really was an agent in God's plan.

The weakness of the BSG series regarding Baltar's redemption is that there was no real, specific person who took upon him or herself Baltar's guilt and paid the price for his freedom. The closest we get is when he is on trial and Lee Adama becomes his lawyer. Lee's passionate arguments persuaded the jury to find Baltar "not guilty" of his crimes against humanity on New Caprica. The deciding vote on this verdict was Adm. Adama.

No human ever tried to save Baltar out of the pure goodness of his or her heart. Lee came the closest, but his reasoning for defending Baltar was not out of kindness or love, but because he believed everyone deserved a fair trial. Lee probably wouldn't have been too heart-broken had Baltar been found "guilty" because, after all, he got a fair trial.

In a small way, Baltar and Caprica Six are BSG's Abraham and Sarah characters. Yes, they imperfectly fit that description, but both Baltar and Caprica Six believe in a monotheistic God. In Baltar's case, he, like Abraham, left a polytheistic culture and embraced the one God. Baltar's farm on Earth is akin to Abraham's settling in Canaan -- the future promised land. If we play this theme out, then Baltar and Caprica Six are the forerunners in the BSG universe for monotheism. Like Abraham, Baltar is still a sinner while also a saint, albeit in Baltar's case his sins make Abraham's pale in comparison. Nevertheless, Baltar seems to embody the monotheistic concept, faith, and justification by faith when he deserved nothing but a sack over his head and a firing squad.

Baltar, then, becomes the character who embodies hope and deliverance from God. He becomes the character who embodies hope for all people. I read one blog where the person was upset that after all Baltar and Caprica Six had done, they get to enjoy a lush piece of land on Earth. Well, that's what happens to those who are redeemed and delivered -- they get what their actions don't deserve, they get grace instead of condemnation. This is the whole point of justification -- someone else merits our salvation. There was no mediator and propitiator for Baltar, but we have one who is called Jesus Christ. He suffered, died, and rose again for us. Praise God for His great gift.

The Struggle to Keep Justification Pure

The Harrowing of Hell as depicted by Fra Angelico


I was re-reading a LOGIA article written by Armin Wenz entitled ,,Justification and Holy Scripture: Sola fide et sola Scriptura" (LOGIA, Vol. XIV, No. 2 [Eastertide 2005]).

Two points (among many) struck me as very pertinent:

1. The principles of Scripture alone and faith alone are inseparably connected, and justification must be reflected in these distinctions concerning holy Scripture (Wenz 5).

2. Every approach to holy Scripture which emancipates itself from the christological approach would be nothing less than a relapse into a humanist, rationalist, or works-righteous approach (Wenz 6). These three approaches strike against justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Humanism wasn't always against the article of justification. In the 14th century, European universities (starting in Italy) began stressing humanism over the traditional scholasticism. The Reformation began at a time in the Middle Ages when the Renaissance and humanism were blooming. Humanism sought to return to the classical languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and going back to the original texts. Humanism soon influenced concepts of freedom, religion, history, science, and other academic disciplines. Humanism helped further things like the Textus Receptus (the Received Text, which was the first compilation of the Greek New Testament that was the forefather of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testaments that pastors and theologians use today). The University of Wittenberg was established as a humanistic university. Philip Melanchthon was a humanist scholar and he was the first Greek professor at the University of Wittenberg.

Rationalism grew out of humanist philosophy. Reason reigns supreme in rationalsim, and as such, miracles and the supernatural tend to be downplayed or rejected. Rationalism lead to the Enlightenment (examples of Enlightenment thought can be seen in the writings of the early American founders, like Washinton, Jefferson, and Madison, etc.). Rationalism lead to the 19th and 20th centuries fascination with historical criticism, which is a Biblical exegetical process that attempts to critique the holy Scriptures using a variety of source theories. Unfortunately, historical criticism leads to the denial of Christ.

Strictly speaking, humanism and rationalism are not antithetical to the article of justification. They are merely tools that theologians have used to mine the depths of holy Scripture. However, when humanism and rationalism are allowed to run amok, the article of justification suffers. This occurs when humanism and rationalism focus solely inward on the mind and intellect of human beings as the answers to all things.

Works-righteousness is the exact opposite of justification by faith. Works-righteousness is the approach that by our works we can merit or help merit our justification before God. As such, works-righteousness is a Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian heresy whereby we do our part in meriting justification.

Unfortunately, our sinful human flesh is drawn to our own reason and works to merit or help merit our justification before God. Justificaiton, therefore, is revealed in the written Scriptures, and justificaiton must be received by faith.