I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:3-8, NIV)
It’s almost embarrassing to read how open Paul is as he expresses his feelings to the Philippians in the opening of his letter to them. He really loves them, and it so joyful in the knowledge that they are partners with him in the gospel and share with him in God’s grace.
I’ve just spent some time on holidays back in Canberra and have been struck with how utterly refreshing it’s been to see my precious friends and family. Like Paul and the Philippians, I had great moments of expressing this kind of joy to others and others expressing it to me. Some of the people I haven’t seen or spoken to for a few months, but then others it’s been a number of years. It sounds all a little bit over-sentimental, doesn’t it? Well, bear with me while I describe some of what happened…
I was involved in a group called Boys Brigade in the mid-nineties and, although not large group of people, the men that lead this group are spectacular servants of Christ and are still leading this group! They’re like parents to me and it was wonderful to talk to Mike and Bela about their joy in growing young lads in the knowledge of Christ.
It was great as well, to get back to St Matts and see my many dear friends there. There were some going strongly, and others struggling. But in both cases, it was great to share our experiences and to reflect on our hope in Christ. I had to bear the brunt of way too much coffee, but I absolutely loved these conversations - they really meant a lot to me.
I also went to Focal Point, the mid-year conference for the FOCUS, the Christian group I was involved in at uni. Here, I saw some good friends and and (characteristically, at this conference) looked deeply into God’s word. It was a real joy to rejoice with others in the gift of God’s Spirit living in us.
Also, although we hang out almost every day at College, Dan and I hit the town in Canberra and shared a memorable night together. I also spent time in Melbourne with Steve, a mate from St Matt’s. The weather was dismal, but it meant that we spent a lot of reflecting on questions of faith, and encouraging each other in various aspects of life.
I’m disappointed because there were others that I didn’t have time to see and spend time with. Two weeks rest isn’t enough, I want more!!
Is it right for me to feel this way and to express this? I think so. Like Paul, I have these people in my heart. As Paul says, this feeling is only right as it is the same as that of Christ Jesus. These people have raised me and loved me, they have nurtured me in ministry and born the fruit of my service among them. In the times when I pressed, I know their love and support of me; their partnership in the gospel. One day we’ll be brought to be in his rest together with all of those in Christ. I look forward to seeing my precious friends and family all together with our Lord Jesus!
Service is ‘an act whose freedom is limited and determined by the other’s freedom, an act whose glory becomes increasingly greater to the extent that the doer is not concerned about his own glory but about the glory of the other.” This is particularly true for the theologian in his/her service of the ‘divine Word’.
The theologian must wait upon the high majesty of the divine Word, which is God himself as he speaks in his action.:
It starts to become clear that Barth has a relatively narrow view of what a theologian is, as he observes that ‘theologians’ have often been given a special place in a church’s heirarchy. Whether or not he has intended this understanding throughout the book, he here portrays a person of great influence in a Christian community.
He has two main points: Firstly, despite the theologian’s high position, theology is not self-serving. Although fascinating and exciting, it is not in the manner of ‘art for art’s sake’. Rather, “it must always keep sight of the fact that its object, the Word of God, demands more than simply being perceived, contemplated, and meditated in this or that particular aspect. What is demanded of theologial work is the service of this word and attendance upon it.”
In this point Barth makes an interesting claim that students of theology should avoid the danger of entering into questions of theological application too quickly. Time spent at a theological institution should be spent contemplating the theology and not yet applying it. Otherwise, he asserts, half-baked theological thinking leads to half-baked application. What do you think? This stands in contrast to the view that I have adopted (reading Thielicke) which was that theology is to be studied in the context of doing ministry so that the danger of ‘mere contemplation’ (which he alludes to) is avoided. I think I’ll disagree with him on this one, but take on board his warning.
Secondly, since the theological work involves service, it must serve but not rule. Theology requires modesty. There is simply no room for competitiveness, or ladder-climbing, attempting to outshine others or pretend that they know more than they do. However, such humility does not exclude a healthy confidence.
Importantly, the theologian cannot rule its object: the Word of God. Barth maintains a very high but elusive view of the Word of God and here he attempts to paint the picture in a little more detail. He asserts that the work of the Word of God is achieved by God himself.
Let us keep one thing clearly before our eyes just as God’s work is his free work of grace, so is his Word spoken in this work his free Word of grace. It is free as his own Word, resounding by its own power and making itself be heard. No man, not even God’s commuity or theology itself, can appropriate, imitate, or repeat this Word… the preaching of the word of God is the word of God.
The role of the theologian is to serve the work of the word of God by posing questions and clarifying the truth that the community needs to hear, to free it from its entanglements. There is a lot to think through here, but I’ll just say that there is something immensley satisfying in knowing God’s power in this process.
In turn the nature of the theologian’s service is to guide the Christian community in it’s collective theological responsibility: proclamation of the word of God to people throughout the world.
Finally, Barth questions the influence that the church has in the world, and points to the huge influence that the Christian community historically, particularly over the arts, politics and economics. A Christian world-view necessarily integrates each of these areas. From this point of influence, I think that Barth’s correct in saying that there’s value for secular universities in having a faculty of Theology. But, and this disagreement relates back to my previous one, this doesn’t seem to me as valuable for students of Theology, for it is surely most beneficial for them to learn theology in the context of Christian Community. That’s another big dscussion.
Sorry for the length of the post. Hopefully this is giving some idea of the range of issues that Barth addresses and also some of the profound insights he delivers.