Lesson 6 - Existential Theology

Question 1

Theological Agenda of Bultmann?

Answer 1

1. ) Agenda: to present the Christian gospel in a way that is credible to modern people
2. ) Tried to plot a course between Schlierermacher (liberalism) and Barth.
   - - Rejected Sch view of religion as universal human experience
   - - Rejected Barth as too conservative with miracles, resurrection, bible

Question 2

What is meant by Bultmann’s demythologization of the NT?

Answer 2

1. ) Myth - eternal truths expressed in a pre-scientific worldview
   - - Gospel (kerygma) must be extracted from mythology of NT writers and translated into contemporary theological idiom (i.e., from ‘ancient’ to ‘modern’ worldview)
   - - Can’t throw out the myth altogether, but must find the core message and re-express it for modern people
   - - application of form criticism to gospels

Question 3

How does Bultmann refer to faith in the historical Jesus?

Answer 3

Faith in Christ is unimportant and unattainable

• • Important is historie not geschichte
• • the present day/subjective experience of Christ is what’s important
• • We can’t be certain of the historical facts of jesus and that doesn’t matter

Question 4

What do liberals and conservatives have in common that Bultmann says is wrong?

Answer 4

• • Focus on the historical Jesus
• • Saving faith is simply faith in the cross of Christ
• • Not what actually happened on the cross, but the preaching of the cross. Salvation comes through existential encounter with Christ alone

Question 5

How does Tillich classify his own view of God?

Answer 5

Problem: God is the answer to the question implied in human finitude (threat of non-being)

1. ) God is the power of being or ground of being
   - - God is not just being, but Being
   - - God transcends the essence-existence distinction
   - - God is not a personal being, but not impersonal either
   - - All God-talk is symbolic because of God’s absolute transcendence
   - - Yet God and the world participate in one another (mutual dependence)

Question 6

Explain Tillich’s “method of correlation.”

Answer 6

• • Philosophy and theology should go together (2 sides of the same coin)
• • Philosophy gives you the question (form); Religion gives you the answer (content)

Question 7

What is Tillich’s view of the biblical doctrine of the Fall?

Answer 7

Key distinction between essence (ideals) and existence (fallen actualities)

1. ) Existence has been seperated from essence during the fall.
   - - Falleness of human reason
   - - Adam and Eve were just metaphorical of this fallenness.
   - - Salvation: God accomplishes this reunification of essence and existence.