God was declared dead by the naturalist or nihilist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882. The study of the Bible became an endeavor that inevitably put the core tenets of the Christian faith in the crosshairs. One could take a few different approaches to address the problem: either completely distrust any knowledge that would seem to contradict the Scripture, or, as Nietzsche suggested, reject Christianity. Adolf von Harnack introduced an alternative view called ‘protestant liberalism.’ Within this movement, which was much more popular prior to the first world war, was to hold high view of humanity and its abilities alongside Scripture. For instance, Harnack’s teacher, Albrecht Ritschl, believed that the preaching of Jesus concerning the Kingdom of God should be understood to mean that human society would improve over time.
However, as the twentieth century progressed through war, a tremendous shift occurred. The world appeared to be sitting in the pits of utter despair on the way to nihilism. Biblical scholars tried to find an off ramp rather than follow down that same path. As different worldviews separated the text from its actual proclamation, God had been reduced to Jesus, and Jesus reduced further into a good man with a good word about good living. Theistic Existentialism, following some of the themes of Søren Kierkegaard, came into vogue with one its main proponents being Karl Barth.
Barth argues that theology had become too focused on anthropology. Barth instead focused on the ‘otherness’ of God. He also called for a return to the word of God, writing,
“Theology stands and falls with the Word of God, for the Word of God precedes all theological words by creating, arousing and challenging them. Should theology wish to be more or less or anything other than action in response to that Word, its thinking and speaking would be empty, meaningless, and futile.” (Karl Barth Evangelical Theology, 17)
While this might sound very similar to the worldview of the early church, there are distinct differences. Barth affirms that God created all that exists. However, God is holy other, so Barth contends that creation is inadequate to reveal or teach anything about God. It is only in Jesus Christ that God is connected to creation. The result of these principles is that for the theist existentialist, knowledge of God is a question of faith and not reason. There is still doubt about whether or not God could actually be known.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO
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