tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post4114155275578824487..comments2024-03-02T08:27:42.344+00:00Comments on Theological Scribbles: Theology after Metaphysics? Robin Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08856329564156757485noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post-9947727527289240822013-02-25T17:55:34.850+00:002013-02-25T17:55:34.850+00:00James
I both love and hate Barth. It is very rich...James<br /><br />I both love and hate Barth. It is very rich and profound and suggestive ... and yet ...<br /><br />I did not really draw on any single main source. N. T. Wright provided the biblical-theological framework (even though he is an opponent of universalism).<br /><br />Not sure who I drew on. Lots of people for different things<br /><br />RobinRobin Parryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08856329564156757485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post-46454195146882819972013-02-25T17:53:04.551+00:002013-02-25T17:53:04.551+00:00Robin, I felt the same way, attempting to read Bar...Robin, I felt the same way, attempting to read Barth. I read quite a bit of theological stuff, but I'm no theologian, so I just assumed I was too thick and unversed in this material to understand it. It's nice to hear someone like you has had the same response.<br /><br />So I take it then that Barth was not one of your main influences for universalism?James Palmernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post-13848604025687425282012-12-15T20:35:49.738+00:002012-12-15T20:35:49.738+00:00Okay, I'll remember that post-metaphysical doe...Okay, I'll remember that post-metaphysical does not mean philosophical naturalism....James Goetzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02412501436355228925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post-66789036212836807162012-12-15T09:48:52.121+00:002012-12-15T09:48:52.121+00:00Admission: I always felt that my failure to "...Admission: I always felt that my failure to "get" Barth was an intellectual inability on my part and not a failure of Barth himself. I am just too "thick" to make coherent sense of it. But perhaps I am being unfair to myself. I don't know.Robin Parryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08856329564156757485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post-4848454972245834962012-12-15T09:47:16.364+00:002012-12-15T09:47:16.364+00:00Darren
OK. That is quite helpful. So Barth and co...Darren<br /><br />OK. That is quite helpful. So Barth and co. mean something different by "metaphysics" than what philosophers mean.<br /><br />But I wonder if it is that simple. One never quite knows with Barth (I have never felt that I "got" him) but his view of God seems very metaphysical to me (in that it implies certain answers to certain metaphysical questions). <br /><br />But then, confession, I never "got" Barth's opposition to natural theology. Well, I got how it made some sense in his context but not as a global rejection. Nor his opposition to the analogy of being. His reaction to that seemed super-OTT.<br /><br />I have always had a love/hate thing with Barth. There was too much Thomism in my DNA to ever be persuaded by his approach. And yet ... it does have some appeal. Hence, love/hate.Robin Parryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08856329564156757485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2713231510890712652.post-5325982070967601242012-12-15T00:00:39.310+00:002012-12-15T00:00:39.310+00:00Robin, I think the obvious question that ought to ...Robin, I think the obvious question that ought to start this conversation (and, far too often, doesn't) is: <i>Well, what do you mean by 'metaphysics'?</i><br /><br />As I have encountered this discussion in Barth circles, 'metaphysics' is defined in a very particular way. It's not the basic definition you might here in an Intro to Philosophy class, like 'How the world works.' In this context, it's usually something more akin to 'Theological knowledge derived from an unrevealed source.' As Barth rejected natural theology and the analogy of being, this would include just about any theological speech that does not begin and end with Jesus Christ.<br /><br />When 'post-metaphysical' is described in concrete terms like this, I think it can be pretty helpful in comparing the way in which theology is done in some quarters today with how it has traditionally been practiced.<br /><br />I'm sure you've already come across Kevin Hector's book (which shares a title with this blog post), but that's a great place to start. It situates Barth in a much, much larger conversation about the way in which we attempt to map our language onto reality.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14982514539447292224noreply@blogger.com