Comments on: Give me soundbites, not discourse!

By: Tyler Wittman

Tyler Wittman — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:56:45 +0000

Unfortunately, I think Hall’s right. A lack of patience might even have been behind the early dismissal of Barth amongst evangelicals.

If that’s the case, Bloesch might have been right in calling him a 20th Century church father!

By: Kent Eilers

Kent Eilers — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:12:17 +0000

Hall highlighted your point as well. It leads (I have seen this over and over) to the idea that an interpretive virtue is the conviction that I read the Bible as if no one else has ever read it before.

By: Dale Campbell

Dale Campbell — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:02:05 +0000

I thought there was a parallel here of how Scripture is treated as well? “Give me proof-texts, not narrative and/or context!!”

By: JAR

JAR — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:13:58 +0000

I have a hard time believing that Evangelicals, as a group, have a different sort of attention span than other Christian groups. After all, it takes a lot of patience to sit through 35 minute sermons every Sunday. Of course, it would be foolish to think modern culture does not have an effect on the way we read Scripture, etc., but I don’t think that affects evangelicals alone.

Better explanations, I think, focus on the way evangelicals view Scripture. For example, if you think the “facts” of Scripture are self-evident, what would be the value of reading the church fathers? Don’t give me the opinions of men, give me the Word of God!

By: Kent Eilers

Kent Eilers — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:17:00 +0000

You bet Rich. I will be there all day, and since you know what I look like you can find me between sessions. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee.

By: Rich

Rich — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:14:27 +0000

Kent, look for me tomorrow and I’ll keep my eye out for you. I’m at this conference also. I also follow this blog closely and it would be great to meet you. See you tomorrow…