‘I
will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make
known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Many years
have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many
generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our world. The
years come and go. The centuries run their course. One generation gives
way to another generation. Time moves on relentlessly. None of us can
halt the march of time. Many changes have taken place over the course of
time. There is something which must never change. The Lord is to be
praised ‘for ever’. He is to be praised ‘through all generations’. We
must look back and remember. Jesus Christ was crucified for us. Jesus
Christ has risen for us. This is the Good News which inspires our
praise: ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever...’.
The question of universalism in Barth’s theology has been raised directly by J D Bettis in his article, “Is Karl Barth a Universalist?” (Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 20, No. 4, December 1967, pp. 423-436). This article requires to be carefully discussed not only for its significance as an interpretation of Barth’s thought but also because it presents a serious misrepresentation of Berkouwer’s criticism of Barth. Bettis writes, “Modern protestant theology has defined three basic answers to the question of the particularity of election: double predestination, Arminianism and universalism” (p. 423). By attempting to fit Berkouwer into “this structure of alternatives” (p. 423), he misrepresents completely Berkouwer’s criticism of Barth. According to Bettis, Brunner and Berkouwrer hold that “because Barth fails to accept either Brunner’s Arminianism or Berkouwer's double decree, he must be a universalist” (p. 426). There are two misrepresentations of Berkouwer here. (...
Comments
Post a Comment