 Bloesch criticizes 'penetration of secularism' in Protestant churches By Jeff McDonald Special to The Layman Online Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Bloesch, who just completed his seven-volume systematic theology Christian Foundations, says that a major threat to evangelicalism today is its "use of spiritual techniques in the areas of worship and music." He also said he is concerned about the "loss of contact younger evangelicals have with the evangelical theological tradition." Bloesch made clear, however, that he doesn't share the pessimism of dispensationalist evangelicals, who, he says, "believe that the church is in ruins." During an interview on the campus of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where Bloesch is professor of theology emeritus, he said mainline Protestantism is suffering from a lack of catechesis (the handing on of the faith tradition). His Christian Foundations, he said, offers the church a "place of contact with the early Church fathers, the medieval church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism." Bloesch said his systematic theology "helps us remain open to other parts of the historic and contemporary Christian Church." In response to a question about the contemporary problem of evangelical accommodation, Bloesch said he especially is concerned about "evangelicals who are aligning the faith with various ideological movements such as radical feminism or gay liberationism."
One counter to that trend, he said, has been the work of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, which he said he generally has supported over the years. That ministry, Bloesch said, makes "a valuable witness to the evangelical movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA)." Although not uncritical of renewal movements in the PCUSA, Bloesch has been supportive of any group that holds up Holy Scripture as the infallible norm for faith and practice. Bloesch long has been recognized as one of the most industrious and talented evangelical theologians currently operating in North America, having written more than 35 books and more than 300 articles and book reviews. During his career, he never has apologized for his evangelical stance and has not been afraid to assert evangelical convictions in both the church and in the wider academic world. Bloesch's theology helps evangelicals realize that they are not a periphery movement but, rather, a part of the historic Christian mainstream. In April, the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary sponsored a colloquy to honor him upon the completion of Christian Foundations. Elmer Colyer, professor of historical theology at the seminary; Richard Burnett, associate professor of theology at Erskine Theological Seminary; and John Armstrong, founder of Reformation and Revival Ministries; discussed Bloesch's theology and career. Born in Bremen, Ind., Bloesch's family has a rich German Reformed heritage. His father, Herbert Bloesch, was a minister in the Evangelical Synod of North America and worked for a time with Reinhold Niebuhr. The Evangelical Synod joined with the Reformed Church U.S. (German) in 1934 to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ. Bloesch received a B.A. from Elmhurst College and a B.D. from Chicago Theological Seminary. In 1953, he was ordained a minister in the Evangelical and Reformed Church and served as a pastor while completing his doctoral program at the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in theology in 1956. As a doctoral student whose dissertation focused on Niebuhr's apologetics, Bloesch became involved with the undergraduate chapter of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. "I sensed in that group a spiritual bond I did not have with even the neo-orthodox students at CTS," he later wrote. While at the university, he was exposed to the liberal theology of Charles Hartshorne, Bernard Meland, James Luther Adams, Wilhelm Pauck and Daniel Day Williams. Later, Bloesch did post-doctoral work at the universities of, Oxford, Tubingen and Basel, where he studied under legendary neo-orthodox theologian Karl Barth. In 1957, Bloesch became a theology professor at Dubuque, later commenting that "the administration hired me partly to be a liberal counterpart to a neo-orthodox theologian on the faculty. They assumed that, because I had gone to the University of Chicago, I would be a liberal." Bloesch served as a professor of theology at Dubuque from 1957 to 1992. He presently is a professor of theology emeritus and is involved in guest lecturing and the supervision of independent study projects at the seminary. Over the years, Bloesch has helped to bring numerous evangelical theologians to speak at the seminary, including Harold O.J. Brown (Reformed Theological Seminary); Clark Pinnock (McMaster Divinity College, Ontario); J.I. Packer (Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.); T.F. Torrance (University of Edinburgh); and Richard Burnett (Erskine Theological Seminary). Bloesch continues to work on various writing projects aided by his wife, Brenda, who serves as his copyeditor and researcher. Wipf and Stock Publishers recently released the third volume of his Theological Notebook, a series in progress, and independent scholar Paul Maher is compiling a comprehensive list of all of Bloesch's writings, including those about him. Bloesch is working on a book on spirituality, the tentative title of which is Spirituality Old and New, and a spiritual autobiography, Faith in Search of Obedience: Reflections on an Unfinished Pilgrimage. |
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