"The message of the Bible is that God hates religion...religion is the one great concern of godless men."
Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, (Vol. 1) cited in "The Case for Faith Against Religion," Douglas John Hall, Christian Century, January 11, 2011, p. 30.
I've always considered this line of thinking totally specious and hypocritically arrogant, especially considering it came from a dogmatician like Barth. What on earth did "pure religion and undefiled mean" to Barth?
Mutilating words to make them fit your doctrine... gotta love that Reformed theology!
Posted by: Gavin | February 16, 2011 at 09:18 PM
Oh, I don't care for Barth that much, but liked the quote anyway, precisely because it came from a guy like him.
I do like another quote of his too. Once asked if God had been revealed in any other religion besides Christianity, he said, "No, God has not been revealed in any religion, including Christianity. God has been revealed in his Son."
Posted by: John Petty | February 17, 2011 at 08:11 AM