Culver's Fundamental Opposition to Karl Barth and the Neo-orthodox

Culver is vigorously opposed to the pseudo-theology of Karl Barth and the rest of the Neo-orthodox school of 'Christian' Existentialists (Emil Brunner, Friedrich Gogarten, Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Paul Tillich and Rudolph Bultmann, etc.).

It must be noted that some of the other Neo-orthodox took this theological system further away from orthodoxy than Barth did; indeed, so much so that their joint efforts in writing the journal Zwischen den Zeiten (Between the Times) broke down 11 years after it began. (Their differing responses to the Nazi movement also led to this division.) Nevertheless, there is little for which he criticises the whole movement for which he does not also criticise Barth.

This criticism and rejection begins in Chapter 2 (pp. 22, 23 - hence the timing of this post) and extends throughout the whole systematic theology (see 'Barth' and 'Neo-orthodoxy' in the index). The neo-orthodox system corrupts fundamental doctrines such as the absolute truth of Scripture, the nature of revelation, the being of God, the person and work of Christ, the Incarnation, the Atonement, the nature of faith, the nature of sin and the rational nature of the Christian Faith, and probably more!

Culver describes the neo-orthodox pseudo-theologians on p. 570 as those "who adopt some of the language of atonement by vicarious satisfaction while really promoting another gospel." On p. 471, he describes this movement as trying "to be both believing and unbelieving, rejecting the supernatural but trying to love Jesus."

It is clear from his writings that he has extensive, first-hand knowledge of their teachings and is somewhat exasperated by their unbelief. On p. 606, after a brief mention of Barth and others doctrine of the Resurrection, he says the following:

"It has been in the line of my duties over the years to read many of these books and articles and to conduct courses that examined their ideas in some detail. But that has very little bearing on orthodox, evangelical Christian theology. I have no inclination whatsoever to spread their assertions or arguments further on these pages. 'The barkings of the ungodly ought, I repeat it, to be disregarded; for we see that the apostles were also assailed by these barkings' (Calvin on 1 John 4:2)."

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