Hearing the word
“The word of God never becomes our property. The test of whether we have heard it aright is whether we are prepared always to hear it anew, to ask for it in every decision in life; whether we are prepared to let it intervene in the moment of decision.”
—Rudolf Bultmann, Existence and Faith: Shorter Writings (New York: Meridian, 1960), p. 169.
I find it interesting that many theologians / biblical scholars from the World War II era used the phrase "moment of decision." Perhaps it's the influence of existentialism, or maybe more acutely, the threat of Hitler's Nazi Germany.
A fine quote. Those who demonize Bultmann should take the time to read him rather than conservative / fundamentalist books ABOUT him.
"Those who demonize Bultmann should take the time to read him" -- yes, you're absolutely right. Contrary to what many people would expect, nothing could be more characteristic of Bultmann's whole outlook than the statement I've quoted here.
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