A Reappraisal of the Orders of Creation

Critics have pointed to two World Wars, the rise of German fascism, and the genocide of Europe’s Jews as proof of a faulty political ethics inherent in Lutheranism’s two kingdoms doctrine. The strongest criticism came from Karl Barth years before the Nazi seizure of power. As Barth pointed out in an...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tafilowski, Ryan (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Johns Hopkins University Press [2017]
In: Lutheran quarterly
Year: 2017, Volume: 31, Issue: 3, Pages: 288-309
IxTheo Classification:KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
KBB German language area
KDD Protestant Church
NBD Doctrine of Creation
NBE Anthropology
NCD Political ethics
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Critics have pointed to two World Wars, the rise of German fascism, and the genocide of Europe’s Jews as proof of a faulty political ethics inherent in Lutheranism’s two kingdoms doctrine. The strongest criticism came from Karl Barth years before the Nazi seizure of power. As Barth pointed out in an exchange with Paul Althaus Lutheran teaching on the ordinances of creation 'necessarily' and inevitably reinforces oppressive and unjust societal structures, and, for that reason, is nothing less than “the most evil of all theological doctrines.” Barth criticism is well taken. Ethnic segregation and racial essentialism have been thoroughly problematic byproducts of the misuse of the Schöpfungsordnungslehre. Using his deliberations on the “Jewish Question” to orient our discussion, I shall examine the völkisch theology of Paul Althaus (1888-1966) to illustrate the dangers of formulating the doctrine of the orders of creation in ways that yield a segregationist theological logic. The study will go on to show, however, that despite its real dangers, Schöpfungsordnungslehre has something to offer toward the formulation of a more humane Lutheran social ethics as civil and ecclesial communities are presently straining to meet the challenge of massive migration. The relationship between ethnic groups is once again a live issue for societies in Europe and North America where an influx of foreign nationals has, in some sectors, been met with a resurgence of nativist nationalisms. Schöpfungsordnungslehre is a vital resource for Lutheran theology in this situation precisely because it respects the particularity of each ethnic identity and the penultimate validity of political and national commitments.
ISSN:0024-7499
Contains:Enthalten in: Lutheran quarterly
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/lut.2017.0054