A Strange New World

Quotes for the Journey No. 3

“...the ‘strange world’ within the Bible is indeed a ‘strange new world,’ seemingly far outdated and yet peculiarly fresh, arresting, and life-giving.” -Karl Barth ¹

As I mentioned in my previous post, my wife and I are on a long-planned journey to Italy. One of the things I love about travel is the opportunity to explore new worlds. The people of Tuscany, for example, have lived in a place that I have only seen in photos or read about in books. But on this adventure, I will get to actually live in this world that is their life. I know there will be things from their world that, when properly applied, will enrich my own world.

Photo from my hike in Tuscany.

There is one difficulty with this learning experience, however. It always ends with the return trip home. I like home because it is the world I live in. But for that very reason it lacks the thing that I love about travel. So, here is the question: Can we get the best of both worlds - a strange new world while we are here at home?

For followers of Jesus, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” And today’s quote points us in the right direction:

“...the ‘strange world’ within the Bible is indeed a ‘strange new world,’ seemingly far outdated and yet peculiarly fresh, arresting, and life-giving.”

Karl Barth was a Swiss pastor and theologian who wrote almost all of the Barmen Declaration, covered in a previous post, taking a strong and public stand against Nazi attempts to control the German Christian Church. He is also known for his 500 page Commentary, The Epistle to the Romans, in which he argued that the God revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus challenges and overthrows any attempt to ally God with human cultures, achievements, or possessions. Rather than approaching the Bible through the eyes of his own culture, Barth set out to read the Bible as a world of its own.

The Bible on our bookshelf, then, is an opportunity to experience a strange new world in our homes. The story of the book of Ruth, for example, is set in a time and place far removed from our own. Yet, this beautifully told story continues to inspire us. The book of Jonah describes an upside-down experience in the ancient world. Yet it still has the power to make us laugh at our own prejudice, stubbornness, and pride. All of the books of the Bible, if read and understood, provide direction for our own journey of faithfully following Christ in our contemporary context.

Travelling is a wonderful experience. Reading the Bible is a daily adventure!

1. Karl Barth ‘the Strange New World within the Bible” in The Word of God and the Word of Man p. 28-50