Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Rudolf Bultmann - a poem

Ben Myers of Faith and Theology has already made an amateur attempt at writing poetry about Rudolf Bultmann. But what is clearly needed is a bit more class. Admittedly some of the poetry thus far on Chrisendom hasn’t necessarily been altogether too inspiring (I can’t help it if I find poetry a bit poncie). But such is the pained genius of a literary artist such as myself. Some days you’re hot, others days you’re not. Which leads me to my poem:

Rudolf Bultmann

Though some conservatives may without a thought Bultmann dismiss,
That’s surely gotta be taking the piss.

They focus on one matter so exclusively, that the whole project is misread,
As so Dr Jim West is not alone in wanting such folk dead.

They think Bultmann is self evidently a theological road accident,
And this when they haven’t a clue what on earth he really meant.

But some may say that Bultmann’s critics had a point,
That some of his theology was truly a little out of joint

But to claim this one must understand,
His thinking was far from merely liberal, shallow and bland

You see, in an age of electricity and light switches,
Those stories of angels and demons left him in stitches,

And so he pursued a course of demythologising,
But his results were for some unpleasantly surprising,

None can doubt the sheer brilliance of theological and exegetical vision,
Even if some may be forgiven for detecting and unhealthy fission,

As plotted into a theological Lutheranism,
His historians ‘works of the law’ could give today’s historiographicians a spasism

And so was this giant from Marburg City,
Whose theological results were sometimes astonishingly pretty.

Even if some of his ideas have been shown to be off track,
He still set the agenda; he was certainly no slack

But when all is said and done of course,
He could have done with a bit of Tom Wright to lead him away from the dark side of the force.

Chris Tilling, March 2007

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8 Comments:

At 3/15/2007 12:54 AM, Anonymous Michael Westmoreland-White, Ph.D. said...

VERY amusing. I like it, but Jim West will be hiring hit men to come after you any day. :-)

 
At 3/15/2007 1:55 AM, Anonymous Jon said...

If I'm honest with you...
I just haven't a clue...
About Bultmann

I find kerygmatic...
To be quite enigmatic...
With Bultmann

He was German as well...
Which makes reading him hell...
Thanks Bultmann

But he keep Jim West happy...
And he's a clever chappy...
On Bultmann

So I'll take you chaps word...
That he's really quite good...
Here's to Bultmann

 
At 3/15/2007 2:27 PM, Anonymous Christian A said...

I’ll recount the story of Bultmann
In a manner that wouldn’t insult him: -
I’ll demythologize
All the hearsay and lies
And conclude: he’s just a Heideggerian construction

 
At 3/15/2007 10:56 PM, Anonymous Chris Tilling said...

"He was German as well...
Which makes reading him hell...
Thanks Bultmann"

What the hell??

Jon, never try poetry again. Never. I ask, no plead, on behalf of all humanity. Never again...

Christian A, you know what the difference between your poetry and a bucket of green useless slop is?

The bucket.

 
At 3/16/2007 10:34 AM, Anonymous Christian A said...

Chris, I refer you to Ghostbusters, where what appeared to some as green useless slop was actually ectoplasm - the trace of an enigmatic "je ne sais quoi" which only Bill Murray had the insight to understand.

(I think these offbeat lyrical explorations of past theologians are fantastic...I challenge you to compose a story where Karl Barth, Rudolf Bultmann and Jurgen Moltmann save the world from global melt-down!)

 
At 3/16/2007 8:53 PM, Anonymous Jon said...

He was German as well...
Which makes reading him hell...
Thanks Bultmann

They are genius lines...

You know it. Everyone agrees with me! Just because YOU can read German... My mind can't remember the subject in German sentences they are SO long...

 
At 3/18/2007 5:31 PM, Anonymous samlcarr said...

Someone should demythologize the big Bs for the benefit of all those misled and misunderstanding conservative xtians out there - not an original thought but still a job that needs to be done.

 
At 3/19/2007 6:41 PM, Anonymous Chris Tilling said...

Jon, Jon.

Never again.

Sam, I agree with you on that one for sure

 

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