We’ve all seen those fictional discussions between say, Barth and Bultmann or C.S. Lewis and Freud. These are always enjoyable, and I hope to write some eventually. My current fascination involves writing a discourse on ecclesiology and ecumenism between John Henry Newman and John Howard Yoder. Hopefully you will all be able to enjoy that shortly.
However, right now I pose a question: Which two theologians, of any era since the Apostles would you most like to witness a dialogue between and on what topics?
Luther and N.T. Wright on soteriology
Aquinas and Barth on sacraments
Luther and Ratzinger on ecclesiology, just on a personal level, because in my wild fantasies Ratzinger’s calm style would allow Luther to talk without shouting so much.
But I think that watching Balthasar and Irenaeus speak together about incarnation would ultimately be a deeper conversation.
Tertullian and von Harnack. :)
Methinks that discussion might end violently! Except Tertullian was a pacifist, so perhaps it would just be oratorically violent.
Hooker, Cranmer & Rowan Williams on ecclesiology (sorry I cheated – that’s 3)
Athanasius and Moltmann on the incarnation/crucified God.
Hubmaier and Yoder on pacifism
Tertullian and Gordon Fee on the Holy Spirit
Gregory the Great or Richard Baxter and Mark Driscoll on Pastoral Theology
McCormack and Barth on CD II/2.
Augustine and Barth on grace and sacraments (actually, whatever they felt like discussing would be just fine by me!).
Aquinas and Gregory Palamas on uncreated grace, divine energies, and theosis.
Greg Boyd and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Never have a seen one man (Boyd) be so influenced by another (Bonhoeffer) when they often disagree in such fundamental ways.
N.T. Wright and Hal Lindsay (ok, hardly a theologian) on eschatology. It wouldn’t be very enlightening, but it would be funny.
John Owen and John Zizioulas on Trinitarian theology. Booyah!
(part II for me)
Aquinas & Plantinga on Faith & Reason
I’ve always wished that Kierkegaard and Nietzsche could have read and written about each other.
Dorothy Day and Innocentius III on violence
Yoder and Hauerwas on the (possible) need for radical reformation
Andrew Perriman and NT Wright on the second coming of christ
Mother Theresa and John Wesley on eschatology
George MacDonald and John Calvin on predestination
Moltmann and Augustine on divine (im)passability
Bonhoeffer and as Benedict XVI on ecclesiology
von Balthasar and Jonathan Edwards on hell
By the way, thanks, Geoff, for Gregory the Great and Mark Driscoll on pastoral theology! :-)
Hauerwas and Moltmann on ecclesiology (Rasmusson could mediate),
Oscar Romero and Reinhold Niebuhr on missiology.
Camus and Ellul on godforsakenness.
Luther and Dostoevsky on suffering.
The Wallis of The Call to Conversion and the Wallis of God’s Politics on political engagement!
Jesus and Paul on the State.
Dan. I´m not sure Rasmusson would do the mediating fare, though…
Williams, Ratzinger and Zizioulas on ecclesiology.
Saints Origen & Athanasius on Christology and preexistence
Augustine and Pelagius on Yankees vs. Red Sox. I would simply like to prove that orthodox Christians should not be Yankee fans once and for all.
2pac vs. biggy
Kierkegaard and Luther on beer.
In all seriousness — Kierkegaard and Wesley on living a life of faith.
i think it would be amusing to see c.s. lewis talk with luther.
or pehraps Abraham Kuyper and Luther would be funnier… what with luther’s wife brewing beer and all.
and kuyper being a wedgie.