Factitive and Practical Atheism: Dietrich Bonhoefer and William Hamilton

koot van wyk Seoul South Korea (27 January 2009)


Factitive and Practical Atheism
is defined by Jaap Durand in his book, Die Lewende God: Wegwysers in the Dogmatiek (Pretoria: NG Kerk Boekhandel, 1976), 113 [The Living God: Navigation in Dogmatics] as follows: that these scholars do not deny that there is a God but that they deny that He is active in the world. Durand listed Bonhoefer and Hamilton as two examples of this kind of Atheism.


An article that William Hamilton wrote in 1962, underlines and proves the point that Durand [Calvinistic Theologian in South Africa] is making. In his article "A Secular Theology for a World Come of Age" Theology Today Vol. 18 no. 1 (January 1962): 436-459 Hamilton and Bonhoefer attempt to argue that the world do not need God due to its technological advancements.


What is to follow, is a summary of the article by Hamilton. Hamilton used Bonhoefer's prison letters to make his point and uphold the practical atheistic position.


Seventh Day Adventists who did not yet studied the letters of Bonhoefer or works of Hamilton, will realize too soon that there is a wide gap between SDA's and these kind of scholars.


The glorification of Darwin by Bonhoefer, the glorification of godlessness, the rejection of biblicism and substitution of fundamentalism with socalled "honesty" and "authentication" is Theology void of vertical dimensions and one that is purely anthropologistic or can be called Theistic skepticism.


We have already indicated that K. Noll of Brandon University in Canada argued that there is not much difference between a Theistic skeptic and an Atheist. He himself is either nihilistic or atheistic or agnostic.


Karl Barth also indicate that Bonhoefer's claims are speaking of "unrest".


Points summarized from Hamilton with page numbers from Hamilton's article.


I. THE FIRST FORMULATION OF THE IDEA OF WORLDLINESS


BONHOEFER FEELS THERE IS A TIME FOR OTHER WORLDLINESS AND THIS-WORLDLINESS BUT THIS-WORLDLINESS RECEIVES SPECIAL ATTENTION (HAMILTON 436)

LOVE OF GOD SHOULD NOT DIMINISH EARTHLY AFFECTIONS BONHOEFER 20 MAY 1944 (HAMILTON 437)


II. THE NON-RELIGIOUS INTERPRETATION


ODD THEOLOGY: ONE THAT TRIES TO WORK WITHOUT A DOCTRINE OF GOD (HAMILTON 441)

FIND GOD IN WHAT WE DO KNOW NOT IN WHAT WE DON'T (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 441)

ADULTHOOD IS NOT POLEMICS AND APOLOGETICS (BONHOEFER AND HAMILTON 442)

SALVATION FROM FEARS IS NOT IN PAUL (BONHOEFER)

BONHOEFER AGAINST ESCHATOLOGY?

BULTMANN REJECTS CHRISTIANITY (HAMILTON 443)

BONHOEFER'S FINAL THEOLOGICAL VISION IS NON-ESCHATOLOGICAL (HAMILTON 443)

HAMILTON AND BONHOEFER ASKING WHETHER ADULTARY IS SIN? JULY 8 1944 (HAMILTON 443)

BONHOEFER'S FATHER WAS AN AGNOSTIC (HAMILTON 444)

DEFENDING THE NON-RELIGIOUS INTERPRETATION (HAMILTON 445)

BONHOEFER AGAINST APOLOGETICS AGAINST DARWIN BECAUSE IT IS DEUS EX MACHINA GOD 30 JUNE 1944 (HAMILTON 446)

WHEN JESUS BLESSED SINNERS THEY WERE REAL SINNERS (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 446)

BONHOEFER'S STRUGGLE (SOCALLED FREEDOM EXPERIENCE OF GIVING UP) MOVE FROM CROSS CHRISTOLOGY TO ANTHROPOLOGICAL CHRISTOLOGY (1935) (447)


III. THE COMING-OF-AGE OF THE WORLD (HAMILTON 447)


COMING TO AGE OF THE WORLD IS A RELIGIOUSLESS WORLD (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 448)

MAN HAS LEARNED TO LIVE WITHOUT GOD (BONHOEFER 8 JUNE 1944) (HAMILTON 448)

FIGHTING THE TREND AGAINST GOD ONLY MAKE IT MORE ANTI-GOD (BONHOEFER) JULY 16 1944

ATTACK OF CHRISTIAN AGAINST ADULTHOOD OF THE WORLD IS UNCHRISTIAN (BONHOEFER 16 JULY 1944)

FEUERBACH INFLUENCE POSITIVELY VIEWED (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 449)

HONESTY SEEN AS KEY TO LIVE BONHOEFER (HAMILTON 449)

BONHOEFER FEELS LOST INTELLECTUALLY (DOESN'T KNOW THE WAY TO PIETY ANY MORE) 16 JULY 1944

THE GOD WHO IS WITH US IS THE GOD WHO FORSAKE US (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 450)

GOD CONQUERS POWER AND SPACE BY HIS WEAKNESS AND THUS THE FALSE CONCEPT OF A POWERFUL GOD IS LOST (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 450)

BARTH DIFFERS TO BONHOEFER THAT HE IS NOT AGREEING WITH CHRISTIAN AS THIS-WORLDLINESS ONLY (HAMILTON 450)

BONHOEFER THINKS ENLIGHTMENT IS NECESSARY AND GOOD FOR THE CHRISTIAN (HAMILTON 451)

CRITERIUM IS HONESTY (HAMILTON 451)

AS IF GOD WERE NOT GIVEN (BONHOEFER) SECULARISM LIVE AS IF GOD WERE NOT GIVEN (HAMILTON 451)

BONHOEFER GREETED SECULARISM IN THE NAME OF CHRIST (HAMILTON 452)


IV. PARTICIPATION IN THE SUFFERINGS OR GOD (HAMILTON 452)


MAN MUST LIVE A "WORLDLY LIFE" AND SO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUFFERING OF GOD (BONHOEFFER) (HAMILTON 452)

TO BE A CHRISTIAN DOES NOT MEAN TO BE ACTING IN A PARTICULAR WAY. IT MEANS TO BE MAN (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 453)

BONHOEFER THINKS BIBLICAL DATA EQUALS TOTAL AND COMPLETE REALITY (HAMILTON 453)

BONHOEFER THINKS THAT BECAUSE THE WORLD IS GODLESS IT IS NEARER TO GOD (JULY 18 1944) (HAMILTON 454)

GOD ALLOWS HIMSELF TO BE EDGED OUT OF THE WORLD AND ON THE CROSS (JULY 16 1944) (HAMILTON 454)

BONHOEFER DOES NOT WANT TO THINK IN DUALISM: SECULAR/SACRED; CHURCH/WORLD; REVELATION/RATIONAL (HAMILTON 455)

CHRISTOLOGY OF BONHOEFER: THIS (OMNIPOTENCE) DIVINE BEING DOES NOT EXIST (455)

WE DO NOT LIVE FOR GOD BUT FOR HUMANS (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 457)

BARTH SAYS THAT JULY LETTERS THEOLOGY OF BONHOEFER IS IMITATIO CHRISTI THEOLOGY (HAMILTON 457)

WORLDLINESS, NON-RELIGIOUS CHRISTIANITY, COME OF AGE, PARTICIPATE IN GODLESS WORLD (BONHOEFER) (HAMILTON 457)

PROPOSAL FOR A THEOLOGY OF SECULAR CULTURE (HAMILTON 458)

BONHOEFER LIBERATES THE CHRISTIAN TO LISTEN TO FEUERBACH AND NIETZSCHE (HAMILTON 458)

SECULAR THEOLOGY POINTS TO ETHICAL TRANSFORMATION (HAMILTON 458)

BARTHIAN THEOLOGY POINTS TO SCRIPTURE (HAMILTON 458)

BARTH SAID THAT BONHOEFER IS IN "UNREST" IN HIS LETTERS (BARTH 21 DECEMBER 1952) (HAMILTON 459)