Myth: Bultmann's Demythologisation
Rudolf Bultmann argues that biblical mythological language (miracles, resurrection, ascension) must be demythologized to recover existential meaning for contemporary hearers.
Real World
Bultmann's approach is echoed in modern liberal churches that preach the resurrection as a transformative experience of new life and purpose rather than a physical resuscitation — translating ancient cosmology into language meaningful to a 21st-century congregation.
Exam Focus
For 'critically assess' questions, always engage with the objection that demythologisation strips Christianity of essential doctrinal content (e.g. Barth's critique).
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