The main thrust of mediating theology is Christology, the centrality of Jesus Christ in everything.
Institutes of The Christian Religion (annotated)
by Emanuel V. Gerhart, D.D., LL,D
Introduction by by Philip schaff, D.D., LL.D.
Volumes 1 & 2
Edited & Annotated by Phillip A. Ross
Originally published; 1891, Funk & Wagnals
One of the first things that a student of theology will notice is that Gerhart used the same title for his book as John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. That fact is awesome, audacious, and interesting. Gerhart, was a practitioner of mediating theology, which developed in Germany in the 1800s as a continuation of the Reformation. Semper Reformanda! These scholars worked to mediate between Christ and His church, between Hegel and Schleiermacher, between rationalism and supernaturalism, and between innovation and tradition. They took seriously the fact that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between humanity and God (1 Timothy 2:5). Because the church is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12), the church is to continue the ministry of mediation in the world.
Gerhart’s Institutes was conceived and developed following the American Civil War and Reconstruction. During a time of denominational fragmentation Gerhart provided a Reformed theological foundation for Christian unity. Apparently, the churches were not ready for Mercersburg theology, which ran counter to most of the theological trends of the time, both Northern and Southern.
I believe that those theological trends are today experiencing their last gasps which have manifested in the sad condition of most churches—and the nation at large—at the current time (2023). We are again in the throes of revival, which means that faithlessness is running rampant in the church(es). The boom and bust of revivalism has fueled the latest attempts to bring new life into the church(es) by furiously pounding the ailing heart of revivalism in the hope of resuscitation. Every revival must be grander than the last in order to gain attention, which worked for a while. But over time dredging up new enthusiasm for the same old established patterns of emotional worship has become increasingly difficult. Most people are just not responding.
The problem with revivalism is that it doesn’t tend to lead people into sanctification, growth, and maturity in Christ. The revival emphasis is on salvation and baptism, and is repeated ad nauseam. There is little incentive to grow in Christ because the action is always on bringing new Christians into the fold. That’s not a bad thing, unless it fails to lead them into continuing growth and maturity in Christ.
