Benjamin Pouzin

Benjamin Pouzin won't be a household name pretty much anywhere in the anglosphere, but amongst French Christians, at least, he is well known as the guitarist for the French worship band, Glorious. If you like Christian music and you haven't found Glorious, then do check out their beautiful rendition of the Lord's prayer, Notre Père:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7uBkTcx3Jg

In this book, Pouzin shows he is more than just a guitarist. He is a Christian who wants us to reconnect with the christocentric theology of Karl Barth.

Karl Barth is better known amongst English speakers, but also not as well known these days as he used to be. Barth was, however, a great theologian of the 20th century, and many argue the greatest such theologian. Benjamin Pouzin summarises his strongly Christocentric thought in three broad sections in this book. He does not get bogged down in philosophy or theology, but presents Barth's views and then, in each section, he looks at practical outworkings of what he has discussed, using his own experience from his ministry with Glorious.

The book begins with election. God has chosen you. Barth, too, spoke at length about the doctrine of election, and Pouzin is true to Barth's thought by putting this first and foremost, and showing how Christianity is all about what God, in Christ, has done for you, thus the title of the book which translates to "God has done something for you".

What is remarkable, to me, about Pouzin's book is not just his very obvious enthusiasm for Christianity and Christ, but that he would write this book centred around Karl Barth's thought, when he is a Catholic Christian.

Barth's view of election owes a great deal to the reformed tradition. Although the reformers followed Augustine, of course. Yet this is a book that reads like a work of Protestant theology. Pouzin reclaims it for Catholicism. Throughout the book you would be hard pressed to even notice that Pouzin was coming from a Catholic point of view, and yet he makes the compelling case that this is authentic Christianity for Catholics too. He shows that Christ is at the centre of faith, of life, of doctrine - everything.

Speaking of Protestantism, Pouzin has said that for him, Protestantism soothed, and reformed Catholicism, converting it back to what it should have been. He has a very positive view of Protestantism. He seems to view it as a reforming force that led (as it did) to the counter reformation and a movement in Catholicism to rediscover Christocentric faith.

If only everyone had Pouzin's ability to see the good in those outside his own tradition. I have met many Protestant Christians who would not give this book the time of day, simply because it is written by a Catholic. Yet I can't help think, as I look at a Protestant Christianity that tolerates all kinds of strange things, and does not seem to have the courage to believe its own message, and thus often strays into political lobbying for some very anti Christian people, that what Pouzin presents here is much closer to authentic Christianity than what many of them have to offer.… (plus d'informations)