Woe to the Church Who Speaks of Jesus in the Past Tense

Hi Friends,

Here is the recording from Monday’s session on Karl Barth and the Barmen Declaration.

You can join us for our final discussion of the Barmen Declaration on Monday as Barth scholar Marty Folsom joins us. Here’s the link.

And here are the slides from the session:

Barth Barmen 3

1.57MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Show Notes

Summary

In this conversation, Jason Micheli, Josh, and Todd discuss the third thesis of the Barman Declaration. They explore the historical context of Nazi Germany and the challenges faced by the Confessing Church. The conversation highlights the importance of the church being grounded in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, rather than conforming to prevailing ideologies. They emphasize the need for the church to speak the truth in love and to testify as the community of pardoned sinners. The discussion also touches on the dangers of conflating the church with political ideologies and the importance of living out the message of grace and reconciliation. The conversation explores the themes of self-identification, the role of the church in the world, the importance of community, and the need for discernment in the church's message and order. It also touches on the eschatological nature of Christianity and the danger of conforming Jesus following to political tribes. The Barman Declaration serves as a guide for the church to resist the temptation to dilute its message and conform to cultural norms.

Takeaways

• The church must be grounded in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, rather than conforming to prevailing ideologies.

• The church is called to speak the truth in love and testify as the community of pardoned sinners.

• Conflating the church with political ideologies is dangerous and undermines the message of grace and reconciliation.

• The church must live out the message it proclaims, embodying the values of grace, peace, and inclusion. Self-identification can lead to a lack of consistency and dilution of identity.

• The church's role is to be a distinct community in the world, not conforming to cultural norms.

• Community is essential for discernment and accountability in the Christian faith.

• The church must be mindful of conforming its message and order to preconceived preferences.

• Christianity is eschatological, with an expectation of Christ's second coming.

• The church should resist the temptation to align itself with political tribes and prioritize gospel convictions over political convictions.

Sound Bites

• "The church must reject the false doctrine that it can hand over its message and order to prevailing ideological and political convictions."

• "The church is not the source of its own continuing life; it is grounded by Jesus Christ."

• "Woe to the church that speaks of Jesus in the past tense; he is the living Lord of the church."

• "This whole trend toward self-identification... I've declared to you what my identity is."

• "It's up to the people around you to tell me whether or not you're actually a Christian."

• "The church is threatened when it contests Jesus's statement, you are the salt of the earth, either by letting its savory message remain unused or by diluting it."