My Urgent Plea to Heed the Call of the Theological Declaration of Barmen

For over 40 years I have been saying all Christians and churches of all traditions in the US would be well served by a serious revisiting of the Theological Declaration of Barmen. Perhaps because I was raised and educated and served in the broad evangelical tradition, I have been aware of their particular vulnerability to the lure of a pseudo-Christian identification with the country. Recently these undercurrents seem to be taking the form of an organized movement with a name that is openly used by both its proponents and critics: (white) Christian Nationalism.  It even seems to have made its way into mainstream US politics.

 

The Theological Declaration of Barmen is brief enough to read at a sitting and deep enough to ponder for a lifetime. It sets for a clear foundation for why the Gospel of Christ cannot be identified with any country or nationalism. It was the solid basis for the Confessing Church’s break with the “German Christians” in Nazi Germany. I believe all of us who trust, love, and follow Jesus must reject every manifestation of “Christian Nationalism.”

 

The Confessing Church struggled mightily with how to be faithful Christians and good citizens. I sense that Christians and churches in the US are struggling similarly. I am not suggesting a pat formula and certainly not a painless way forward. I have no voice in any particular group, and with my present calling and vocation wrapped up in caring for my wife on her Alzheimer’s journey, I am in no position to become an activist. But I cannot ignore the aching in my spirit that has persisted for over four decades and is growing into a crescendo.

 

The full text of the Theological Declaration of Barmen is available from a number of sources. In keeping with its Lutheran and Reformed roots, it is cast in the classic form of a Church Confession. On the surface, its declarations seem obvious expressions of Christian faith and discipleship, but it rocked the German government and the churches of that time.

 

Find it at this link. The Theological Declaration of Barmen (sacred-texts.com)