“Confession will Always Cause Head-Shaking among Serious People”

On Barmen, Barth and Persevering in Witness

Abstract

Barth was always deeply aware that moments may arise in the life of the church when believers become convinced that the faith is questioned in such serious ways that there is a need to respond with acts of confessing and lives of public witness in the concrete here and now. He was also aware, over many years, that in such moments their confession would always cause headshaking among serious people, whether within or outside the church. He often considered factors that may lead to such headshaking. In this essay, three of these factors are briefly considered, firstly the reality that some may fail to see and name the threats of their time, secondly, the difficulties in recognizing the best moment for action, even when people agree on the threats and their seriousness, and thirdly the difficulty of understanding the motivation that may justify such acts of confession by the church. To persevere in its witness, the church should remain aware of this inevitable headshaking.