Hello everyone! Welcome to another edition of Book Notes for the God: Here & Now online magazine. In this edition, we will explore two great books and a new series on the Church Dogmatics that help pastors and scholars envision how to incorporate Karl Barth’s theology into church life. At the beginning of the Church Dogmatics, Barth wrote, “The community in and for which I have written [the Church Dogmatics] is that of the Church and not a community of theological endeavor.”1 Yet many pastors and lay people find reading Barth’s theology in general, and the Church Dogmatics in particular, difficult. For this reason, we want to highlight three works that will help non-specialists in the church integrate Barth’s theology into their work.
Andrew Root, Churches and the Crisis of Decline: A Hopeful, Practical Ecclesiology for a Secular Age (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2022), ix–283. (Paperback)
Our first book is the fourth in a series of books by Andrew Root on ministry in the secular age. This work, in conversation with philosophers like Charles Taylor and Hartmut Rosa, provides a compelling narrative of Barth’s life. Root brilliantly locates Barth’s theological revolution in works like the Römerbrief in his relationships with his family, friends, and community. This alone makes the book worth its price. However, Root utilizes this narrative to inform an ecclesiology for churches experiencing decline.
Root argues that churches resist decline by using innovation to gain money or younger families (i.e., resources). But Root reveals that the church's crisis is not due to a lack of resources but the loss of life. For Root, Barth helps articulate a living ecclesiology that remains open to God's encountering presence. This book challenges any narrative where the church is the star of its own story by remaining open to divine action. Churches and the Crisis of Decline offers a rich vision for the church and its future and moves away from the idolatry of relevance and resources. Instead, the church must live toward the living God.
Kimlyn J. Bender, Reading Karl Barth for the Church: A Guide and Companion (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), ix–299. (Paperback)
The first text above used Barth and his theology to address an emerging concern for pastors and scholars in the Church. Our next text assists those who wish to approach Barth’s massive work and how to use it for various concerns.
Reading Karl Barth for the Church, by theologian Kimlyn Bender, produces a lucid introduction to Barth's theology in a way that centers the church, the pastorate, and Christian ministry. However, it does not engage the entire Church Dogmatics and only serves as a practical companion to the first volume. Bender provides clear help for those engaged in ministry by developing a language for beginners and offering novelty for advanced readers. One of the book's more helpful features is how Bender invites readers into structured reading and small group guides. The text includes reading schedules, including for the entire Church Dogmatics, and discussion questions for individuals and groups.
Marty Folsom, Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics for Everyone, Volume 1, The Doctrine of the Word of God: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners and Pros (1) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022), xi–279. (Paperback)
Marty Folsom, Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics for Everyone, Volume 2, The Doctrine of God: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners and Pros (2) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023), xi–369. (Paperback)
Marty Folsom, Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics for Everyone, Volume 3, The Doctrine of Creation: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners and Pros (3) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2025). (Paperback)
Unlike Bender, who focuses on bringing Barth into conversation with Church life, Marty Folsom’s work aims to simplify the Church Dogmatics for various disciplines. For many, the sheer length of the Church Dogmatics poses a daunting task. Spanning over 12,000 pages in English, many never even attempt to read the Church Dogmatics. Folsom helps to correct that. I highlight these three books in Folsom’s series because they provide astute summaries and analysis of the whole of the Church Dogmatics. Thus, those who may not normally read the Dogmatics might find Folsom’s work a more palatable read, making the Church Dogmatics more available to a broader audience.
Folsom also includes articles from scholars in various disciplines that articulate the broad import of Barth’s work. For those interested in pastoral ministry and the work of the Church, these articles cover topics for pastors and those interested in spiritual formation. Folsom’s work summarizes complex passages with creative guides and broadens the audience of the Church Dogmatics, both in and beyond the Church.
That will be everything for this edition of Book Notes. As always, thank you for reading. If you want to see a topic or book on Book Notes, email me at hank.spaulding@ptsem.edu.
Until next time!
Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics I.1: The Doctrine of the Word of God, trans. G.W. Bromiley, ed. T.F. Torrance (New York: T&T Clark, 2004), xv.