February Book Notes
Karl Barth's Lecture Fragments, The Christian Life
Hello Everyone! Welcome to another edition of Book Notes. For today’s post, we will discuss a work written by Barth, specifically a fragment that he could not publish before his death. One can find several editions of this work, but today, we will cover the one released in the Cornerstone Classics series.
Barth, Karl. The Christian Life: Church Dogmatics IV/4: Lecture Fragments. Edited by Hans-Anton Drewes and Eberhard Jüngel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017. ISBN:
Paperback: 978-0-5676-6562-1
ePDF: 978-0-5676-6563-8
ePub: 978-0-5676-6564-5
It is no exaggeration to say that Karl Barth reshaped Protestant theology with his magnum opus, Church Dogmatics. A Swiss Reformed pastor turned academic, Barth's thought evolved in response to the challenges of liberal theology and the existential crises of World War I and II. His work is marked by a relentless focus on God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ and a commitment to the church's role in witnessing to that revelation. Barth’s theological journey culminated in Church Dogmatics, an unfinished masterpiece of over six million words. Among the most intriguing parts of this work is The Christian Life, a collection of fragmentary lectures published posthumously, which sheds light on Barth’s theological ethics.
Philip Ziegler’s masterful introduction to The Christian Life situates this fragment within the larger framework of Barth’s dogmatics and offers a lens through which to appreciate its depth and relevance. As Ziegler notes, The Christian Life was intended to form the ethical heart of Barth’s doctrine of reconciliation, serving as the culmination of Church Dogmatics IV. Though incomplete, this text offers profound insights into the moral dimensions of the Christian life, which Barth conceives as centered on prayer as an act of invocation, resistance, and hope.
Ziegler’s Introduction: To Pray, To Testify, To Revolt
Ziegler begins his introduction with a historical and theological overview of The Christian Life, tracing its origin to Barth’s lectures in Basel from 1959 to 1961. This material represents Barth’s final efforts to articulate a theological ethics grounded in the doctrine of reconciliation. According to Ziegler, Barth saw ethics as inseparable from theology, insisting that ethical action arises as a response to God’s reconciling work in Jesus Christ. For Barth, the Christian life is not an achievement but a grateful response to God’s grace.
At the heart of The Christian Life is invocation—calling upon God as an act of faith, obedience, and freedom. Ziegler explains that for Barth, prayer encapsulates the Christian ethical response: “The living of the Christian life in obedience to that command is understood as an invocation of God” (p. xii). This invocation is framed through the Lord’s Prayer, which Barth treats not as a static formula but as a dynamic guide to Christian existence. The petitions—“Hallowed be Thy Name” and “Thy Kingdom Come”—are explored in detail, revealing their ethical and eschatological significance.
Ziegler emphasizes the eschatological dimension of Barth’s ethics. Christians live in the tension between the “already” of Christ’s victory and the “not yet” of its full manifestation. This tension shapes the ethical imperative to resist the powers of sin and death while bearing witness to God’s reconciliation. As Ziegler writes, Barth’s ethics call Christians to “pray not for the emergence of the possible, but for the effective manifestation of the real” (p. xv). This vision of ethics as witness and revolt is central to Barth’s understanding of the Christian life.
Where The Christian Life Fits in Barth’s Dogmatics
To fully appreciate The Christian Life, it is crucial to situate it within Barth’s broader project. Church Dogmatics IV focuses on the doctrine of reconciliation, exploring justification, sanctification, and vocation as dimensions of God’s saving work in Christ. The Christian Life was intended to complete this volume by addressing the ethical implications of reconciliation.
Barth’s theological ethics are not an appendix to dogmatics but an integral part. As Ziegler notes, Barth’s ethics flow naturally from his doctrine of God: “The commanding God and the obedient human creature are brought face to face as ‘two subjects in genuine encounter’” (p. 27). This encounter forms the basis of Christian ethics, which Barth frames not as a set of rules but as a lived response to God’s grace.
In The Christian Life, Barth uses the Lord’s Prayer to structure his ethical reflections. The invocation of “Our Father” emphasizes the relational foundation of Christian life, while the petitions orient believers toward God’s purposes. Barth’s treatment of the first two petitions—“Hallowed be Thy Name” and “Thy Kingdom Come”—reveals their ethical dimensions as calls to align human action with God’s reconciling work.
Prayer as Ethical Action
A central theme of The Christian Life is Barth’s identification of prayer as the primary form of ethical action. For Barth, prayer is not merely a private or devotional act; it is the foundation of the Christian life. He writes, “The foundation and renewal of the Christian life are to be dealt with in the doctrines of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and between these the Christian life itself is to be portrayed in an exposition of the Lord’s Prayer” (p. xii).
Barth’s focus on prayer reflects his understanding of ethics as a response to God’s grace. Prayer, as invocation, embodies this response: it is an act of dependence on God, a recognition of God’s sovereignty, and a commitment to align one’s life with God’s purposes. Barth insists that prayer is both an acknowledgment of God’s reconciling work and a rejection of the powers that oppose it: “To pray is to revolt against the disorder that penetrates all human relations” (p. 174).
Witness and Revolt: Ethics in Eschatological Context
Barth’s ethics are deeply eschatological, shaped by the tension between the present reality of reconciliation and the persistence of sin and rebellion. He describes Christian life as a witness to God’s kingdom and a revolt against the “lordless powers” that distort human existence. Barth argues that these powers are external forces and internal realities that corrupt human relationships, institutions, and communities.
Barth’s use of the term “lordless powers” highlights the systemic nature of sin and the need for collective resistance. Yet, this resistance is not revolutionary in a worldly sense; it is grounded in the hope of God’s ultimate victory. As Barth writes, “Christian action occurs within no less decisive an eschatological context” (p. 168). This context gives Christian ethics its unique character: it is an act of faithful resistance rooted in the assurance of God’s reign.
Unfinished but Essential
The Christian Life is unfinished, yet its incompleteness does not diminish its value. On the contrary, it invites readers into Barth’s theological process, offering a glimpse of his efforts to articulate the relationship between divine grace and human action. The fragmentary nature of this text reflects Barth’s humility before the subject matter, as he constantly revisits and revises his ideas in light of the gospel.
Philip Ziegler’s introduction is indispensable for understanding The Christian Life. By placing it within the larger framework of Barth’s Church Dogmatics, Ziegler reveals its significance as a testament to Barth’s lifelong commitment to the gospel. He reminds us that for Barth, theology and ethics are inseparable: both are acts of witness to God’s reconciling work.
In The Christian Life, Barth challenges us to reimagine ethics not as a set of principles but as a life of prayer, testimony, and resistance. Living Christianly calls upon God in trust and hope, bearing witness to God’s kingdom even amid a broken world. This is not just theology; it is a summons to live in the light of God’s grace.
