January Book Notes
Raymond Carr's Trilogy
Today, we have the distinct pleasure of promoting Raymond Carr's new trilogy on Karl Barth, James Cone, and Jazz Musician Thelonious Monk. This trilogy will undoubtedly reframe Barth's studies positively for years to come. The release of this trilogy provides a distinct and crucial shift needed in those who read and engage the theology of Karl Barth and Thelonious Monk.
Foreword by Willie Jennings
Before moving to Carr’s work proper, I want to reflect on the fantastic forward to this trilogy. Willie Jennings’s foreword is a symphonic prelude to the trilogy, framing Carr’s project as a theological and aesthetic revolution. Jennings highlights the trilogy’s central claim: theology has become “arthritic” and stagnant, losing its “musicality,” or the dynamic rhythm of divine revelation and human response. Jennings writes, “Theology just stands still like a statue... busy people... never see it, because they are moving, and it is standing still—still life.” Carr’s work, as Jennings notes, seeks to bring theology back to life, rendering it “magnificently strange” and attuned to “the melodic center of existence, the cantus firmus... of Jesus Christ.”
Carr, Raymond. Theology in the Mode of Monk: An Aesthetics of Barth and Cone on Revelation and Freedom, Volume 1: Epistrophy—Historical and Hermeneutical Backgrounds. Cascade Books, 2024. ISBN 978-1-5326-7153-1 (paperback), 978-1-5326-7154-8 (hardcover), 978-1-5326-7155-5 (ebook).
Volume 1: Epistrophy: Historical and Hermeneutical Backgrounds
Expanded Overview:
Carr begins his trilogy by setting the stage for his innovative synthesis of Karl Barth’s Christocentric theology, James Cone’s Black liberation theology, and Thelonious Monk’s improvisational jazz aesthetics. The title, Epistrophy, borrowed from Monk’s jazz standard, reflects Carr’s method of returning to foundational theological questions—history, hermeneutics, and identity—through the lens of musical improvisation. The book's structure reflects its subject: cyclical, improvisational, and deeply engaged with the theological rhythms of Barth and Cone.
The book explores how Barth and Cone can be placed in conversation despite their vastly different contexts and focuses. Barth’s work, rooted in Swiss Reformed theology, critiques liberalism and emphasizes the transcendence of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. Cone, by contrast, locates divine revelation within the struggles of Black Americans, particularly through the language of the blues and spirituals. Carr uses Monk’s music as a metaphorical and methodological tool to explore these thinkers, arguing that their theologies share a common improvisational quality that adapts divine truth to their respective cultural moments.
Carr devotes significant attention to Charles Long, a historian of religion whose work on Black religious subjectivity provides a crucial bridge between Barth’s theological rigor and Cone’s lived theology of liberation. Long’s concept of "black sound" as a mode of resistance and spiritual insight becomes central to Carr’s argument, embodying jazz's creative and subversive energy.
Theological aesthetics emerge as a critical theme, with Carr asserting that theology must recover its "musicality"—a dynamic, living engagement with God’s revelation. Jennings summarizes Carr well when he writes, “Theology has lost sight of this God-given companion... the musicality of theology itself without which theology is not moving.” Carr critiques the static, overly academic approaches to theology and invites readers to embrace divine truth's unpredictable, performative nature.
Key Themes:
Barth’s Theology of Revelation: Barth insists that revelation is solely the work of God, revealed in Jesus Christ and not mediated through human culture or experience.
Cone’s Theology of Liberation: Cone sees revelation as inseparable from the lived experiences of Black Americans, arguing that God’s presence manifests in the cries for justice and freedom.
The Role of Improvisation: Carr introduces Monk’s music as a model for theological reflection, emphasizing the need for creativity and adaptability in addressing contemporary issues.
Carr, Raymond. Theology in the Mode of Monk: An Aesthetics of Barth and Cone on Revelation and Freedom, Volume 2: ’Round Midnight—Revelation and Experience in the Theologies of Barth and Cone. Cascade Books, 2024. ISBN 978-1-6667-4520-7 (paperback), 978-1-6667-4521-4 (hardcover), 978-1-6667-4522-1 (ebook).
Volume 2: ’Round Midnight: Revelation and Experience in the Theologies of Barth and Cone
Expanded Overview:
Building on the foundations laid in Epistrophy, Carr’s second volume, ’Round Midnight, delves into the interplay between revelation and human experience. Inspired by one of Monk’s most famous compositions, the title reflects the book’s focus on the liminal spaces where divine revelation meets human existence—midnight as the threshold between day and night, certainty and doubt, divine and human.
Carr argues that Barth and Cone, while distinct in their emphases, both grapple with the tension between the objectivity of God’s revelation and the subjectivity of human experience. Barth critiques liberal theology for subordinating revelation to human reason, advocating instead for an encounter with the living Word of God that transcends human understanding. Cone, conversely, roots his theology in the lived experience of oppression, contending that revelation is not an abstract truth but a concrete reality revealed in the struggle for justice.
Monk’s improvisational logic serves as a hermeneutical key to understanding this tension. Carr writes, “Barth improvised on the subjective experience of the subject matter, whereas Cone improvised on the subjective experience of the subject matter.” Revelation, for both, becomes an improvisational act where divine truth is expressed in ways that resonate with the cultural and historical context of the hearer.
Carr’s engagement with Charles Long deepens in this volume. Long’s concept of the “black sound” as a theological category resonates with Monk’s “ugly beauty,” a term used to describe the paradoxical harmony of dissonant notes. This framework allows Carr to explore how Barth and Cone navigate theological “dissonance,” such as the paradox of divine transcendence and immanence.
The volume also critiques the “academic industrial complex” for sterilizing theological discourse, turning Barth into a symbol of white scholasticism and Cone into a static museum piece. Carr’s method seeks to recover the vitality and relevance of their theologies by placing them in a dynamic, improvisational dialogue.
Key Themes:
Revelation and Experience: Barth’s focus on the objectivity of revelation contrasts with Cone’s emphasis on subjective, lived experience as a site of divine truth.
Improvisation as Theological Method: Monk’s approach to music becomes a model for navigating the interplay of revelation and experience.
Charles Long’s “Black Sound”: Long’s insights bridge the gap between Barth’s abstract theology and Cone’s lived theology, highlighting the transformative power of music and spirituality.
Carr, Raymond. Theology in the Mode of Monk: An Aesthetics of Barth and Cone on Revelation and Freedom, Volume 3: Misterioso—Freedom for Liberation in Creation. Cascade Books, 2024. ISBN 978-1-6667-4525-2 (paperback), 978-1-6667-4526-9 (hardcover), 978-1-6667-4527-6 (ebook).
Volume 3: Misterioso: Freedom for Liberation in Creation
Expanded Overview:
The trilogy culminates in Misterioso, a volume exploring freedom's political and cosmic dimensions. The title references another Monk classic, signaling Carr’s shift toward the liberationist implications of theology. Here, Carr places Barth and Cone in conversation about the nature of freedom, arguing that true freedom is both a divine gift and a human responsibility.
Carr examines Barth’s concept of divine freedom as the grounding for all human freedom. For Barth, God’s freedom is not arbitrary but relational, manifest in God’s covenant with humanity. Conversely, Cone emphasizes freedom as resistance to oppression, asserting that God’s solidarity with the oppressed empowers human liberation. Carr argues that these perspectives are not contradictory but complementary, with Monk’s music providing a model for their integration.
Monk’s Misterioso, characterized by its playful yet complex structure, becomes a metaphor for the multifaceted nature of freedom. Jennings writes, “Monk’s compositions draw together new possibilities for thinking in sound—dense offerings, multilayered in their elegant simplicity.” Similarly, theological freedom is deeply rooted in tradition and open to creative reinterpretation.
The volume concludes with a “reprise,” which (re)imagines Barth and Cone in a new form, tying together the trilogy’s central insights. Carr emphasizes that theology, like jazz, is never complete—it is an ongoing performance that requires improvisation, collaboration, and a deep engagement with the realities of the world.
Key Themes:
Divine Freedom: Barth views freedom as grounded in God’s being and expressed in covenantal relationships.
Liberation: Cone’s liberation theology is an urgent call to resist systemic oppression and embrace the freedom offered in Christ.
Cosmic Freedom: Carr expands Cone’s liberation theology to include all creation, arguing that freedom is a cosmic reality grounded in Christ's reconciling work.
Final Thoughts:
Raymond Carr’s Theology in the Mode of Monk trilogy is a profound exploration of how theology can be revitalized through the aesthetics and logic of jazz. Each volume builds on the last, creating a theological symphony that challenges readers to embrace improvisation, complexity, and the dynamic interplay of revelation and experience. This trilogy is a masterclass in theological innovation, offering new ways to think about freedom, liberation, and the role of theology in a broken world.
Thanks for excellent review. I’m about at the end of Vol 1, taking my time with a slow read. It’s a real treat for lovers of theology and jazz. Grateful for Carr’s groundbreaking thinking.
To quote your own very fine summary of the 3 volumes, more particularly the 'Key Themes' at the end of the 1st and 2nd volume-summaries: at the end of the 1st: "Barth insists that revelation is solely the work of God, revealed in Jesus Christ and not mediated through human culture or experience"; "Cone sees revelation as inseparable from the lived experiences of Black Americans". At the end of the 2nd: "Barth’s focus on the objectivity of revelation contrasts with Cone’s emphasis on subjective, lived experience as a site of divine truth".
Permit me also to express my reservations regarding your phraseology in your 3rd 'key theme' at the end of the 2nd summary, where you write of, "the gap between Barth's abstract theology and Cone's lived theology". Barth would assuredly not have accepted the description of his theology as 'abstract'. Again and again, he rejects 'abstract' theology; just one instance from his 1920's John lectures" ‘What do church, baptism, God mean, if we have the possibility, or can even reckon with the possibility, of abstracting from it, of suspending our life in this context…?’
Forgive me for rambling at such length.