The Monthly Roundup
A recap of October 2024 from Kait Dugan
Notes from our Editor-in-Chief
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Full transparency: I am always unsure what to write in these roundup emails. I sit in front of this blank white space once a month and wonder where to start. There is so much happening in the world every day, of which we are all much more aware, given the constant barrage of news, social media updates, and other forms of mass communication. Are you tired? Because I am.
Next Tuesday is the US Presidential election. It is hard to state the consequential nature of this next election for both the United States and the world writ large. At the exact same time, it also feels like nothing will change fundamentally after November 5. Being able to say those two things simultaneously is just one example of how exhausting and perplexing these current times are for many of us. If you are reading this and feel similarly, just know you are not alone.
On a more personal note, today marks one year since the passing of my dear friend and colleague, John Hwang. I can hardly believe it has been a year since I have spoken with John on Slack or Zoom. I used to talk with him nearly every day as we worked together on so many projects, including this online magazine, which would not exist without him. John, you are greatly missed.
Truth be told, I am grateful that there has been a lot happening at the Barth Center that keeps me distracted in these heavy days. There have been numerous thought-provoking posts from new contributors to this space. Thank you to each contributor who has agreed to write for us over this next academic year. In the next few weeks, my colleague Hank and I are working to update the Barth Center’s website. We are also in the thick of planning the 2025 Barth Conference on June 15–18 on the theme of incarceration. And next week, I will be giving a presentation at a conference in Basel. I also look forward to seeing many friends and colleagues at the 2024 American Academy of Religion in San Diego next month. More details about all these updates and events are below.
Thank you for taking the time to read the center’s online magazine. Your interest and support mean a great deal to us, and we do not take it for granted. Take good care of yourself and each other.
— Kait Dugan, Director
🖥️ New Website Coming Soon!
The Center for Barth Studies is currently working on creating a brand new website in the early new year. Our current website was launched in 2014, so we are excited for the center’s website to get a fresh look. The goal is to make all the resources available at the center more accessible to a wider audience.
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🏔️ “Karl Barth and the Apocalyptic”
An International Conference
The Karl Barth Center for Reformed Theology
The Karl Barth Center for Reformed Theology at the University of Basel is hosting an international conference on November 7–9 titled “Karl Barth and the Apocalyptic.” This conference will offer a virtual attendance option, but you must email the host to receive a Zoom link. For more information about the conference program, visit the link below.
📣 Karl Barth Society of North America Meetings
The Karl Barth Society of North America (KBSNA) will meet at the 2024 American Academy of Religion in San Diego, California. The following are the planned meetings:
→ Friday, November 22, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Theme: Barth on Providence
Location: Convention Center-24A (Upper Level East)
Paul Dafydd Jones, University of Virginia, Presiding
Cambria Kaltwasser, Northwestern College, Orange City, Karl Barth on Prayer within the Providence of God
Manuela Steinemann, University of Zurich, Barth, Nothingness and the Angels: Historicity and Providence
David Chao, Princeton Theological Seminary, Providence, Concept Use, and Politics: The Limits of Karl Barth's Comprehensive Correction in CD III/3
→ Saturday, November 23, 9:30 AM – 1:00 AM
Theme: Karl Barth — On Nationalism, Politics, and Christian Witness
Location: Hilton Bayfront-Sapphire 410A (Fourth Level)
Paul Dafydd Jones, University of Virginia, Presiding
Sara Mannen, University of Aberdeen, The Intersection of Providence and Nothingness: Neighbors, Nations, and Nationalism
Breno Seabra, Karl Barth and Christian Nationalisms in Brazil
Christopher Choi, University of Virginia, Theologizing Insurgent Grounds: An Experiment with Karl Barth
If you want to become a KBSNA member or renew your membership, you can now do so online!
📝 October Highlights
God Here and Now has welcomed a few new writers to our team! Below are a few of their contributions from the month of October on the topics of human honor, state violence, and the revelation of God:
In Defense of Honor?
Barth moves us to consider the possibility that identities anchored in the online brands we craft are wrongly backed by counterfeit honor, detached from God's immovable love and bestowal of honor. The latter will not be augmented by achieving even the sleekest and most networked online presence.
Pretend God is Here, Now
Our Christian task is exhilarating in its simplicity, but it also breaks my heart because I desperately want the gospel to come alive for those God has entrusted to me. With everything, I want the conclusion God has promised in Jesus’ resurrection to come to fruition here and now. But, because God is real and I am only a person, all I have is this good news God has entrusted Christians to proclaim, today, right where we are. The real pretending is the delusion that there is anything else.
Theologizing Beyond State Violence, Pt. 1
My interest in the theopolitics of the state began during my dissertation research, which I began at the height of the 2020 protests and uprisings in response to George Floyd’s murder. Just as I felt there to be a radical theological content to the protests, to their dreams and demands, I was convinced that there was also a theological word to be spoken regarding the protests’ brutal and violent suppression by police in cities around the country.
On Reckoning with "Christian Extremism"
Popular (albeit earnest) accounts of January 6 have tended to interpret the storming of the Capitol in various sub-theological ways. That is, many accounts of January 6—even ones that center the religious element—offer insights that correspond to their own disciplinary logic. They emerge from non-theological grounds, like sociology or security studies. It is not that these disciplines have nothing to say: they do! It is just that the Church cannot rely solely on these disciplines to map accounts of Christian involvement of January 6.
A curated list of all the things that caught my eye this month.
The recent passing of Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez, one of the fathers of liberation theology. The Society for the Study of Theology has announced its 2024 conference on the theme “Flesh and Blood Theologies.” The Church Preached Love and Tolerance—Then Racial Politics Tore It Apart. A Symposium on Paul and Time. A conversation with Shelly Rambo, Karen O’Donnell, and Daniel Tumminio Hansen on “Trauma Informed Care: A Celebration of Two New Books.” Check out Wipf & Stock’s big 50% off sale on their entire inventory. You can pre-order Munther Isaac’s new book Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza. This is an important piece highlighting some recent events at the Louisville Institute.
God Here and Now is an online magazine and newsletter from the Center for Barth Studies. If you want to support our work, you can donate to the center here. All donations are tax-deductible. Questions? Ideas? Please email us: barth.center@ptsem.edu