God Here & Now is the online magazine of the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary
Welcome to weekly roundups where we share blogposts published throughout the week. We have some wonderful theological reflections this week on the doctrine of God, Christology and white supremacy, and artificial intelligence and our human identity in Christ. There is much to consider and wrestle with in these short reflections. At the end of this roundup post, I will be sharing a curated collection of links to books, articles, events, and more that I found interesting this week and want to share with you. I hope you enjoy!
— Kait Dugan
Tim Hartman, “No Wizard Behind the Curtain”: There is only God; there is no "hidden God" pulling the strings of Jesus Christ or using Jesus Christ as merely an instrument or a mouthpiece of the real God. The God we know in Jesus Christ is the Triune God revealed. Our experiences of God are reliable. God is trustworthy. In every way that we have experienced the grace of God in our lives, that grace is real. It is not a false gift from the "real God" who is actually small and scared or mean and vindictive. The God that we encounter is the Living God—the One who is.
Chris Boesel, God Takes Sides—Against Whiteness: Jesus was no human-being-in-general. Far from it. In Jesus, through the Spirit, God shows up in a dung-filled manger, not a princely palace; God chooses table fellowship at the margins of the colonized, not at the full tables of comfortable citizens of the realm; God is executed as a threat to the law and order of empire, not the executor of the law and order of empire. Barth’s own affirmation of the “cause Dei”—of God’s cause in the world—is an affirmation that God takes sides.
Sara Mannen, Who Am I if A.I. Can Replace Me: When confronted with the rightfully troubling questions surrounding AI, may we pause before panic and anxiety set in by gratefully acknowledging that who we are is not determined by the market or our productivity. Instead, we can move forward in confidence because God’s eternal love for us motivates us to fight against any exploitative use of AI and our own tendency to reduce and use others.
The Candler Foundry at Emory University has created some fantastic and accessible online courses for you to share with your family and friends this holiday season. Karl Barth on BBC Radio 4. The Center for Asian American Christianity is hosting a timely hybrid conference on mental health in January (for free!). An astounding 71% of Americans believe in heaven. An exciting new book on Christianity in the Philippines coming out in February. If you live in Minneapolis, this looks like a great event next month. Speaking of Minnesota, if you haven’t checked out this new podcast from the Leadership Center for Social Justice at United Theological Seminary, it’s worth your time. The 2024 Bon Con is happening next month in Australia (you can attend virtually). Christian Wiman’s new book about despair looks promising. Karl Barth as LGBTQ+ ally?! A helpful list of resources on Palestinian liberation theologies (and check out this list, too). The Society for the Study of Theology in the UK has a call for papers for their 2024 conference on prayer. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture produced this powerful set of videos about solitary confinement in US prisons. A new PhD scholarship for women in divinity at Aberdeen. And a new ministry collaborative for young adult leaders.
God Here and Now is an online magazine and newsletter from the Center for Barth Studies. If you would like to support our work, you can donate to the center here. All donations are tax-deductible. Questions? Ideas? Email us: barth.center@ptsem.edu