What Remains When Every Mask Falls
Karl Barth and Political Action To-Day!
About the author: Henry Walter Spaulding III is Editorial Manager for the Center for Barth Studies. He also serves as an adjunct professor of Christian ethics at Ashland University, Ashland Theological Seminary, George Fox University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. He is the author of several books, including Iconoclastic Sex: Christian Sexual Ethics and Human Trafficking and the forthcoming Between Two Gileads (Cascade). He has also published several articles in journals such as the Wesleyan Theological Journal, Review and Expositor, and the Journal for Literary Imagination. He is also the Senior Pastor at Hope United Methodist Church in Columbus, OH.
The phrase “thoughts and prayers” rightfully elicits an eye roll from those who tire of the actionless words of those who benefit from the present, violent structuring of the world. In our present moment, many, both Christian and non-Christian, decry prayer and demand action and activism. Prayer, for them, is merely the response of the powerful and platformed who refuse the responsibility to act. Furthermore, the call to prayer and proclaim God after such a platforming of fascism and corruption is one of the reasons many do not take Christianity seriously. Though action is and will always be an important response to injustice, should the Christian understanding of prayer surrender itself to a vision of passivity in the face of injustice and defeat?
I humbly believe that prayer still has an important function in the aftermath of such horrendous misappropriations of the Christian faith. This practice of prayer does not play into the hands of the clear Christian nationalists who only care about Christian ideas insofar as they platform themselves against any responsibility for evil deeds. Furthermore, prayer provides a clear ability to continue fighting against injustice, fascism, and the continued marginalization of so many.
To this end, I turn to the Swiss theologian Karl Barth for help.
As discussed in Church Dogmatics III/4, Barth's theology of prayer presents prayer as obedience to God’s command. Prayer is not spontaneous; it originates in God’s directive, which invites and obligates believers to engage in it. For Barth, prayer rests on the permission granted by God’s command, which transforms into an imperative. This is because God’s will for believers is to approach God directly and bring their requests to God as an act of faith. Barth asserts that the human impulse to pray should be understood not by personal strength or worthiness but by God’s invitation: “What God wills of [humanity] is simply that [they] shall pray to [God], that [they] shall come to [God] with [their] requests.”1 Prayer, therefore, is obedience to this divine summons, demonstrating that even in the believer’s inability or reluctance, they are nonetheless called to reach out to God in faith. Through this calling, God “commands us to desire and will and ask” in an authentic relationship with Godself.2
At the heart of prayer is a petition, which Barth identifies as the core expression of prayerful obedience. He argues that prayer as a petition distinguishes itself from any attempt at self-sufficiency or an effort to present something “worthy” to God. The petition, instead, acknowledges the human need and dependence, coming to God with what Barth describes as “empty hands.”3 Barth insists that petitionary prayer is an exercise in true humility and dependence, as believers are invited to stand before God without pretense, relying solely on grace. Barth contends, “Who can ask aright without being supremely thankful, and expressing his thanks, that…[they] may therefore ask and be obedient to so kind and liberal a command of God?”4 Thanksgiving, repentance, and worship are essential to prayer, but only when embedded within the central act of petition, which ultimately affirms that believers have nothing to offer to God other than their need and willingness to receive from God.
Barth emphasizes that prayer is also inherently communal, which grounds it in the shared life of the Church. Although prayer is deeply personal, it is not a private affair. It is shaped by and belongs to the Christian community, which prays in unison as “we” rather than “I.” The Lord’s Prayer epitomizes this communal dimension, beginning with “Our Father” and weaving the petitions into a collective request. Barth stresses that prayer as a community action invites and summons believers to take up God’s cause as their own, joining in solidarity with others and recognizing their shared dependence on God. This communal form of prayer reflects the Church’s role in representing the world before God, praying for both the immediate needs of believers and the world. Through communal prayer, individual Christians are reminded of their collective responsibility and privilege to seek God’s will together and bear witness to God’s work in the world.
Barth highlights the assurance of being heard as a defining aspect of true prayer. He emphasizes that Christian prayer is grounded in the certainty that God listens and responds. This assurance is not a matter of human presumption but a confidence rooted in the mediation of Jesus Christ, who stands as both our representative and intercessor before God. Barth insists that because Jesus prays with us and for us, our petitions are united with God’s petitions in Christ, thus becoming pleasing and acceptable to God. “In [God’s] Son,” Barth writes, “God has become [human]… and therefore [God] has actually taken our side and become our [Sibling].”5 This assurance, Barth argues, frees believers to approach God boldly and confidently, knowing that their prayers are received as part of God’s plan and will.
Lastly, Barth underscores that both private and communal prayer must strike a balance between form and freedom. True prayer requires discipline, ensuring that prayer is offered thoughtfully and sincerely, but it must also resist becoming rigid or perfunctory. Barth warns against prayer that is overly formalized, which can stifle genuine expression, but he also cautions against overly individualistic or impromptu prayer that loses connection to the Church’s communal life. For instance, he critiques long, verbose prayers in favor of a simple, direct approach that honors God’s command to pray confidently and honestly. Barth writes, “Prayer begins where this kind of exercise leaves off,” urging that true prayer is grounded in obedient, heartfelt petition rather than in human efforts to produce eloquence or achieve a particular state of mind.6 He calls for a prayer life that is neither “a mask” nor “a mechanism” but instead arises from an earnest engagement with God, emphasizing that the rule of obedience is “a rule of freedom.”7
In sum, Barth’s theology of prayer envisions a profound act of obedience grounded in God’s command, centered on petition, lived out in community, assured of God’s hearing, and expressed in disciplined yet heartfelt form. Prayer, for Barth, is a participation in God’s grace, reflecting both the intimate and communal dimensions of faith, whereby believers turn to God in obedience.
The language of obedience can put off those who rightly object to the falsely pious platitudes of those who use prayer as an excuse for inaction. However, Barth, as we see, does not have this in mind. The communal and limiting nature of prayer in Barth’s theology locates humanity in a specific context of divine grace.
To be clear, this grace is shared by our fellow humans and should correctly orient believers to shared visions of action. It holds believers accountable for inaction and reminds the Christian community to respond to injustices in the world with stubborn love that disrupts the systemic evils that others would use prayer to avoid. Barth recognized that prayer not only served the victims through petitioning on their behalf but also an act of freedom in God to join siblings who suffer in solidarity and action. Any prayer that fails to move into the world is false piety or “a mask,” as Barth would term it. It is falsely pious because prayer participates in God’s movement into the far country wherein God’s Son joins in solidarity with the world.
It is important to partake in prayer as such so that believers may resist the "the Lordless Powers" of the world.8 Barth helps believers recognize prayer as false piety versus the prayer that God commands, particularly in relation to political authority and social structure. Here, prayer takes on a critical dimension. Barth identifies the various powers that exist in the world—political, economic, and social—that often operate independently of God’s will. These "Lordless Powers" can become oppressive forces that distort human relationships and diminish the dignity of individuals. In this context, prayer serves as a counter-practice to the dominance of these powers, offering an alternative vision rooted in God's lordship. The Lordless Powers use prayer as a distraction to be inattentive to the world’s oppressive structures, where as Barth’s command to pray must see the world free of such masks.
Barth argues that prayer should reflect personal needs and desires and confront the systemic injustices perpetuated by these powers. It is a means of mediation, invoking God’s intervention in the world's affairs. This aspect of prayer calls for a prophetic stance that challenges the status quo and seeks to dismantle the structures of sin and oppression that thrive in silence. By praying, Christians engage in a spiritual struggle that acknowledges the reality of these powers while asserting that they are ultimately subject to God's authority. Prayer becomes an act of defiance against despair, a declaration that God’s Kingdom is present and at work amid human failure.
Barth emphasizes that prayer must be grounded in the reality of Christ’s lordship, acknowledging the Church's role as a witness to the Kingdom of God. Believers must witness to God in prayer and revolt against sinful structures that main and destroy our fellow human siblings. Prayer reminds believers of their identity in Christ and their call to embody God’s love and grace in the world. Anyone who prays and ignores this command comes fettered to God masked in their pretense.
A bold action for the Christian community is the practice of true communal prayer that fosters accountability and encourages believers to engage in collective action that reflects the values of the Kingdom. In this way, prayer becomes a space for discernment, where individuals can seek guidance on how to respond to the pressing issues of the day. By praying together, communities articulate their common hopes and fears, creating a collective vision for a more just and equitable society.
In conclusion, the call to prayer will continue amid our world's violence, but believers are not without hope or responsibilities. Prayer emerges as an active expectation of God’s intervention, an embodied resistance to the Lordless Powers, and a communal practice that fosters solidarity and accountability.
As individuals and communities navigate the complexities of political life, prayer is a vital response that articulates hope and resilience in the face of adversity. It encourages believers to engage actively with the world, seeking justice, reconciliation, and transformation. In a time marked by uncertainty, prayer becomes an act of faith that affirms the possibility of change and invites the presence of God into the heart of the political struggle. Through prayer, believers await God’s action and participate in the unfolding of God’s Kingdom in the world, embodying the hope that sustains and inspires them to work towards a more just and compassionate society.
Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics III.4: The Doctrine of Creation. Trans. G.W. Bromiley (T&T Clark, 2003), 93.
Barth, CD III.4, 104.
Barth, CD III.4, 97.
Barth, CD III.4, 99.
Barth, CD III.4, 108.
Barth, CD III.4, 98.
Barth, CD III.4, 110.
See Karl Barth, The Christian Life. Trans. G.W. Bromiley (T&T Clark, 2017), 299–327.
Henry Walter Spaulding III, I commend you for your thoughtful brief on Karl Barth's understanding of prayer. Praying, according to Barth, can deliver those praying from the suffocating hold of political "Lordless Powers" that are roaming about the churches and the public squares of our time. Thank you for this summary, which is found in the long mid-section of your article.
However, I do wish to register an objection to your use of the word "fascism" in the opening paragraph. You claim that Christianity today is not taken seriously, in part, because of its "platforming of fascism...." Among the left-of-center (religious and secular), that is clearly the case. Among the centrists and the right-of-center, could it be that your use of the word "fascism' undermines the cause of Christianity as well? Furthermore, you oppose right-of-center "Christian nationalism;" in doing so, might you be demonstrating that you are a Christian nationalist who is left-of-center? Using the language of fascism, you tend to restrict your witness and wisdom to those who share your penultimate political commitments. That is a shame.
Your conclusion is strong. Prayer, as understood by Barth, is indeed "an expectation of God's intervention, an embodied resistance to the Lordless Powers, and a communal practice that fosters solidarity and accountability." Through prayer, our Lord can deliver us from the Lordless powers and help us politically engage in the most faithful, constructive, and thoughtful ways.
In Christ,
Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth (UMC elder)
2400 Foxcroft Road Nw
Wilson, NC 27896-1381
252.640.2755
paulstallsworth@nccumc.org