The Barmen Theses Then and Now

In 1934 Christian churches in Germany faced strong pressure to conform their belief and practice to the pillars of Nazi thinking - respect for the authority of the Fuhrer and fervent devotion to the history and culture of the German race. Defying this ideological agenda, leaders in the German Evangelical Church responded by adopting the Barmen Declaration. This bold statement of dissent, grounded in the authority of Scripture, has since become a powerful model for the contemporary confession of the Christian faith against modern forms of skepticism and unbelief.

Eberhard Busch is professor emeritus of Reformed theology at the University of Gttingen, Germany. A onetime student of and personal assistant to Karl Barth, he is also the son of one of the Barmen Declaration's original signers. His other books include Drawn to Freedom: Christian Faith Today in Conversation with the Heidelberg Catechism and The Great Passion: An Introduction to Karl Barth's Theology.