word
Barth, CD I/2, p.691:
From a human standpoint the preservation of the Church depends, therefore, on the fact that Scripture is read, assimilated, expounded and applied in the Church, that this happens tirelessly and repeatedly, that the whole way of the Church consists in its striving to hear this concrete witness. As a rule the step aside which means a step into the abyss of death, the fatal lack of this self-forgetful attention, will scarcely betray itself as such at once. It will normally take the form of great fidelity (to what the Church has said) and great zeal (for what the Church believes that it must itself say). In this way it will apparently bear the seal of divine justification and necessity. Whenever life is exchanged for death, or death for life, in the Church, this fidelity and zeal are usually operative: much good will, much serious piety, wide vision, deep movements, and in it all the sincere conviction of not being in any way self-willed but rather obedient to the Word of God. What is not noted is that this so-called Word of God is only a conception of the Word of God. It may be created freely. More probably and frequently it will take the shape of an old (no longer newly tested), or new (not yet seriously examined) interpretation of Scripture itself, but not the Word of God as it actually lets itself be heard in Scripture. As such, conceptions of the Word of God may be very good, as also, for example, recognised dogmas and confessions, luminous and helpful theological systems, deep, bold and stimulating insights into biblical truth. But in themselves these things are not the Word of God itself and cannot sustain the life of the Church.
So much wisdom here. Barth asserts that it's not passion, faithfulness and zeal - nor vision, creativity and enthusiasm - that breathe life into the Church. What is so needed is the Word of God "read, assimilated, expounded and applied... tirelessly and repeatedly".
1 Peter 1: 22-25 (ESV)
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for
"All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever."
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
bits of barth
Barth CD I/2 12:08 am
"it is not the acuity & depth, nor even the holiness of the Christian which builds the Church, but only the Word of God"
"without the No the Yes would obviously not be a Yes, but a Yes & No; perhaps Yes, perhaps No, but certainly not the [decisive] Yes"
"the confessional documents of the Reformation must be regarded not as theological ordinances but as the trumpet call of a herald"
"for those who confess... because of its publicity, they are led into a struggle, into suffering & into temptation"
barth on confessions, conversations, confutations & theological treachery. feisty stuff. http://goo.gl/lGg5x
"the churches of india & china may ask what have we to do w/ the heresies to which the dogma of the european churches is an answer?"
"there is a notorious connexion, even a unity, between the heresies of every age & place"
"since the Reformation and the time immediately after there has never been a new confession in the Protestant sphere"
confessions & conversations
Barth, CD I/2, p. 644-646:
If a confession is to stand, everything depends on whether the temptation produced by this counter-pressure (indirectly therefore by its own pressure) is recognised and overcome as such. The temptation naturally consists in the possibility of abandoning the confession. And the basic form of this abandonment is always to deny to ourselves and others the character of the confession as a challenge, question and attack on the world around. Its proclamation is renounced. It is regarded once again only as a theory and collection of propositions. With all the loyalty we might still show it in this immanent character, with all our zeal for the integrity of the theory and statements as such, there is now linked another zeal, to spare our environment the collision on the transcendent character of the confession. And it is this second zeal which - although the confession remains "untouched" - now determines our practical attitude in word and action, in our own initiative and our response to the initiative of our environment. In this practical relationship the confessors no longer stand where they must stand if it really were their confession, that is, in the venture and responsibility of its transcendent character.
Seriously feisty stuff.
Now that they have experienced what it means for its pressure to create counter-pressure, they no longer desire publicity. But this simply means that the confessors have in fact accepted the standpoint of the enemies of the confession. Confession without the desire for publicity, confession without the practical attitude which corresponds to it, is already a confutation of the confession, however "untouched" this may be as a theory and statement, however great may still be their zeal for the maintaining of its immanent character. For what is the meaning and purpose of the hostility and conflict in relation to the confession? As a theory and statement it will not have to suffer attack, whatever may be its content and however definitely it may be maintained and affirmed. As a theory it does not exert any pressure. As a theory it is quite harmless, indeed it is comforting even to those who do not agree with it... But the confession itself has become so much paper. That it is not is the basis of all hostility to the confession, and that it should be is the purpose of the whole attack upon it. We help this attack, we participate most actively in it, when we think that we can retreat in this way. That there is no venture for the confessors means that there is a venture - on the part of the confessors - against the confession. It involves treachery against the confession - pure treachery... It is a great gain, therefore, if this... is soberly recognised for the treachery it is: not merely as surrender, but as agreement and co-operation with the enemy. It is a great gain if to justify it we no longer appeal to humility before the mysteries of God, to which no confession can do justice, or to the love with which we have to spare and carry the weak, or the necessary maintenance of the Church in its existing state, but openly and honestly - and this makes everything else superfluous - to fear of the unexpected or already present counter-pressure. This fear is in fact the temptation which is inevitably bound up with the publicity of a confession.
In essence, Barth distinguishes theological conversation from theological confession, and argues with passion that to reduce a confession to a conversation is theological treachery and results in a confutation of the confession.
I must confess I cannot agree, but would have truly enjoyed a conversation with him on the distinction. I believe that reducing a confession to a conversation might well result in a subsequent confession involving both confessor and opposer in genuine agreement, strengthened further from its original version to include the wisdom that results from honest conversation. Strengthened, not weakened, mind you. I'm not advocating for thin ecumenical gruel masquerading as true confessional substance.
The intensity he calls for in confession is clearly necessary at certain points of our faith, but it's become far too common to make that intensity the norm for all theological debate (and of course, in reaction, to reject that intensity from any theological debate). There are far too many of us declaring "Here I stand, I can do no other" on all sorts of issues that don't matter as much as we imply, or that we really don't understand, or concerning which we haven't really listened to other perspectives. And there are far too many of us staying out of all-in confessional declarations on matters that count, after the respectful and humble listening that Barth advocates.
It seems to me that eventually and at certain points a Barthian confession is absolutely necessary, but provoking hostility with outrageous words ("Farewell...") to self-justify one's position seems silly, and we've seen far too much of that lately.
4,253 stitches
The content of a poster put up behind the scenes at every Apple Retail Store, now that they are celebrating their 10th anniversary:
In the last 10 years, we've learned a lot. We've learned to treat every day with the same enthusiasm we had on the first day. We've learned the importance of giving our customers just as much attention as they give us. And we've learned the art of hiring the right people for the right positions. We've learned it's better to adapt to the neighborhood rather than expecting the neighborhood to adapt to us. Which is why we spend so much time and energy building stores the way we do. Our first store, in Tysons Corner, taught us our first lesson within the first 30 minutes. We had just opened the doors when we noticed the steel already needed polishing. With a special polishing solution. And a special polishing tool. That's when we learned that blasting steel with virgin sand makes it less prone to scuff marks. We've also learned that glass can be much more than glass. We've learned that a 32'6" transparent glass box can stand tall even among the giants of the Manhattan skyline. That when glass becomes as iconic as the Fifth Avenue Cube, it can also become the fifth most photographed landmark in New York City. And we've learned that if you have to, you can close an entire street in Sydney to bring in three-story panes of glass. And when you create three-story glass, you also have to create a rig that can install three-story glass. We've even figured out how to make the world's largest pieces of curved glass for one of our stores in Shanghai. We've also learned more than a few things about stone. Like how to reveal granite's true color with a blowtorch. And that sometimes granite has veins of color that have to be matched. We've also learned that getting these details perfect can feel like trying to move a mountain. Sometimes two. But in the end, the effort is worth it. Because steel, glass, and stone can combine to create truly unique and inspiring spaces. We also understand that finding the right design for our stores is critical. We even built a full-scale facade of the Regent Street store in a Cupertino parking lot to be sure the design was right. Which taught us the value of seeing things full size. We once had a notion that ministores would offer the ultimate in convenience. Then we built one. Which showed us that bigger can actually be better. And we've learned that even when our stores are big, no detail is too small. This is something we learned all over again when we restored the Paris Opera store down to the last of its more than 500,000 tiles. We've also learned that our customers like open spaces, glass staircases, and handcrafted oak tables. And that those spaces don't need to smell like pine trees or tomatoes to make them inviting. We're constantly working to make our stores more artful, more iconic, and more innovative. And we're awfully proud of every single one. We're proud of our stores not just because they're successful, but because of everything they've taught us. All the ways Apple Stores have made Apple stronger as a company. Over the past 10 years, we've learned that our stores are the embodiment of the Apple brand for our customers. Now, our customers just happen to be the entire reason we're here, so let's dedicate a few words to them. Around the time we opened the store in Tysons Corner, in 2001, everyone else was trying to talk to their customers less. Which made us think that maybe we should talk to them more. Face-to-face if possible. So we've found ways to strike up a conversation at every possible opportunity. We talk while they play with the products on the tables. And when they join us for a workshop. These conversations have taught us that customers love our products, but what they really want is to make a scrapbook out of family photos. They want to make a movie about their kid. Or a website about traveling across the country. Which has taught us that Apple Stores can and should be centers for creativity. And we've figured out through programs like Apple Camp and Youth Workshops that creativity doesn't care about age. The movies and slideshows we've seen kids make are proof that all you need are the right tools and an idea. And we must be doing something right, because the kids' smiles are just as big as ours. We've also learned that musicians can record an album in our stores that goes to the top of the charts. And that award-winning film directors are interested no just in our computers but in our workshops. We've learned a lot about having fun. And we've learned our customers like to use our products for business too. Experience has taught us that having one Pro Day per week dedicated to business customers isn't enough. That we need to be open for business very day. And have space devoted to business training sessions, workshops, and events. We've learned that every staff member should be just as fluent in the needs of a business customer as the needs of any other customer. Our millions of conversations with customers of every stripe have taught us it's not about making people feel like a computer or phone loves them. That's impossible. Instead, it's about giving people the tools to do what they love. And we've learned how to create amazing programs like One to One and Personal Setup to give people those tools. We created programs like these to replace fear with confidence. Because our customers have shown us that the ownership experience is even more important than the sale. We learned all this by asking questions. And genuinely listening to the answers. And to be sure we're hearing everything, we've learned to converse in 36 languages, and a few of the local dialects as well. We've even learned a few cultural things. The proper use of the word y'all, for example. And our Japanese customers one taught us that their superheroes don't wear capes. Which also taught us to see feedback as a gift. We've learned that a visit to the Genius Bar can fix more than just computers. It can also restore a customer's relationship with Apple. And that we don't need a minifridge stocked with free water to get people to talk to a Genius. Knowing they can get exactly the right answer when something isn't working is enough. We even figured out how to shorten the time an in-store repair takes from seven days to one day. Our customers hold us to exceptionally high standards. So we've learned how to raise ours even higher. 325 store openings have taught us that a grand opening creates blocks and blocks of excitement. That people will stand in line for hours, even days, just to be among the first to walk through the front door. And to get a free T-shirt. Speaking of T-shirts, we've learned more than you can imagine about our own. We've found that when we wear black T-shirts, we blend in. And when we wear too many colors it's confusing. But blue shirts are just right. We've also learned that it takes precisely 4,253 stitches to embroider the Apple logo on those blue shirts. And we even figured out which direction the stitches should go in. When it comes to product launches, we've learned we have to work hard to ensure supply meets demand. If not on the first day, then soon thereafter. And we've learned how to put our own products to use in innovative ways in our stores. We've created entirely new systems like EasyPay to help our customers as efficiently as possible. We've replaced the red phone behind the Genius Bar with more expertise right in our stores. All of these experiences have made us smarter. And at the very center of all we've accomplished, all we've learned over the past 10 years, are our people. People who understand how important art is to technology. People who match, and often exceed, the excitement of our customers on days we release new products. The more than 30,000 smart, dedicated employees who work so hard to create lasting relationships with the millions who walk through our doors. Whether the task at hand is fixing computers, teaching workshops, organizing inventory, designing iconic structures, inventing proprietary technology, negotiating deals, sweating the details of signage, or doing countless other things, we've learned to hire the best in every discipline. We now see that it's our job to train our people and then learn from them. And we recruit employees with such different backgrounds--teachers, musicians, artists, engineers--that there's a lot they can teach us. We've learned how to value a magnetic personality just as much as proficiency. How to look for intelligence but give just as much weight to kindness. How to find people who want a career, not a job. And we've found that when we hire the right people, we can lead rather than manage. We can give each person their own piece of the garden to transform. We've learned our best people often provide the best training for the next generation. And that it's important for every member of our staff to not only feel a connection to their store, but to the teams in Cupertino and to the stores around the world. Because the best ways of doing things usually translate, regardless of language or country. We've also learned that due tot he exceptional quality of our applicants, it can be harder to be hired at the Apple Store than in Cupertino. It can sometimes take two to three years to bring someone in. Not because they aren't right for Apple. But because we want to be sure the opportunity we have to offer is right for them. Why have we learned to be so selective? So careful? Because our people are the soul of the Apple Stores. And together, our team is the strongest ever seen in retail. As beautiful and iconic as our stores may be, the people who create and staff those stores are what matters most. So on this 3,652nd day, we say thank you to every single one of you. We say thank you to those who were there on the first day, and to those whose first day is today. The past 10 years of the Apple Store have changed Apple as a company. Our experiences, our successes, even our occasional missteps, have made us better. They've made Apple better. And it's because of those experiences, and the ways they've changed us, that we can't wait to see what we'll learn next. It's been 10 years. What an amazing first step.
bits of barth
Barth CD I/2 11:24 am
eugene peterson, karl barth & : why I'm still tweeting cryptic bits of barth http://goo.gl/qvl8K
"the Church is no longer the Church where it does not know a higher authority than its own"
"...for the Word of God is not spoken to individuals, but to the Church of God, and to individuals only in the Church"
barth's beautiful & brilliant account of why & how to confess our faith in public, with confidence & humility: http://goo.gl/VzaXl
"...before I myself make a confession I must myself have heard the confession of the Church"
"if I have not heard the Church, I cannot speak to it…"
"I cannot thrust myself into the debate about a right faith which goes on in the Church without first having listened…"
"my first duty is to love & respect [the confession of the Church] as the witness of my fathers & brethren..." http://goo.gl/CnsCX
If he keeps writing like this, I will no longer be able to simply listen & process at a safe distance… http://goo.gl/CnsCX
"the immediate goal & necessary result of a debate on true faith is that those who take part in it should make a common confession"
"wherever there is this agreement, & therefore a Church, debate about true faith has reached its goal"
hearing & receiving
If he keeps writing like this, I will no longer be able to simply listen and process at a safe distance... I'd better immerse myself in some other bits of Barth that will alienate me and thereby protect me from genuine affection, allowing me to preserve my pretense of neutrality. Barth, CD I/2, p. 590
...in what I hear as the confession of the Church, I will certainly have to reckon with the possibility of falsehood and error. I cannot safely hear the voice of the Church without also hearing the infallible Word of God Himself. Yet this thought will not be my first thought about the Church and its confession, but a necessarily inserted corrective. My first thought in this respect can and must be a thought of trust and respect which I cannot perhaps have for the men as such who constitute the Church, but which I cannot refuse to the Word of God by which it lives and Jesus Christ [who] rules it. How can I know Jesus Christ as the Lord who has called me by His Word if in relation to the rest of the Church I do not start from the thought that despite and in all the sin of the men who constitute it it too has been called and ruled by the same Word? Because my sins are forgiven me, I am bold to believe and, in spite of the sin of which I am conscious, to confess my faith as created in me by the Word of Christ. And if this is the case then in relation to the rest of the Church and its confession I cannot possibly begin with mistrust and rejection, just as in relation to our parents, no matter who they are or what they are like, we do not begin with mistrust and rejection or with the assertion that we must obey God rather than man, but with trust and respect and therefore, in the limits appointed to them as men, with obedience. As in and with the confession of the Church I hear the infallible Word of God, I have to reckon first and above all with the lordship of Jesus Christ in His Church and the forgiveness of sins, which is operative in the Church; not with sin and therefore with the possibility of falsehood and error which it involves. And this means that I have not primarily to criticise the confession of the Church as it confronts me as the confession of those who were before me in the Church and are with me in the Church. There will always be time and occasion for criticism. My first duty is to love and respect it as the witness of my fathers and brethren... This is how the authority of the Church arises. It always arises in this way, that in the community of hearing and receiving the Word of God which constitutes the Church, there is this superiority of the confession of some before others, this honour and love, this hearing of the confession of some before others, before the latter go on to make their own confession. Before both and therefore above both is the Lord of the Church with His Word. Only under His Word can some confess and others hear their confession before they confess themselves. But under His Word there does arise this priority and superiority of some over others, the necessity that in the Church we should listen to other men before we go on to speak. Under His Word there is, therefore, a genuine authority of the Church.