Willimon On Barth, Preaching, And Politics: Some Wisdom, Some Snark
Image of a German stamp celebrating the 100th anniversary of Karl Barth’s birth, 1986. (Source: WikiCommons)
Karl Barth (1886-1968) was arguably the greatest Protestant theologian of the twentieth century. William H. Willimon, the Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School, is perhaps the most looked-to teacher of United Methodist clergy today. Willimon recently published an article in the Journal for Preachers, “On Not Giving Politics the Last Word.” He commented on a segment of Barth’s thinking about preaching. Willimon and Barth, and theology and politics, are a combination irresistible to many preachers.
During this particularly polarized era in American public life, how should a pastor preach about politics? Should the sermon avoid politics altogether, or engage politics directly or indirectly, or advance partisan politics unashamedly? Recalling Barth (his life, ministry, and claims), Willimon responds twice.
First, a preacher should address politics, but only in a way that “deprives them [politics and its players] of their pathos” (4), Willimon writes, quoting Barth. Politics is like a dog fight: it intensifies the longer it continues and becomes increasingly destructive; so avoiding a vein-bulging fight is best for all concerned. Refusing to see a political contest as a do-or-die holy war and resisting the strong pull into a political maelstrom, the preacher points to the One who is truly divine and truly sovereign: God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This God actually and mysteriously rules over and judges all politics, all politicians, and all political programs. Willimon notes that “as Barth sees it, politics is saved from the demonic when it is seen to be essentially a game where absolute righteousness is an impossibility” (5).
Second, no matter what is happening politically, a preacher should “preach as if nothing happened” (6), Willimon writes, again recalling Barth’s words. Here Barth and Willimon are advising a pastor not to preach in reaction to the world, its chaos and its horrors; rather, a pastor should preach in response to the God who is active today through the Word and throughout the world. Willimon declares that events of history present “the church with an extraordinary opportunity to testify to the world that the world is God’s and that a Jew from Nazareth, who lived briefly, died violently, and rose unexpectedly, is even now busy reconciling the world to God. How? In great part through the witness of the church.....The last word will be given not by Hitler [or by any other political leader], but by Jesus, spoken through frail humans called preachers” (7).
By describing two of Barth’s theological principles for political preaching (deprive politics of their pathos and preach as if nothing happened), Willimon broadly suggests a general way for a preacher to “calmly consider” (as John Wesley might have put it) how faithfully to serve the Word of God, regarding political matters, from the pulpit. This is an incalculable gift to a pastor today.
Barth Falls Short
Though making a significant theological contribution to preaching about politics, Barth himself, in his reasoning about political realities, demonstrates fallibility. Willimon notes, “Barth was roundly condemned by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr for not forthrightly and frequently condemning Russian communism.” (7) That was a serious oversight indeed. After all, it is estimated that over 60,000,000 were murdered in the utopian political experiment that was twentieth-century Russia. In addition, Willimon mentions that during a trip to the United States, Barth visited American prisons and commented on “the nasty similarity between democracy’s incarceration and Stalin’s gulags (7),” a patently false moral equivalence.
Furthermore, Willimon’s take on Barth exposes one of the latter’s weaknesses: Barthian preaching on politics, at least according to Willimon, lacks guidance for Christians in fulfilling their citizenship responsibilities. Of course all Christians have various God-given vocations, or callings, in the world. One of those vocations is citizenship. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect the preacher to guide members of the congregation in faithfully fulfilling their citizenship responsibilities—even those related to politics and elections. This does not mean the preacher should tell folks for whom they should vote. This does mean the preacher should propose political principles, derived from the Bible and the Church’s historic faith, that help Christians to evaluate and compare politicians and their policies. The preacher should encourage church members and friends to engage in serious, informed discussion and debate of the issues of the day.
The Snark And The Tragedy
Throughout his ministry, Dr. Willimon has masterfully poked fun at all kinds of people—on purpose. He offers up many verbal spoonfuls of Hey, Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously. Often that humor levels the playing field. Willimon brings down the powerful with a chuckle. And he lifts the little people with a twinkle in his eye. Unfortunately, in today’s polarized society, such humor can easily alienate and offend.
In the article under review, Willimon joshes the political pretensions exhibited on both sides of the aisle, including those he holds. That is as it should be. Yet he seems to go after Donald Trump, and those who support him for president, a super-majority of the time and with a heavier hammer. For example, Willimon refers to “MGGA”—or “Make Germany Great Again”—when describing pre-WWII Germany (2). He writes of “both liberal, leftward leaning preachers like me and goofy Trumpist surrogates like Metaxas and his right-wing buddies.” (5) He admits: “I contend that it is important to defeat President Trump at the polls this November, but for me to preach that Trump is an existential crisis, an apocalyptic threat to America, will only feed the need of his MAGA-clad fans to think that they belong to something ultimate and world-changing.” (p. 5) He goes on: “Any Christian commentator (except for Eric Metaxas, Paula White-Cain, Franklin Graham, or Mark Robinson) can tell that Trump is a fake, a con, and a loser… In the past few years I have lowered myself to condemn Trump in no more than twenty or so sermons...” (7). By now, Willimon’s drift should be obvious.
Willimon’s failed attempt at political, moral, and theological even-handedness elevates, in their own hearts and minds, those who despise Trump and his supporters. Reading this article, they once again think quite highly of themselves. At the same time, the article cannot help but go over like a lead balloon among Trump supporters.
In this article, Willimon’s telling of Barth’s story and thought is powerfully theological and pedagogical. However, the tragedy is this: as written by Will Willimon, Karl Barth’s proposal for preaching during a politically fraught time will not appeal to all preachers. Willimon’s partisan snark turns the article into yet another occasion for preachers who despise Trump to celebrate their own alleged wisdom and righteousness. It also makes the article difficult, probably impossible, for preachers leaning toward Trump to read and consider.
So, here is the result of this article: Few reconsider their current political preaching. Fewer repent. Fewer still are transformed. American churches continue mirroring the political divisions of American society. The Word is obscured, at least in part, so the Word is not heard in its fullness. That is a shame.
Doing Better
Obviously, Will Willimon should not be hauled before a tribunal of Church or State for a trial of some kind. Rather, he should be esteemed for who he is and what he does: a preacher, a clergyman, a former bishop, a theologian, a professor, a leader in American Christianity. He is excellent at practicing his crafts. And yet, in this article, he simply reflects the political prejudices of his elite class in American society and in a research university. Often, he is more self-aware than that.
John Wesley’s Methodist-movement ministry in eighteenth-century England reached out to and engaged the struggling working class. In England, Wesley ministered among exactly the socio-economic class that now, in America, supports Donald Trump. With that historical note in mind, teachers of The United Methodist Church like Will Willimon might consider checking their political preferences at the door before writing an article on preaching politically in the ways that Karl Barth so wisely and profoundly proposed. Were such political preferences intentionally set aside, the Word could have its way with more of the preachers in the churches (United Methodist and others). That would most certainly bless and strengthen the congregations they serve—even during a trying political time like ours.
Paul T. Stallsworth is an elder in the North Carolina Conference in The United Methodist Church. Retired from pastoral ministry, he edits Lifewatch, a quarterly newsletter dedicated to Christ and His Church, the dignity of human life, and the goodness of marriage. With his wife Marsha, he lives in Wilson, NC.