When a Nation Becomes an Idol: Karl Barth, Christian Nationalism, and the Church’s Witness

You are invited to join us for a day of events centered on Dr. Keith Johnson’s forthcoming book, Karl Barth and the Idolatry of the Nation: Confronting Christian Nationalism.

The events will encourage deeply theological and culturally attentive reflection on Christian nationalism by exploring Karl Barth’s confrontation with the “German Christian” movement in the 1930s. While much contemporary discussion of Christian nationalism is journalistic or sociological, these events will focus especially on the theological questions raised by Barth’s confrontation with Christian nationalism and the significance of his reflections for the church today.

Schedule of Events: Thursday, October 29

PTL! (Pastor-Theologian Lunch) 

12:15–1:15 pm | Room 159, Western Theological Seminary

PTL! is a regular and much-loved gathering that brings together students across cohorts with faculty and staff for conversation at the intersection of deep theology and practical ministry.

Karl Barth and the Idolatry of the Nation: Confronting Christian Nationalism Panel Discussion 

4:00 pm–5:20 pm | Chapel, Western Theological Seminary

Two scholars in theological ethics will offer responses to Dr. Johnson's book, followed by his reply and discussion with the audience. 

Plenary Lecture with Dr. Keith Johnson “Reformation as Decision: Karl Barth, 1933, and the Church's Choice Today”

7:00 pm–8:30 pm | Schaap Auditorium, Bultman Student Center, Hope College

In the Fall of 1933, as the German Christian movement was attempting to remake the Protestant church in the image of the Nazi state, Karl Barth stood before a packed Berlin hall and argued that the Reformation was not a heritage to be claimed but a decision to be made. Ninety-three years later, this lecture asks what Barth's summons requires of a church again tempted to bind its faith to the nation.