The Barmen Declaration Human Sinfulness and Christ as the Head of the Church
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
– Colossians 1:15-20
The Theological Declaration of Barmen written in Germany in 1934, was composed by the Confessing Synod of the Evangelical Church, an ecumenical gathering of concerned Christian leaders who were determined to address growing pressures on the church brought by the new Nazi government. Adolf Hitler, in an attempt to solidify control over all aspects of German life, was determined to establish the “German Church” which could reinforce the teachings and support the policies of his National Socialist party. Courageous Confessing Church leaders defied Hitler by answering six Nazi doctrines with statements based on scripture. The Barmen Declaration resists Hitler’s dogma that the church’s freedom is Jesus Christ, who is Lord of every area of life. It sets 6 biblical statements against 6 false doctrines current in Germany in that period.
The reality of human sinfulness is evident everywhere we look. We are all fallen sinners in need of a savior. Whenever human institutions attempt to usurp the place of Christ as head of the church, we are in danger of idolatry. The current Christian Nationalism movement in the United States is an equally dangerous ideology that equates the national government with the authority of God. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus while we pray for our country.
One: Holy God, we come together to worship, a people who would like to think that we love you with all our hearts and souls, with all our might, but there are so many other things in our lives that clamor for our attention that we often relegate you to Sundays and times when we want you to rescue us.
All: Most of us really do want you to be the one in whom we live and move and have our being. We really do want to hear your voice above all of the other voices in our lives. But we get bogged down in our daily routine. We forget who we are. We forget who you are. We forget what the church is supposed to be. Forgive us, Lord.
One: So here we are, standing before you today, with our human foibles and our short attention spans, asking that you would make yourself known to us, that you would help us to recognize the presence of the Holy, that you would continue to challenge us, inspire us, and make us into the people you want us to be. Amen.
