Category Archives: who are we?

Reflecting on Emil Brunner’s discussion of “apostolica” in Dogmatics Vol. III When we look at church, we see form–or forms. Brunner insists that form is not an essential aspect of church and that a church is not apostolic if it … Continue reading →

Apostolicity is a subject of much disagreement. Some traditions hold to a specific form of apostolic succession. Barth refutes this as external, insufficient, and false. For Barth, apostolic means the community listens to and is subject to the Scriptures. Through … Continue reading →

Continuing with Barth… The catholicity of the church, by which is meant that which is general and comprehensive, the essence of which true church is recognized as true, is found only in the union of the church with her Head, … Continue reading →

Continuing Barth’s discussion of the four marks: When I look at myself with earthly eyes, I do not see a holy person. When I look at the church with earthly eyes, I do not see a holy church. I am … Continue reading →

Unity (and too often uniformity) and division seem to be constants in the church. At the very moment when the church is striving for ecumenism, denominations are splitting. Barth shows us (in Church Dogmatics) that a unity based on external … Continue reading →