Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair talk with Rob Duncan about the Barmen Declaration of May 1934, a confession of faith declared by pastors, theologians and lay leaders during the “German Church Struggle” in Nazi Germany. Reviewing the Declaration’s context and the involvement of theologians Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rob explores its meaning and lessons for church and society in our own moment of geopolitical volatility. While Barmen is now an historical artifact, its fidelity to Christian witness has renewed significance now as multiple ideologies struggle to redefine the nature of democracy. Its insistence on confession and repentance as critical Christian responses to our own unravelling remains a prophetic challenge to the church.
Rob Duncan served for years as a Baptist pastor in the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec convention, having been ordained in Toronto in 1984. He has for more than a dozen years been an Anglican, in an official position in the Diocese of Niagara since 2019. Ordained a priest in 2023, he is now retired from parish ministry. His wider ministry focus remains spiritual formation at the local parish level. While deepening his own personal practice of spiritual disciplines, Rob continues to explore the intersection of spirituality and theology and provides training in spiritual formation to groups of lay people. Since February of this year, he has been working behind the scenes as a volunteer for Leaving Egypt from his home in Niagara Falls.
- Links -
For Alan J Roxburgh:
https://www.themissionalnetwork.com/author/alan-roxburgh/
https://journalofmissionalpractice.com/alan-roxburgh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alanjroxburgh?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetwork
Joining God in the Great Unraveling https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-God-Great-Unraveling-Learned/dp/1725288508/ref=sr_1_
Leadership, God’s Agency and Disruptions https://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Gods-Agency-Disruptions-Confronting/dp/1725271745/ref
Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our Time https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-Remaking-Church-Changing-World/dp/0819232114/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2NHGW8KB7L0SQ&keywords=Alan+J+Roxburgh&qid=1687098960&s=books&sprefix=alan+j+roxburgh%2Cstripbooks%2C130&sr=1-3
For Jenny Sinclair:
Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclair
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/T4CG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/
For Rob Duncan:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rob-duncan-b7815414b
Substack:
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