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Reviewed by Larry M. Goodpaster, Resident Bishop, Alabama-West Florida Conference, Montgomery, AL Conversations with Barth on Preaching by William H. Willimon As I travel across the area to which I am assigned I hear from many corners that preaching is at the top of the list of qualities most sought after from the pastor. Yet I also hear the complaints that the quality is diminishing by the year. National surveys confirm a sense that much of preaching today is shallow, unfocused, and void of power to inspire or transform. I will now, with confidence, be referring pastors to William Willimon’s monumental work on Karl Barth and preaching. In this age, when so many are trying to be relevant by resorting to gimmicks to get the attention of an audience (and keep it) this book should be must reading. Be warned: this is not a ‘how-to’ book as much as it is a “why” book. This is not a book for those who are looking for a quick fix or even some hand-me-down sermon outlines that can be put to use by the hurried or the lazy. Rather Willimon takes us deep into the heart of the theology of preaching and the God who is revealed in the Incarnation as the Word made flesh, and who continues the dialog with humanity through generation after generation. Willimon points the way toward a renewal of preaching and a recovery of the power of the proclaimed word whose subject is forever the Word. “To be called to be a preacher is to have the vocation not only to guard and protect the beloved words of our faith but also to use those words well for the purposes for which they were intended by God.” (Page 252) Willimon has done just that in this provocative study. He uses a lot of words, purposefully: to invite us to recover a theology of preaching that takes seriously the tradition, the faith, the Scriptures, but that also takes seriously the contemporary setting in which we find ourselves. His method is occasionally tedious and sometimes repetitious. However working through the sheer volume of material from Karl Barth, and making connections to the preaching task which Barth kept ever before him and which Willimon repeatedly emphasizes requires attentiveness and patience. Part of what makes this book a tedious read is in the very nature of the title: it is a “conversation.” The reader is being pulled between what Barth wrote, how it has been received and interpreted, and Willimon’s own unique brand of insight, humor, observation, and commentary on preaching. On occasion, Willimon will provide an excursus to explore some facet of theological study: Aristotle’s understanding of logos; the philosophical nuances of rhetoric; and, oral communication from Socrates to Luther, with a side trip down Pauline language lane. Throw into that mix a number of Willimon’s own sermons, as well as a few of Barth’s and the text resembles a highway with detours, potholes and lane changes. At least Willimon alerts us to this, so one should be prepared; and, in the printing of the book, sections are set off with different print, type, font, and bold lettering. Still, to follow the flow of Willimon’s argument or discussion, one must be prepared for interruptions in the text. For the one who hangs in with the entire reading, even following the detours down some road toward the purpose of philosophy from Plato through Decartes, Locke and Hume – there is a rich text that will enrich one’s theology of preaching. It forced me to rethink what I do when I stand to proclaim a Word for this people on this given Sunday facing this new challenge. “Preaching is not for the theologically tepid or for the rhetorically weak of heart.” (Page 174) Preaching is a “bold, visionary, and demanding call to be part of a world that is to be.” (115) Would that many of the popular preachers would heed this; would that clergy who week in and week out are called upon to proclaim the word could hear and heed this word – not offering quick and easy solutions to difficult problems; not offering an easy dose of bland pop psychology – but messages with theological integrity and depth; messages that resonate with the Scriptures and with tradition; messages that stir the heart and invite us into an alternative worldview. And, I am convinced, all of this is possible while at the same time not boring people with a theological essay complete with footnotes. “Barth gives us preachers a theological means of recovering our nerve.” (Page 228) And, it will take some nerve to pick up this book. It will also take some perseverance to make it through the entire volume. In the end, when finished however, you will find or recover your nerve for boldly proclaiming the Gospel and holding up a vision of an alternative life and Kingdom in fresh ways. Can we do any other? This book is the fruit of a life time of study in and reflection on the work of Karl Barth, and, like a good fruit that finally comes to season, it is to be savored. Thanks to my colleague Bishop Willimon for a lifetime of engagement with the theology of Barth. We get to taste the fruit and hopefully allow the seeds to bear more fruit in our preaching and talking about a talkative God. The book is more than worth the investment of our time, energy and reflections. I commend it to everyone who is faced with the task of having something to say on Sunday morning.
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