Fifty Prayers

by Karl Barth

This collection for the first time makes Karl Barth's pastoral prayers available to an English-speaking audience, offering a fresh perspective on how the great Swiss theologian understood this central practice of Christian life. The prayers are organized according to seasons of the liturgical year, making them ideal for both group use and individual reflection.

Genres: Prayer

80 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Protestant theologian Karl Barth, a Swiss, advocated a return to the principles of the Reformation and the teachings of the Bible; his published works include Church Dogmatics from 1932.

Critics hold Karl Barth among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important since Saint Thomas Aquinas. Beginning with his experience as a pastor, he rejected his typical predominant liberal, especially German training of 19th century.

Instead, he embarked on a new path, initially called dialectical, due to its stress on the paradoxical nature of divine truth—for instance, God is both grace and judgment), but more accurately called a of the Word. Critics referred to this father of new orthodoxy, a pejorative term that he emphatically rejected. His thought emphasized the sovereignty of God, particularly through his innovative doctrine of election. His enormously influenced throughout Europe and America.

Reviews

[Oleksandr Chernomorchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me to get to know Karl Barth as a praying Christian. He prays not only for teachers and students, but those in authority, rulers, publishers, newspaper and book writers (as well as readers). Barth has a pastoral heart to pray for the world, both the church and the state. One can see Barth as a Biblical cousellor who remembers “the confused, the sick, and the downtrodden, the lost, prisoners and the lonely…” in his public prayers. The idea is that the 50 prayers were public prayers said on Sundays on various occasions. Some Sundays contain 2-3 prayers.
Overall this is a very insightful read, not too long yet rich in content and character.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my devotion time in the mornings using the prayers as starters for my prayers. Much of the book has good material for prayer but they become repetitive for each section. I gather the prayers were put into categories but prayed by Barth yearly. That might be the reason for their repetitive nature.

This is a good book to use during your devotions and use the prayers as a springboard for your own prayers. Just be prepared to hear prayers that relate to the same requests in some of the sections.

[David Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is marketed: "This collection for the first time makes Karl Barth's pastoral prayers available to an English-speaking audience." Actually, this was first published by John Knox Press in 1965 with the title "Selected Prayers" and was translated by Keith R. Crim. I read the latter.

Honestly, I expected more from this theologian, and I was disappointed and often left unmoved. It's essentially Sunday pastoral prayers following repeated themes and felt like they were from a different era.

[Norman Styers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old Uncle Karl.