“Discernment is the bridge between knowledge and wisdom. It is the ability to see things from God’s perspective and to make choices that align with His purposes. It is a gift that enables us to navigate the complexities of life and to fulfill the unique calling God has placed on our lives.” –Anonymous
Discernment [dəˈsərnm(ə)nt]
-The action or faculty of perceiving or noting a distinction between things; discrimination, differentiation
-The faculty or power of discerning or understanding clearly; perspicacity, insight; good judgment
-The ability to make sound judgments in spiritual matters; the exercise of this ability; spiritual understanding or insight.
What does it mean to discern? And can we do it better? These are large questions.
In this issue of Radix, we have a number of pieces dedicated to The Barmen Declaration. If you don’t know what that is, we suggest you start with these articles: Bethel Before Barmen and Bearing Christian Witness: Karl Barth and the Barmen Declaration. After that, we have the actual declaration to read. Then you could follow along with Ryan Pemberton’s reflection on a retreat held specifically on The Barmen Declaration (facilitated by Craig Wong and New College Berkeley) and Ed Aust’s examination of the roots of antisemitism among the German Christians in the 1930s. Following that is an audio conversation between retreat participants Drs Craig Wong, Rebecca Hernandez and Michael Barram titled Communal Reflection: Discerning the Barmen Declaration’s Role Today. To finish up – and to get a taste of what kinds of things New College Berkeley has in mind for the future – you should read Craig Wong’s Barmen as Third Space.
In addition, we have fiction (a story called Granny Squares); a book review of Lacunae: New Poems by Scott Cairns; an interesting piece on sculpture and the body by New Zealand poet Ben Egerton; tributes to recently passed Radix friends (Susan Fetcho and Ted Lewis); two interviews (Robert Ellsberg and Ben Patterson); and a brilliant open letter “To the People in the Pulpits” by Marilyn McEntyre.
May all of our discerning capabilities be expanded. – Matthew Steem