The Sources 161
nature metaphors for spiritual thought, journeying and community. These
themes therefore relate deeply to the interests and needs of twenty-first-
century Christians.
Prayers of Karl Barth (1886–1968)
Widely regarded as the most influential theologian of the twentieth century,
Barth set himself the task of recovering the biblical and evangelical foundation
of Christian theology in contrast to scholarship that had largely lost sight of
it. His enormous Church Dogmatics, in which he explores his ‘theology of
the Word’, is a standard work for theologians today. However, Barth began
as a reformed pastor in Switzerland and preached and led public worship all
his life. His recorded pulpit prayers convey a strong sense of the sovereign
‘strictness and grace’ of God. They also express simple trust in the person of
Jesus Christ the Word, as the only source of what we know about God.
Celtic prayers from Northumbria (1994)
One significant and contemporary expression of the Christian Celtic revival
and new monasticism is the founding of the Northumbria Community. From
small beginnings in the late 1980s, the Community has grown in size and
influence, with Companions and Friends across the world covenanted together
and sharing a common ‘Rule of Life’, Availability and Vulnerability. Nether
Springs is the Community’s Mother House in Northumberland. Other
Community Houses are being established in Britain, Europe and North
America. The Community’s Daily Office, Celtic Daily Prayer, published in both
book and electronic forms, is now used by thousands of believers and seekers.
Prayers inspired by Creation
(twenty-first century)Recent concern over the environment and renewed interest by the Church in
the doctrine of creation has led to the framing of many liturgies and prayers