The Search for a Theologically Rich Devotional—and What I Found Instead

I have recently been lamenting the lack of theologically rich daily devotional readers. The ones I have found by searching Amazon tended to be penned by more conservative evangelicals which is fine, of course, but doesn't quite hit the spot for me.

Take the various Jonathan Gibson volumes published by Crossway. In many ways they look wonderful, rich, helpful, edifying. But there is quite a strong lean towards a particular kind of Puritanism that I find a little too austere and, oddly, too self-preoccupied. And let's not mention how that can enflame my unhealthy religious scrupulosity psychosis.

Or take Kevin DeYoung's Daily Doctrine as another example. Again, it looks extremely helpful, clearly written, informed. So what could I have against this? First, “against” is too strong a word. I’m not against it. And second, it is not merely that I disagree with certain theological positions he expresses—though I do disagree with a few fairly load-bearing issues. It is more how his less helpful positions shape the whole. The first chapter, as a case in point, talks about how the theological task should be undertaken by offering four criteria: biblically, rationally, humbly and doxologically. All great, of course. But the glaring omission is that Christian theology should primarily be done christologically. Forgetting this leads to all kinds of theological mischief. I have only read a few entries, so perhaps I am magnifying the problem unduly? Afterall, I don't know the author's work well, beyond basic theological leanings. So I am sure it is a great book for many, and I will truly learn much reading it myself, but these tendencies leave a slightly off taste, which is why I’m looking elsewhere.

To be clear, I would recommend both of these examples to certain friends. However, if I want my own devotional reading time to remain enriching rather than turning into an exercise in self-recrimination as I wrestle with getting annoyed over a writer's theology, I need to look elsewhere.

And then I remembered that I owned a copy of the Barth Brevier, compiled and published by Richard Grunow. I got into the daily reader this morning, lapping it up. For example, the reading for 18^th December begins with the exclamation:

Wo Gottes Wort ist, da ist Gott als Mensch, da ist es dieses Gottes Kraft, obwohl es auf Erden geschieht und unter uns Menschen. Der Arm Gottes ist das Wort Gottes und das Wort Gottes ist der Sohn Gottes.[1]

What a beautifully crisp yet powerful expression! "Wo Gottes Wort ist, da ist Gott als Mensch"—a statement that directly addresses the very point DeYoung's first entry overlooks, yet which is essential for making theology possible in the first place.

So, I idly wondered about the compiler, Richard Grunow—not a name I was familiar with. And my internet research unearthed the following, shocking news. As the EVZ-Verlag worked on preparations for the generation of a General Index of the Church Dogmatics, they invited Richard Grunow as the first editor, because he was known as an outstanding Barth scholar from his Barth Brevier. And his introductory essay to the Brevier shows what a fine grasp he had on things Barth-related. However, when he travelled to Zürich for discussions with the publishing house, he died tragically in a hotel fire, October 1968. Gone, just two short years after the book I am holding, his book, was published.

The picture, from Getty Images,
was taken as the fire
brigade picture fought the blaze. 

So, I dug deeper. Apart from links to the publication of a selection of works of Bonhoeffer, there is little to be found. I searched the major works on Barth’s life and times and there is not a single mention of his name. Was he married? Did he have children?

Further research clarified the tragedy: the devastating fire took place on October 9, 1968, at the Hotel Metzgerbräu. The blaze resulted in the deaths of ten individuals. The remaining news reports I could access online mention some of the others who died, but do not mention Grunow at all. 

So it is for all of us. Life is fragile, and the work of theologians—however earnest—fades in time. Seventy years from now, who in our field will remember our names? Who will search the sprawling and bloated future AI databases for us? What began as a search for a theologically rich devotional reader has instead led me back to what truly matters: time with the people around me. My family!

[1] "Where God's Word is, there is God as a human; there it is God's power, even though it happens on earth and among us humans. The arm of God is the Word of God, and the Word of God is the Son of God."