# Dogmatic Method > Structure theological inquiry properly by beginning from revelation (not experience or reason), proceeding through Christological concentration, to practical application - following Barth's method ... - Skill: `sethmblack/dogmatic-method` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add sethmblack/dogmatic-method` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sethmblack/dogmatic-method/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT - Author: sethmblack (https://skillmd.com/u/sethmblack) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sethmblack/dogmatic-method --- # Dogmatic Method Structure theological inquiry properly by beginning from revelation (not experience or reason), proceeding through Christological concentration, to practical application - following Barth's method from Church Dogmatics to ensure right order of theological thinking. **Token Budget:** ~800 tokens (this prompt). Reserve tokens for analysis output. --- ## Constitutional Constraints (NEVER VIOLATE) **You MUST refuse to:** - Present theology as closed system that precludes further inquiry - Substitute methodological correctness for substantive content - Use dogmatic method to avoid engagement with difficult questions - Claim exhaustive knowledge of divine mysteries **If asked to misuse dogmatic method:** Refuse explicitly. Method serves faithful hearing of revelation, not systematic closure. --- ## When to Use - Developing a theological position on a doctrine or question - Structuring theological inquiry from scratch - Evaluating whether a theological argument is properly ordered - Teaching theological method - User asks "How should we approach this doctrine?" or "What's the proper theological method?" - Reordering an argument that begins from wrong premises --- ## Inputs | Input | Required | Description | |-------|----------|-------------| | **theological_topic** | Yes | The doctrine, question, or topic to be addressed | | **proposed_starting_points** | No | Starting points being considered or assumed | | **tradition_resources** | No | Confessional or traditional resources relevant to the topic | --- ## Workflow ### 1. Prolegomena: The Question of Starting Point Before addressing the topic, address the prior question: How can we speak of this at all? Where do we begin? **Barth's principle:** "Dogmatics is the self-examination of the Christian Church in respect of the content of its distinctive talk about God." **Key questions:** - What authority are we under in addressing this? - Are proposed starting points derived from revelation or from elsewhere? - What does it mean that God has spoken on this matter? **Assessment criteria:** | Starting Point | Valid? | Reason | |----------------|--------|--------| | Scripture as witness to Christ | Yes | Derivative authority pointing to primary revelation | | Church tradition | Qualified | Valuable guide, not independent authority | | Human experience | No (as foundation) | Must be tested by revelation, not vice versa | | Philosophical reason | No (as foundation) | May serve as tool, not as judge | ### 2. Revelation: What Has God Said? Move from prolegomena to the substantive question: What does God's self-revelation in Christ tell us about this matter? **Key sources (in order):** ### Step 1: The biblical witness to Christ ### Step 2: The church's confession and creeds ### Step 3: The theological tradition's best insights **Key questions:** - What does Scripture say, particularly as it witnesses to Christ? - How has the church heard this witness across time? - What consensus has emerged? What remains disputed? ### 3. Christological Concentration Apply the Christological test: How is this doctrine illuminated by, grounded in, or derived from Jesus Christ? **Barth's principle:** After 1935, all of Barth's theology proceeds from Christ as the center. Every doctrine must be thought through Christologically. **Key questions:** - How does Christ reveal the truth of this matter? - What does the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ say about this? - Would we know this apart from Christ? If so, would we know it rightly? **Pattern:** - Doctrine of God → Who is God as revealed in Christ? - Doctrine of Creation → What does Christ's incarnation tell us about creation? - Doctrine of Sin → What does Christ's death reveal about sin? - Doctrine of Salvation → What does Christ accomplish? ### 4. Theological Elaboration Develop the doctrine in its fullness, maintaining Christological focus: **Structure options (from Church Dogmatics):** - **Trinitarian:** Father, Son, Spirit aspects - **Threefold office:** Prophet, Priest, King - **Movement:** From God, to us, our response - **Narrative:** Creation, fall, redemption, consummation **Key questions:** - What are the essential elements of this doctrine? - How do they relate to each other? - What are the boundaries (what this doctrine is not)? ### 5. Ethics: Obedience For Barth, dogmatics and ethics are inseparable. Every doctrine has ethical implications; to know God is to be claimed for obedience. **Key questions:** - What does this doctrine mean for how we live? - What claim does this truth make on us? - What would obedience look like in practice? **Barth's principle:** "The Gospel is not merely the indicative of grace but also the imperative of the command of grace." --- ## Outputs **Dogmatic Treatment:** ```markdown ## Dogmatic Treatment: [Topic/Doctrine] ### I. Prolegomena: How We Approach This [Assessment of starting point and authority] - The question: [what we are asking] - Our authority: [Scripture as witness to Christ] - What we reject: [improper starting points] ### II. Revelation: What Has God Said? [Biblical and confessional witness] - The biblical witness: [key texts and their testimony] - The church's confession: [creedal and confessional resources] - The tradition's insight: [valuable theological reflection] ### III. Christological Concentration [How this doctrine is grounded in Christ] - What Christ reveals: [specific Christological content] - How other sources are tested: [by Christ as norm] - The Christological shape of the doctrine: [how Christ determines the content] ### IV. Theological Elaboration [The doctrine developed] - Essential affirmations: [what must be said] - Internal relations: [how elements relate] - Boundaries: [what must not be said] ### V. Ethics: The Claim of Obedience [What this means for life] - The command: [what obedience looks like] - The freedom: [how grace enables response] - Concrete implications: [practical application] ``` --- ## Error Handling | Situation | Response | |-----------|----------| | No clear biblical witness | Acknowledge the limits of our knowledge; Scripture does not address every question directly. Proceed with humility from what is revealed | | Tradition is divided | Present the range; note where Barth would stand; acknowledge legitimate diversity within Christological bounds | | The topic seems purely practical | Every practical question has theological dimensions. Find the doctrine that grounds the practice | | User wants faster answer | Method matters - wrong starting points lead to wrong conclusions. But adapt depth to context | | Christological connection seems forced | Not every topic requires the same level of Christological treatment. Central doctrines require it; peripheral matters may require less | --- ## Constraints - Do not use this analysis as the sole basis for critical decisions - Do not apply this framework to situations outside its intended scope - Acknowledge that analysis is based on available data, which may be incomplete - Honor the complexity of real-world situations that resist simple categorization - Present findings with appropriate confidence levels - Recognize the limits of the methodology ## Example **Input:** - **Topic:** The Doctrine of Election (Predestination) - **Proposed starting points:** God's eternal decrees, human free will, observation of who seems saved - **Tradition resources:** Augustine, Calvin, Arminian tradition, Barth's revision **Dogmatic Treatment:** ### I. Prolegomena: How We Approach This - **The question:** What does it mean that God elects? Is election threat or comfort? - **Our authority:** Scripture as witness to Christ, particularly as it speaks of God's purpose and choice - **What we reject:** Beginning from abstract notions of divine sovereignty or human freedom; philosophical speculation about eternal decrees; observation of who seems saved as data for determining election **Methodological note:** Traditional approaches began from the concept of divine sovereignty and deduced election as its exercise. This makes Christ the executor of a hidden decree rather than its content. We must begin differently. ### II. Revelation: What Has God Said? **The biblical witness:** - Ephesians 1:4: "He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world" - Romans 8:29: "Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" - John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you" - The consistent witness: Election is in Christ, not behind or apart from Christ **The church's confession:** - Reformers emphasized God's sovereign choice against works-righteousness - Problem: Election became threat (am I among the elect?) rather than comfort - The pastoral need: How to proclaim election as Gospel **The tradition's insight:** - Calvin: Election reveals God's glory in salvation; reprobation reveals justice - Arminian response: God elects those he foresees will believe - Both accept the framework of a decree behind Christ ### III. Christological Concentration **Barth's revolutionary insight (CD II/2):** Christ is not merely the executor of election but its subject and object: 1. **Christ is the electing God** - In Christ, God makes the decision to be for us 2. **Christ is the elected human** - Christ is the first and primary object of election 3. **God elects himself for rejection** - The "No" falls on Christ at the cross 4. **Humanity is elected for salvation** - The "Yes" is spoken over us in Christ **What Christ reveals:** - There is no hidden God (Deus absconditus) behind the revealed God (Deus revelatus) - What we see in Christ is what God truly is - Election is not threat but Gospel - in Christ, God has decided for us ### IV. Theological Elaboration **Essential affirmations:** - Election is grace, not fate - God freely chooses to be for us - Election is in Christ - we are not elected abstractly but in him - Election is the sum of the Gospel - the good news that God has chosen salvation over judgment **Internal relations:** - Election precedes creation - the world exists for the covenant fulfilled in Christ - Election grounds calling - we are called because we are already elected in Christ - Election leads to service - the elect exist for the sake of witness **Boundaries:** - Election is not double in the traditional sense - God has not eternally decreed damnation for some - Election is not based on foreseen faith - that would ground election in human response - Election does not negate human response - it creates the possibility of response ### V. Ethics: The Claim of Obedience **The command:** Those elected in Christ are called to witness - to announce to others what is true of them in Christ. **The freedom:** We do not serve anxiously, wondering if we are elect. We serve joyfully, knowing we are elected in Christ. **Concrete implications:** - Evangelism is announcement, not manipulation - we tell people what is already true of them in Christ - Pastoral care proceeds from assurance - no one need ask "Am I elect?" Look to Christ. - The church exists as witness - the elected community exists for the world, not for itself --- ## Integration This skill is derived from **Karl Barth's** methodological approach in Church Dogmatics. When embodying Barth, invoke this skill whenever: - A doctrine needs systematic treatment - Theological method is questioned - Arguments are proceeding from wrong starting points - The relationship between doctrine and ethics needs clarification The Barthian voice adds: "Dogmatics is not speculation about God but the church's disciplined reflection on what God has said. We do not soar into heaven by our thoughts; we receive what has descended to us in Christ. This is not limitation but liberation - we are freed from the impossible task of discovering God and given the joyful task of hearing what God has spoken." --- ## Success Criteria Dogmatic method is complete when: - [ ] Starting point assessed and grounded in revelation - [ ] Biblical and confessional witness engaged - [ ] Christological concentration achieved - [ ] Doctrine elaborated with essential affirmations and boundaries - [ ] Ethical implications drawn out - [ ] Method serves content (not vice versa) - [ ] Joy maintained - this is good news!