Reading Karl Barth: Theology That Cuts Both Ways
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Reading Karl Barth provides a cluster of major themes and signposts by which to orient one’s reading of Barth’s theology. It assists readers in (a) recognizing and understanding what Barth is doing theologically and why and how he is doing it; and (b) assessing the extent to which Barth’s theology is or is not a fruitful resource for their own context, as individuals and communities of faith. The distinctive value of the book’s approach lies in its demonstration of the ways in which Barth’s theology—in both his own time and in ours—“cuts both ways,” to the theological left and right. This involves identifying various theological logics that constitute the diverse and conflictual landscape of shared Christian identity and faith—both in Barth’s time and in our own—enabling readers to recognize not only where and why Barth is located in that landscape, but also where and why they themselves are located, together with their respective faith communities. This makes the book of particular interest to individuals and communities of faith who feel themselves homeless in today’s polemical polarization between theological conservatives and theological progressives, especially those who are hungry for the possibility of a progressive socio-political vision of the gospel rooted in relatively traditional confessions of Christian faith.
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- Provides a cluster of major themes and signposts by which to orient one’s reading of Barth’s theology.
- Helps to recognize and understand what Barth is doing theologically and why and how he is doing it.
- Assesses the extent to which Barth’s theology is or is not a fruitful resource for their own context.
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part 1: Approaching Barth’s Theology—What Is Theology about and What Is at Stake?
- 1 I’ve Got One Word for You: Jesus Christ
- 2 The News Is Good: God Is for Us, Period
- Part 2: The Method, Logic, and Content of Barth’s Theology—How Are We Supposed to Do Theology and What Should It Say (and Not Say)?
- 3 Neither Our Possession nor at Our Disposal: The Break with Liberal Theology, the Turn to the Bible, and Encountering an Unknown God
- 4 The Movement of Barth’s Theological Logic—from God
- 5 The Concreteness of Barth’s Theological Logic—Only in Jesus Christ
- Part 3: The Ethics of Barth’s Theology—“How Should We Then Live?”
- 6 We Do Stuff Too: Human Agency, Freedom, and Action
- 7 Barth and Progressive Christian Ethics in and for Our Time and Place?
- Bibliography
Without glossing over criticism of Barth from both the left and right, Boesel brilliantly captures the particular beauty of Barth’s theology—that enormously spacious YES. This is an excellent, thorough, surprisingly enjoyable, and even occasionally humorous read. I highly recommend it for students, pastors, and the general reader who wants to be reminded of (or hear for the first time) Barth’s enduringly provocative and inspiring work.
—Debbie Blue, pastor, House of Mercy
This witty, winsome, and provocative text has the capacity to charm and intrigue those suspicious of Barth and to unsettle and disconcert more traditional allies and defenders. It offers an assured, distinctive, and even emphatic reading of Barth in its own right, which merits our attention, consideration, and critique.
—Doug Gay, University of Glasgow
Sharp, clear, and witty, in this introduction Chris Boesel invites all readers of Barth to a fresh appreciation for the value of his theology today. Longtime Barth readers will find refreshing return to the heart of the matter: the good news that God is for us—all of us—in and through Jesus Christ. Those new to or skeptical of Barth will discover how his theological orthodoxy leads to radical social critique and activism. A welcome word for a weary world!
—Martha Moore-Keish, Columbia Theological Seminary
- Title: Reading Karl Barth: Theology That Cuts Both Ways
- Author: Chris Boesel
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Pages: 174
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- ISBNs: 9781498200349, 9781498285025, 1498200346, 1498285023, 1498200354, 9781498200356
- Resource ID: LLS:RDNGKRLBRBTHWYS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-15T02:42:50Z