The SPCK Introduction to Karl Barth

The SPCK Introduction to Karl Barth

Barth is one of those figures who looms large on the horizon in any discussion of theology in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. There are two reasons for this: firstly, his approach to theology and his dogged engagement with the text of the Bible yielded rich and challenging results. His was a path which those growing weary of late nineteenth century liberal theology could walk, yet he was also viewed with suspicion by the evangelical wing of the church. Second, his literary output was enormous. The Church Dogmatics will stretch for a couple of feet on a shelf and there are few who have engaged fully with his work. As a result he tends to exist in clichés.
Densil Morgan has undertaken a daunting task in bringing Barth to the new reader in only 116 pages. In doing this he has taken the Church Dogmatics as his guiding structure, and written chapters, The doctrines of the Word of God, God, Creation and Reconciliation. Before this there are four chapters which give a biographical overview of Barth, including discussions on his influences.
This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to someone who is an important figure in modern theological thought. That Morgan has managed to survey so vast an output in so short a span is to be commended.

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