Karl Barth (1886-1968)

Karl Barth ranks as the outstanding theologian of the 20th century.

Karl achieved prominence when the demands of parish work and the trauma of WW1 on the Swiss borders forced him back to the Bible. It brought about the explosion of his Epistle to the Romans (1919,1922).

With the rise of Hitlerism and its ‘German Christianity’ . Karl became a leader in its opposition. He championed the cause of the so called Confessing Church, the Jews and of oppressed people in general.

He was one of the founders of the Confessing church. Dismissed to Switzerland (1935) he played an active role in the formation of the World Council of Churches. He may have derided the term neo-orthodoxy he firmly believed in reasserting certain older Christian doctrine.

I have enclosed 2 main sources. The piece from Geoffrey W. Bromiley focuses on Karl’s theological earthquake, Barth and Nazism, Karl’s achievement and lastly his thought on the epistle of Romans.

The second source written by Thomas Forsyth Torrance looks at his Early Life and career, Year in Germany and Karl’s International reputation and influence.

Both sources hopefully are useful. The critical and explosive nature of his theology came to be known as ‘dialectical’ theology or’ the theology of crisis’ . It initiated a trend towards the reasserting of certain older Christine doctrine - a return to the Gospel message of the Bible - the theology of the Reformation.

Karl Barth the outstanding theologian of the 20 th century.

Source
Great Leaders of the Christian Church
Britannic Online Encyclopedia