Karl Barth: Theologian of Christian Witness

by Joseph L. Mangina

The thought of Karl Barth has undergone a remarkable renewal of interest in recent decades. Joseph Mangina's Karl Barth: Theologian of Christian Witness offers a concise, accessible guide to this important Christian thinker. Unique among introductions to Barth, it also highlights his significance for Christian ecumenism and brings his views into conversation with other contemporary theologians.

Genres: Theology

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2004

Reviews

[Mu-tien Chiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introductory book for any student who wants to dive into the sea of Church Dogmatics.

"Church Dogmatics" can also be rendered "ecclesial theology" (credit to George Hunsinger), and this becomes the book's thesis. Joseph L. Mangina began the book with Karl Barth's life context, and then summarizes CD almost paragraph by paragraph. (Mostly the summerization is only a teaser which does not replace the real stuff. This is also to say that you can jump through these pages if you have already been familiar with that part of CD.)

What is most interesting about this book is that Mangina also sets Barth in dialogue with other thinkers:

1) with George Lindbeck (American Lutheran theologian, father of postliberal theology) on Revelation

2) with Michael Wyschogrod (Jewish German-American philosopher of religion, Jewish theologian, and activist for Jewish-Christian interfaith dialog) on Election

3) with Stanley Hauerwas (American theologian, postliberal ethicist, and public intellectual) on Creation

4) with Robert Jenson (American Lutheran and ecumenical theologian) on Reconciliation

5) with Henri de Lubac (French Jesuit and Catholic Cardinal, advocate of nouvelle théologie) on the Church

This arrangement is interesting, for almost none of these five theologians are best known for the respective topics assigned, and we get to see new sparks of flame by juxtaposing their ideas with Barth's.
Personally I feel the section on Jenson the most insightful (in that his Trinitarian theology is even more radically historical and actualistic than Barth's version), followed by de Lubac.

Due to page limit, it can reach only certain level of engagement, however.
(A list of bibliography for inquisitive readers could have been there.)

[Andrew Klynsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really helpful introduction to Barth's Church Dogmatics. It gives a road map to what to expect to find there, and an overview of the key features to help you get your bearings. This was invaluable. (One particularly helpful thing was a two page diagrammatic summary of the Dogmatics by Eberhard Jungel.) I was not so helped by the imagined "interactions" between Barth's thought and those of various writers.

[Dane Jöhannsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mangina's work on Barth is one of the best out there. As I struggled through Barth I read this through twice at least. He gives background and biographical information as well as a detailed analysis of Barth's theology. If you are lost in thinking through Barth, Mangina can help you.

[James B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karl Barth wrinkles the brain.

[Stephen Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent introduction to CD--not great but it gives a general overview of Barth's main ideas.