The best of Ben Myers on Barth

Faith and Theology is coming up to almost 200 posts on Karl Barth over the years. Here is some of the best stuff from the back catalogue: a darn good introduction, I reckon.

George Hunsinger on Torrance and Barth

Kim Fabricius’ ten propositions on Barth

Ben on “Why I am not a universalist”

Barth’s doctrine of election

Church Dogmatics in a week

The best books on Karl Barth

…and the worst

Thanks Ben!

On Karl Barth and China

I once heard someone say that everything you hear about China is true somewhere, and nothing is true everywhere. In this respect, Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics is like China.

Karl Barth on God’s constancy

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

“God’s constancy—which is a better word than the suspiciously negative word ‘immutability’—is the constancy of his knowing, willing and acting and therefore of his person. It is the continuity, undivertability, and indefatigableness in which God both is Himself and also performs His work, maintaining it as such and continually making it His work. It is the self-assurance in which God moves in Himself and in all His works and in which He is rich in Himself and in all His works without either losing Himself or (for fear of this loss) having to petrify in Himself and renounce His movement and His riches. The constancy of God is not then the limit and boundary, the death of His life. For this very reason the right understanding of God’s constancy must not be limited to His presence with creation, as if God in Himself were after all naked ‘immutability’ and therefore in the last analysis death. On the contrary, it is in and by virtue of His constancy that God is alive in Himself and in all His works. The fact that He possesses selfhood and continuity itself makes Him the living One that He is, and is the basis and meaning of His power and might, the inner divine secret of the movement and wealth itself in which He is glorifious on His throne and in all the heights and depths of His creation.” (Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, II.1.31.2)