Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict

Karl Barth (1886-1968) was a Swiss theologian who fought against attempts to locate the divine in culture or individual sentiment, allowing him for a deep worldly engagement. Christiane Tietz explores the interactions between Barth's personal and political biography and his theology, revealing his long-term three-way relationship with his wife Nelly and colleague Charlotte von Kirschbaum. Barth was honored as a prophet and a genial spirit but feared as a critic and shaped the theology of an entire century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 480 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Karl Barth, a Swiss theologian who lived from 1886 to 1968, often found himself at odds with the prevailing spirit of his time. During the First World War, German poets and philosophers were captivated by the idea of community and transcendence, while Barth vehemently opposed any attempts to find the divine within culture or individual sentiment. This stance liberated him to engage deeply with the world, earning him the nickname "the red pastor." He played a pivotal role in the founding of the Confessing Church by penning the Barmen Theological Declaration, and he actively protested the rearmament of the Federal Republic of Germany after 1945. Christiane Tietz delves into the intricate connections between Barth's personal and political life and his theology, shedding light on previously unknown aspects of his life, such as his long-term three-way relationship with his wife Nelly and his colleague Charlotte von Kirschbaum. This captivating portrayal depicts Barth as a theologian who self-identified as God's cheerful partisan, revered as a prophet and a genial spirit, feared as a critic, and whose influence shaped the theology of an entire century, surpassing that of any other thinker.

Weight: 850g
Dimension: 162 x 240 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198852469