Church Dogmatics 3.1: The Doctrine of Creation

Church Dogmatics #3.1

by Karl Barth

In this third part of The Doctrine of Creation, Karl Barth discusses the providence of God. He presents a doctrine of providence, discusses God as Father and the problem of nothingness, and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Nonfiction

440 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Protestant theologian Karl Barth, a Swiss, advocated a return to the principles of the Reformation and the teachings of the Bible; his published works include Church Dogmatics from 1932.

Critics hold Karl Barth among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important since Saint Thomas Aquinas. Beginning with his experience as a pastor, he rejected his typical predominant liberal, especially German training of 19th century.

Instead, he embarked on a new path, initially called dialectical, due to its stress on the paradoxical nature of divine truth—for instance, God is both grace and judgment), but more accurately called a of the Word. Critics referred to this father of new orthodoxy, a pejorative term that he emphatically rejected. His thought emphasized the sovereignty of God, particularly through his innovative doctrine of election. His enormously influenced throughout Europe and America.

Reviews

[Keat · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The human possibility of knowing is not exhausted by the ability to perceive and comprehend. Imagination, too, belongs no less legitimately in its way to the human possibility of knowing. A man without imagination is more of an invalid than one who lacks a leg. But fortunately each of us is gifted somewhere and somehow with imagination, however, starved this gift may be in some or misused by others." p. 91

Reflecting on Genesis 1:11-12 (creation of plant life on the earth): "When man finally appears at the centre of all the older circle of creation, and when it is shown in fact that everything must serve him, it must not be overlooked that man is thus revealed to be the most necessitous of all creatures. Will his sovereignty over plants and beasts consist in anything but the fact that he has more to be grateful for than these other earthly creatures, not only for his own existence, but for that of the whole earthly sphere which is the indispensable presupposition of his own? Will he be able to exercise and preserve his sovereighty otherwise than by expressing thanks both in his own name and at the same time in the name of all other earthly creatures? In this way, as the 'highest' of the living creatures among which the plants now appear as the 'lowest,' he will really have to be and remain the lowest." pp. 143-144

[Ben De Bono · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part of Barth's Doctrine of Creation is yet another fantastic volume in his Church Dogmatics. This is one of the shorter books in the series, but Barth, as always, packs a wealth of information into every page.

I loved Barth's covenantal reading of Genesis' creation narratives. Having done some reading on and research into Genesis 1, I was curious to see how he would handle the passage. Reading the two narratives from a covenantal perspective was enlightening and fit perfectly with the text. I'd be interested to do a close comparison between Barth's reading of the creation narrative and John Walton's theory of creation as a temple inauguration which he propounds in The Lost World of Genesis 1. I have a feeling the two readings would complement each other quite nicely.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

tour de force book. Barth interacts with nearly everyone in this volume. His theology will force you to reconsider and re-examine your own.