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Karl Barth's Christological Ecclesiology
In a revision of her doctoral dissertation for Princeton Theological Seminary, Bender (theology and philosophy, U of Sioux Falls, US) seeks to explicate Barth's (1886-1968) ecclesiology by drawing attention to the Christological logic that governs its inner shape, structure, and content. Her goal is to trace the past and present missteps in interpreting his ecclesiology back to a failure either to place his doctrine of the church within his larger dogmatic framework, or to understand its implicitly ethical nature. She offers a chronological narrative of the development and representation of the inner logic of his doctrine of the church from its earliest versions to its final formulations. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
- GenresTheologyEcclesiology
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2005
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June 2, 2015
Karl Barth remains an imposing figure within Christian theological circles. In fact there is something of a Barth renaissance at this moment, as contemporary theologians dip into his prodigious corpus for insights. One needn't be a Barthian to learn from him. You just have to be open to engaging his ever evolving system.
The Church Dogmatics, his theological enterprise that was written over several decades cover much of the theological corpus, including the doctrine of the church. In this book Kimlyn Bender has tackled Barth's ecclesiology, putting it in conversation with his Christology. In actual fact, this is necessary because Christology was the fulcrum from which Barth did his theology.
This is a new paperback edition published by Cascade Books, which is based on an earlier hardback version published by Ashgate. The new edition makes the book much more accessible to the public.
With a Christocentric framework governing his theology, Barth's ecclesiology emerges out of the same milieu. Bender has done a wonderful job drawing out the Christological foundations, while also helping us see the full Trinitarian and even pneumatological elements. Bender suggests that the Christological pattern has three elements. First there is a Chalcedonian pattern, with both divine and human natures. The second element continues the examination of the Chalcedonian pattern by pointing out its asymmetrical nature, so that the divine element remains free and its dignity preserved. Third, he speaks of the correspondence of the human with the divine, so that the human mirrors the divine.
For Barth there is always a dialectical tension to be observed, so that we must attend to both visible and invisible, or the church as event versus the church as institution. Both are present. Both are important. Both are related, with the visible, for instance mirroring the invisible.
This is written as a scholarly exposition of Barth's ecclesiology. He takes us from Romans to the end of the Dogmatics. He helps us see the development of his thought leading in the end to a full embrace of a free church/congregational model. Believing that the church is truly event, it is most truly present in its local manifestations.
While focusing on Christology, Bender helps us see how Barth included the Spirit in the development of the ecclesiology, as well as how all is connected to his Trinitarian vision. The pneumatological element helps provide for a sense of freedom in his ecclesiology, so that the church should be ever reforming and never static. Even the creeds are not to be seen as final.
As one might expect, Bender points out that Barth's ecclesiology is both rich and complex. He weaves a divere set of theological and practical strands together, so that it's not easy to classify his ecclesiology, which is as he would have it.
This is an excellent anaylsis and summation of Barth's theology of the church, including his vision of ministry (non-hierarchical, gifts-based, priesthood of believers, model). It's not an easy read, but what would you expect from an attempt to interpret one of the deepest and enigmatic theologians of the modern age?
The Church Dogmatics, his theological enterprise that was written over several decades cover much of the theological corpus, including the doctrine of the church. In this book Kimlyn Bender has tackled Barth's ecclesiology, putting it in conversation with his Christology. In actual fact, this is necessary because Christology was the fulcrum from which Barth did his theology.
This is a new paperback edition published by Cascade Books, which is based on an earlier hardback version published by Ashgate. The new edition makes the book much more accessible to the public.
With a Christocentric framework governing his theology, Barth's ecclesiology emerges out of the same milieu. Bender has done a wonderful job drawing out the Christological foundations, while also helping us see the full Trinitarian and even pneumatological elements. Bender suggests that the Christological pattern has three elements. First there is a Chalcedonian pattern, with both divine and human natures. The second element continues the examination of the Chalcedonian pattern by pointing out its asymmetrical nature, so that the divine element remains free and its dignity preserved. Third, he speaks of the correspondence of the human with the divine, so that the human mirrors the divine.
For Barth there is always a dialectical tension to be observed, so that we must attend to both visible and invisible, or the church as event versus the church as institution. Both are present. Both are important. Both are related, with the visible, for instance mirroring the invisible.
This is written as a scholarly exposition of Barth's ecclesiology. He takes us from Romans to the end of the Dogmatics. He helps us see the development of his thought leading in the end to a full embrace of a free church/congregational model. Believing that the church is truly event, it is most truly present in its local manifestations.
While focusing on Christology, Bender helps us see how Barth included the Spirit in the development of the ecclesiology, as well as how all is connected to his Trinitarian vision. The pneumatological element helps provide for a sense of freedom in his ecclesiology, so that the church should be ever reforming and never static. Even the creeds are not to be seen as final.
As one might expect, Bender points out that Barth's ecclesiology is both rich and complex. He weaves a divere set of theological and practical strands together, so that it's not easy to classify his ecclesiology, which is as he would have it.
This is an excellent anaylsis and summation of Barth's theology of the church, including his vision of ministry (non-hierarchical, gifts-based, priesthood of believers, model). It's not an easy read, but what would you expect from an attempt to interpret one of the deepest and enigmatic theologians of the modern age?
Displaying 1 of 1 review