Barth, Karl (1886-1968)

Swiss Protestant pastor and professor, widely regarded as the greatest Christian theologian of the twentieth century. He criticized the anthropocentrism of liberal theologians such as Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), opposed Nazi ideology, and rejected natural theology. Throughout his many publications and, especially, in his multi-volume Church Dogmatics, Barth retrieved and reinterpreted the Reformed emphasis upon the triumphant grace of the Word of God by way of the concrete event of Jesus Christ as he is received in faith through the biblical witness and preached in the ecumenical Church.

Contributed by: Marty Maddox/CTNS