DESCRIPTION:

This seminar will deal with the theological method and development of Karl Barth's theology. It will include an introduction to Barth's life and thought, examination of his method, central themes in his theology, critical response to Barth by representative American evangelical theologians, and a final appraisal of Barth's contribution to evangelical theology. Selected portions from Barth's Church Dogmatics will be discussed in class, dealing with knowledge of God, election, covenant, reconciliation, ecclesiology, and ethics.

This course is designed to enable the student to 1) understand and express Barth's basic theological method; 2) gain an overview of Barth's dogmatic theology; and 3) interpret the significance of Barth's theology for the evangelical church today.

Class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions; one session each week will be led by a teaching assistant. Assigned readings will be used as a basis for the lecture and class discussion each day. A packet of readings from Barth's Church Dogmatics will be made available in class, and is required for each student to have. Class discussion will be based on these readings.

1,200 pages of reading are required, including:

Johnson, William Stacy. The Mystery of God: Karl Barth and the Foundations of Postmodern Theology. Westminster John Knox, 1997.

Thorne, Philip. Evangelicalism and Karl Barth: His Reception and Influence in North American Evangelical Theology. Pickwick, 1995.

Dorrien, Gary. The Barthian Revolt in Modern Theology: Theology Without Weapons. Westminster John Knox, 2000.

Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics. Selected portions. (Photocopy packet made available in class.)

Two papers will be required. The first, due on the first class session of the sixth week, will be a brief (six to eight pages, double spaced) paper setting forth Barth's basic theological method. Footnotes are not needed; references can be placed within parentheses at the end of sentences, with sources listed at the end of the paper. Students will write a second paper (ten to twelve pages, double spaced) as a position paper on Karl Barth's theology from an evangelical perspective, or it can be a research paper on a particular aspect of Barth's theology. In this paper, end notes will be required, documenting sources used and discussing technical points not included within the paper, along with a bibliography. Each paper will count 50% of the course grade. This paper will be due on Friday of the tenth week.

None.

Elective

None.