Karl Barth and Liberation Theology - (T&t Clark Explorations in Reformed Theology) by Paul T Nimmo & Kaitlyn Dugan & Paul Dafydd Jones

Book Synopsis

This volume puts Barth and liberation theologies in critical and constructive conversation. With incisive essays from a range of noted scholars, it forges new connections between Barth's expansive corpus and the multifaceted world of Christian liberation theology. It shows how Barth and liberation theologians can help us to make sense of - and perhaps even to respond to - some of the most pressing issues of our day: race and racism in the United States; changing understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality; the ongoing degradation of the ecosphere; the relationship between faith, theological reflection, and the arts; the challenge of decolonizing Christian thought; and ecclesial and political life in the Global South.

Review Quotes

Karl Barth wrote that 'Freedom is God's great gift.' While political liberation is not the whole of the Gospel, Barth-like the liberation theologians of the Global South-affirmed God's judgment on the side of the poor and powerless over against tyrannical abuse. This book bears witness to the viability of reading Barth in new and different contexts in order to incarnate God's righteousness in human structures, however imperfectly.

The essays collected in this volume help us to catch sight of the importance and fruitfulness of the many and diverse engagements afoot between contemporary liberation theologies and the theology of Karl Barth. Readers will come away with a renewed appreciation of both the present liveliness of Barth's dogmatic legacy as well as the ongoing and manifold refraction of the freedom of the gospel in the midst of the concrete struggles of social-political existence today. There is much here to think with and act upon.

The greatest contribution of Karl Barth and Liberation Theology is the way it challenges scholars to consider the liberative nature of the gospel ... [W]ill surely give progressive scholars hope to carry on.
Reading Religion

About the Author

Paul Dafydd Jones is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, USA.

Kaitlyn Dugan is Managing Director of the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, USA.