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Dogmatics in Outline (SCM Classics)

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One of the remarkable things about this text is that it is derived from lectures Barth delivered without notes. Reading the text shows the remarkable clarity and insight of a man who had spent a lifetime developing a massive theological system (although Barth himself would hesitate to call his work systematic theology, constrasting his work with Tillich, who explicitly claimed the description for his work). Barth's 'Church Dogmatics' represents a major achievement in the history of theology, twentieth century or otherwise; this text, 'Dogmatics in Outline', can serve as a good introduction, a brief overview, or a quick reminder of the greater work in 'Church Dogmatics'.

Barth warns against using this text in a Cliff-Notes fashion for the larger work; however, modern reality being what it is, many students and readers will never find the time to explore the larger work, so this is a welcome text. It goes beyond 'Church Dogmatics' in some ways, in that this text (perhaps more than any other of Barth's, or perhaps on a par with his 'Humanity of God') serves as a guide to Barthian thought without the difficulty involved in his weightier works.

'Dogmatics in Outline' has as its backdrop the war-weary European theatre; indeed, these lectures were delivered in the bomb-damaged University of Bonn. If ever there were experiences that would question the love of God and the grace of God toward humanity, the experiences of the few years preceding these lectures would have served as such. Barth takes the experiences of World War II and the Holocaust into full account as he discusses the importance of faith. One of Barth's concerns throughout his career, and certainly in the aftermath of world war, is that moderns have lost the ability to speak in theological and faithful terms. Humanity has a tendency toward idolatry (an idea Barth shares with Tillich), even those who consider themselves orthodox.

Many Christians will readily recognise the overall outline of this Outline -- Barth uses the basic framework of the Apostle's Creed. Indeed, Barth hesitated to publish these lectures, given that he had two other works dealing with the Creed already published; however, it is this collection that stands best in memory. Perhaps it is Barth's method -- rather than reading a lecture, he gave a talk -- that makes this such a powerful work.

Barth begins by describing dogmatics as being a critical science concerned with the Christian church. Science here is not used in the terms of content but rather of intellectual method; like Tillich, Barth wanted the modern world to recapture the sense of necessity and validity of the theological enterprise, and using terminology and methodology made sense in this context. However, almost as soon as Barth described his task in terms of critical science, he gave an extended discourse on faith, in terms of trust, knowledge, and confession. Faith is a decision, Barth claims, that must be credible and comprehensible as well as accountable.

Never leaving aside Barth's key idea of the infinite difference between God and humanity, Barth traces through the statements of the Creed the love and grace of God toward humankind, and our response to that grace. Drawing heavily upon the New Testament texts and the overall history of salvation through the history of ancient Israel, Barth's sensitivity draws God and humanity into close relationship particularly through the person of Jesus Christ, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continued in community through the church. The revelation of God, according to Barth, comes solely at God's discretion -- there is nothing we can do to force it, or merit it, but it is given to us all freely in any case, from God's infinite love.

Stanley Hauerwas recommends a yearly re-reading of Barth's 'Dogmatics in Outline' for those of us (which is all of us) 'tempted to forget our strangeness'. The book is not lengthy, and can be read fairly quickly in a few sittings. It is a great text.

It took two readings for me to begin to appreciate the depth that Karl Barth put into this book. As my theology professor says, Barth is "deceptively easy" to read. This is indeed true. You read a paragraph and think you get an idea of what he is saying, but the philosophical ramifications of his perspectives are enormous. They blow apart human, frail understandings of God and forces one to view things differently, yet in a refreshing way. A great beginning to a monumental theologian.

A wonderful way to delve into what a Christian confesses in the Apostle's Creed. Do you find yourself having repeated the confession without remembering that you have? You won't again. Barth parses the Creed, expaining each phrase within the totality of traditional church teaching as well as reflective of the condition and history of twentieth century man. It is mindful of the historical position of individual contemporary Christians looking backward and forward at their role in salvation history. It is not a casual read, but well worth the theological effort.

Although not a long book, Dogmatics in Outline presents an impressive brief of New Testament theology. Barths ability to present a balanced outline, void of any radical deviations, not only makes for refreshing reading, but allows Barth to examine the Scriptures with much more insight than would otherwise be possible. Barth proposes a study of dogmatics based on history. It is the history of God's dealings with the nation of Israel and the church that leads us out of the realm of subjective philosophy and nonsensible theories about the nature of God into the account of the content of the proclamation of the church. The study of dogmatics based on history helps prevents us from being led astray by the sometimes false evidence of our thoughts and hearts and groups our faith on the evidence and testimony of the apostles and prophets.

Barths respect for the Scripture colors his whole theology. According to Barth, ones belief in the Word of God is equivalent to trusting it. When a Christian trust in the Word, he is given a gift of freedom by God, freedom not only from sin, but freedom to believe. One is no longer required to justify himself before God because God has set him free from such worry.

The strongest part of Barths book is his concept of revelation. Revelation is the sole prerogative of God- Gode revealing himself to man. It is because of this that it is mere speculation for man to try to prove the existence of God. Barth goes even one step farther by stating that trying to prove God by the so-called give famous proofs is mere folly since the bible speaks simply as God as being one who needs no proof. The sixty-four dollar question is how does God prove himself? Barth answers that God shows himself to man through history. According to Barth, the Bible is the record of God's deeds though which we can come to know God and that this climaxes in the person of Jesus Christ. Since God is the God if history natural revelation, the revelation of power, beauty and love is totally inadequate to come to saving knowledge of God. Natural revelation is only a witness to God and not about him.

All told this is an enlightening book, informative and well written. If you are looking to gain a further understanding of neo-orthodoxy, this book is for you.

I finally finished this book, my first by Barth - it took me months to read this short (155 pages) series of lectures delivered to a group of dedicated students at Kurfürsten Schloss in Bonn in 1959. Despite the fact that each section is at most about five pages, Barth is deceptively easy to read and thus I spent a great deal of time poring over what had been transcribed in each lecture. He seemingly wastes no words, hardly repeats himself and is almost never recorded delivering anything but the highest level of discourse. Many do not write as clearly as Barth spoke extemporaneously.

In particular, the three chapters on the structure of faith (Faith as Trust, Faith as Knowledge, and Faith as Confession) are particularly useful. The contrast between faith as trust and as knowledge was and is still difficult for me to totally understand in the context of this discussion. If reading the chapter on trust, one might accuse Barth (as some have) of fideism, but then taken as a pill with the chapter on knowledge, the waters are muddied. Knowledge rightly understood, knowledge as wisdom or Sophia rather that Scientia, Barth argues, is the sort of Christian knowledge that is related to faith (and encompasses the entire existence of man). Finally the church's job, in faith, is to confess its faith. It must proclaim, even in `unedifying language' familiar to those `out there'. Christian faith does not happen in a 'snail's shell' or in a comfortable dualism. Confession is not a weak thing that happens weekly in a church service, but in our every involvement outside of life Barth calls the Christian to confess in love, in ways that `Mr. Everyman' can understand. To paraphrase St. Francis, spread the Gospel, and use words only if necessary.

By far the most moving chapter is on the coming judgment of Christ. Judgment never seems to be a fun topic, but in this case Barth points us to Christ as the one who will create order and restore what has been destroyed. (The particular university was apparently in near ruins in the post-war landscape, perhaps making this a particularly poignant point for many students as well as Barth himself). At judgment all tears will be wiped away. It won't be a question of our faith or lack of faith - but it will be the point where "it is finished" comes into full view. Christ has done his work on earth, which holds for all, Christian and non-Christian alike. An amazing lecture that truly challenges any sort of knee-jerk reaction against Christ the Judge.

This was for me a book to savor and delight in, and it is one that I shall revisit again and again throughout my life.

Wonderful introduction to Barth's dogmatics. Warning: It will make you want to get his detailed work, like Karl Barth: Church Dogmatics. His evangelical thinking is first rate and, while his ideas take a bit of work to understand, I promise you the effort is worth it.

I read this on a whim because I am surrounded by Barthians and it often hard to understand what they are talking about. This is an easy read, if in translation, and a perfect introduction to what Barth thought, how Christology is central, and what dogmatics are.

Read it, cherish it.

The very name, Karl Barth, evokes through its stern, Germanic aspect the threat of theology--terminologically heavy, long, and inscrutable writings suited to the refined tastes of a specialized few. Seminary students hear awe-filled tales about his Church Dogmatics--over 9000 pages (and incomplete!) of theologically long sentences. Karl Barth's writings thus seem better suited to PhD work than pleasure reading. Naturally, as a student of theology, I had heard a great deal about Karl Barth over the years; but I hadn't ever read any of his works. Recently I listened to a lecture on his life and work, and the lecturer (Earl Palmer) praised Dogmatics in Outline as an important, readable, and powerful book of Christian theology. I reasoned that it was high time I dipped into Barth myself, purchased a copy, and worked my way through one (short) chapter at a time. I am immensely glad, having now read Dogmatics in Outline, that Palmer was right, and the perceived opinion of Barth wrong.

Dogmatics in Outline is a short theological reflection on the Apostles' Creed. It is a phrase by phrase reading of that creed, interpreting it as the central statement of Christian belief for all time. The book was written during a troubling theological climate, when theology itself had, through its historically accrued methodology, lost its dogmatic focus. In particular, the central role of Christ was being questioned by many theologians. Barth confronts this movement with a timeless message of the absolute centrality of Christ, and he begins by eschewing traditional systematic theology, finding its terms and categorizations at times inimical to the message of Christ presented in the creed. Barth writes:

"We must always be putting the question, 'What is the evidence?' Not the evidence of my thoughts, or my heart, but the evidence of the apostles and prophets, as the evidence of God's self-evidence. Should a dogmatics lose light of this standard, it would be an irrelevant dogmatics." (13)

Theology, in other words, that is based on man's invention is worthless; and by this he means any theology that loses sight of the living source of faith, Jesus Christ. Thus, throughout the book, Barth continually points to Christ as the central, essential, sine qua non of Christian faith. He observes, for example, that "when we say, I believe in god, the concrete meaning is that I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" (17). There is no true knowledge of God, states Barth, which is independent or separable from the knowledge of Christ.

I found three quarters of Barth's book to be among the most rewarding theological reading I have ever done. His Christocentric, Trinitarian, theologically aware reading of the creed is fabulous. In fact, I have underlined such a significant portion of the book, a few brief examples must suffice. One insightful comment is when Barth remarks on the 'oneness' of God:

"Do you understand what monotheism in Christian faith means? God knows, not the foolish delight in the number 'one'. It has nothing to do with the number 'one', but with this subject in His sheer uniqueness and otherness over against all others, different from all the ridiculous deities whom man invents." (40)

We must not take, Barth argues, from the language of 'theology' a meaning for God's monotheism which is opposed to its genuine purpose--to declare God's otherworldly superiority against all that man can do and invent. Another insightful comment from Barth's chapter on the Church:

"The truly ecumenical Christians are not those who trivialise the differences and flutter over them; they are those who in their respective Churches are quite concretely the Church." (143)

In other words, ecumenism is not achieved by glossing over the differences between churches, but by focusing our work on living and being the Church. The book, in this way, is anecdotally packed.

By praising three quarters of the book I have implied that one quarter was lacking, and this is true. Some of the later chapters lacked the freshness and energy of the first. And given the history of Protestant theology, it is not surprising that a Protestant theologian would be weak on topics like the Resurrection and the Holy Spirit. I might argue that Barth's theology rushes to the cross and then stays there just a little too long--it thus, in the plan of the creed, obscures his doctrine of the Spirit. To be fair, it is not that Barth has said bad or incorrect words in these closing chapters, but that perhaps he has not said enough. Perhaps they only look weak because the earlier chapters were so invigorated.

Dogmatics in Outline is not a perfect book--there are places where I disagreed with Barth or felt he didn't go far enough--but its merits far outweigh its faults. I found it to be one of the most enriching books I have read in some time, and I know even now that will read it many times more. Furthermore, I will gladly recommend it to others. So do as I did: pick up a copy and read a chapter a day. You won't regret it.

(Five Stars despite the lacking 1/4 of the book--what's good is too good to miss.)

The academic title and the no frills cover disguise what has to be one of the most beautiful explanations of the Apostles' Creed I've ever read. Through this series of lectures delivered by German professor and theologian Karl Barth in the summer of 1946, the reader is taken into the mysteries discussed in the Apostles' Creed, or the "Christian Confession," as Barth refers to it.

So often we place limits on God, based on our own limitations and prejudices, on the narrowness of our own minds, and then we get stuck spiritually, unable to break free from the jail cell we've created. Dogmatics in Outline often made me feel as if my mind and soul were expanding as I read it. The bars of the jail cell I've constructed over the years were being bent back or even broken in half. Another time I was acutely aware of this sort of epiphany-like occurrence while reading was when I took a Philosophy of Religion course many years ago.

Though I know God is much bigger than humans can ever explain or fathom, Barth's explication of the Creed helps to emphasize the magnitude of the Lord, that has been and always will be well beyond our grasp. Through a close examination of the words of the Creed and how they are developed through Scripture, the reader is given an opportunity to comprehend on more ethereal and visceral levels a prayer and confession of faith that sums up the most significant aspects of Christianity.

My mom raved about Karl Barth's Dogmatics in Outline, one of the books that she was assigned to read for one of her Master's courses. She liked it so much that she gave both my sister and me copies of the book this past Christmas. For a number of reasons, God's seen fit to inspire me to read certain books at the right time, so that's why I didn't pick up this one until May.

I highly recommend this book to Christians everywhere. I feel quite certain the lyrical quality of the language and the vastness of God's Power and Presence will draw you in, make you think, and lead you to a deeper life of prayer, preaching, and living out the Gospel.

For more information or to order a copy of this masterpiece, click Dogmatics in Outline.