Dogmatics

Introduction to Karl Barth

Systematics

To some Christians, Karl Barth is a modern-day Church Father; to others, he is a bogeyman, responsible for many recent theological ills. This class will dispel both these caricatures, introducing students to Barth’s theology firsthand. Engaging his theology of the Word, we will begin with his Epistle to the Romans and the Barmen Declaration, moving into his debates with Emil Brunner on natural theology, before diving deep into his Church Dogmatics.

Taught by Mr. Onsi Kamel.

Runs 9/27-12/10/21.

Description

This Systematics course will be taught by Mr. Onsi Kamel and will from from September 27 through December 11. The syllabus will be available here soon.

To some Christians, Karl Barth was the greatest theologian of the twentieth century and a “modern-day church father”, providing one of the few genuine alternatives to Thomism. To others, he is a bogeyman, responsible for many recent theological ills.

This class will see to dispel both of these caricatures by engaging Barth’s theology first-hand. Early in life , Barth turned on his Liberal Protestant training, recognizing instead God’s absolute freedom with respect to his creation, God’s transcendence of all human intellectual constructions, the authority of God’s Word over all of created reality, and the singularity of Jesus Christ for salvation and revelation alike. Often misunderstood, Barth’s doctrine of the Word is perhaps his greatest contribution to Protestant thought, and the doctrinal key which unlocks his whole theological project. 

In this class, students will engage deeply with Barth’s theology of the Word, beginning with his Epistle to the Romans and the Barmen Declaration, moving through his debates with Emil Brunner on natural theology, and finally spending the bulk of the class drinking deeply from the well of his Church Dogmatics.

Online only, runs 10 weeks, meeting 2hr/wk. via Zoom. Students will also have the option to participate in class discussion in the Davenant Common Room Discord server. Register now to reserve your spot. The course will proceed contingent on sufficient enrollment; on rare occasions, a class has to be cancelled due to insufficient interest. Once the registration period closes, the class meeting time will be set on the basis of a poll of availability from registrants. In case of cancellation or scheduling conflicts, students will be eligible for a refund or a transfer to another course.

This is a graduate-level course. Although a BA is not a necessary pre-requisite for this course, students should come prepared to do graduate-level work.