Barth on teaching theology

I do not want reader of this book to be under any illusions. They must expect nothing but theology. If, in spite of this warning, it should stray into the hands of some who are not theologians, I shall be especially pleased. For I am altogether persuaded that the matters of which it treats and the questions which it raises do in fact concern every one. I could not make the book more easily intelligible than the subject itself allows. And I must beg my untheological readers to be indulgent when they are confronted with citations in a foreign language, which defy translation without loss of meaning; or when I have from time to time made use of philosophical or theological abracadabra. If I be not mistaken—and here I must contradict Arthur Bonus—we theologians serve the layman best when we refuse to have him especially in mind, and when we simply live of our own, as every honest labourer must do.¹

This is taken from the preface to the second edition of Karl Barth’s The Epistle to the Romans. I have just begun reading this book, before I could even get to the first chapter I have been moved by the words of Barth. The preface to the second edition is really long, but it is really interesting because of his musing over various issues, one main issue being the question of scripture interpretation, which have arisen since the first edition.

This passage, as well the discuss which surrounds it, caused me to be reminded of two conversations of late. The first and relationally closer of the two is from my Romans class. A lot of the discussion this week was trying to get some perspective on the book of Romans. Barth’s humility and honesty as the difficulty and complexity of Paul’s work as well as his own exegesis of it soothing to my heart. He admits the difficulty, but a paragraph later dismisses the idea of simplifying the story. The fact that he believes issues of Romans are still relevant, but not just to a few but to everyone.

The second conversation is probably going to be less clear to see without having read the whole preface. Jake has posted about his struggles with church leadership, and how he fits into it. I think Barth’s words fit into that discussion because, Barth is unapologetic of the difficulty of the Gospel, he simply wants to let it stand on its own. That idea can definitely be taken into the practical application of ministry.

{I have gotten the feeling as I have wrote this that no one is going to understand what I’m talking about. It is as if I am writing this to & for myself. I apologize if that has been the case.}

1. Barth, Karl. The Epistle to the Romans. trans. by Edwyn C. Hoskyns. Oxford Press: London, 1950; p. 5. [↩]