Karl Barth: Theologian in the Tempest of Time (Karel Blei) - A Review
Karl
Barth is rightfully considered one of the most significant theologians of the
twentieth century, and perhaps even the modern era. His Church Dogmatics
is a massive work that remained incomplete at his death (he never got to his
lectures on eschatology). Although the world has changed and many new
theological movements have emerged since Barth’s death in the late 1960s, he
remains an important theological conversation partner for many today. Many interpreters
have engaged his works of theology but few actual biographies have been
produced. That changed in 2021 as two new biographies appeared, though these
are very different books.
Karl Barth: Theologian in the Tempest of Time was written by Karel Blei, a
minister in the Netherlands Reformed Church (now the Protestant Church in the
Netherlands), a body he once served as General Secretary. He has been active in
the ecumenical movement, serving as a member of the central committee of the
World Council of Churches and as president of the World Alliance of Reformed
Churches. Thus, he brings a Dutch perspective on Barth’s life and work,
including Barth’s engagement with the church in the Netherlands. The translator
for this volume is Allan Janssen, who served on the faculty of the New
Brunswick Theological Seminary and as General Synod Professor of Theology for
the Reformed Church in America. Janssen, unfortunately, died of complications
from COVID-19 before the publication of the book he translated. As Matthew
Maastricht writes in his foreword to this biography, his belief that “this
volume offers great aid in helping us revisit the context in which Barth was
working, and helps us encounter his work in a renewed and refreshed light” (p.
xviii).
Blei’s
biography is very different from Christiane Tietz's biography of Barth titled Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict, which appeared
earlier in 2021 (you will find my review of Tietz's biography by clicking here). Although the subtitles of the two biographies are similar, they
signal the difference between the books. Tietz's subtitle is "A Life in
Conflict." Blei's subtitle is "Theologian in the Tempest of
Time." Reference to “a life” in Tietz’s biography signals her interest in Barth's
life story, including his relationship with Charlotte von Kirschbaum. Blei’s
subtitle focuses on Barth’s vocation as a theologian, and thus focuses on Barth's
writings and public life. Blei’s primary focus is Barth’s creation of the Church
Dogmatics. While Blei does explore
Barth’s other works and his public life, the focus is on Barth’s work on the Church
Dogmatics. Therefore, in many ways the two biographies are complementary.
As
Matthew Van Maastricht notes in his foreword, Blei's biography places Barth's
theological work in the context of his times. So, we walk with Blei through the
evolving nature of Barth’s theology as he moved from his ministry in Safenwil,
through his teaching posts in Germany, which included several attempts at writing
a dogmatics before the eventual Church Dogmatics was initiated during
his time in Bonn. Of course, we know of Barth’s efforts at Barmen, his opposition
to the Nazification of the church in Germany, which led to his dismissal from
his post at Bonn, the loss of his honorary doctorate from Munster, and his eviction
from Germany due to his refusal to swear unswerving allegiance to Hitler. His
departure from Bonn led to his return to Basel, the city of his youth. He would
remain there until his death in 1968. While the Dogmatics stand at the
center of the book, Blei wants us to understand the context in which this great
theological work emerged. This work in many ways has its roots in commentary on
Romans, which led to his appointment to teach theology at Göttingen
University in Germany, which was followed by tenures at Münster
and Bonn.
An
important component of this biography is the way in which Blei reminds us that even
though Barth focused his attention on Jesus as the Revelation of God, he was
strongly involved in political developments through the years. He was, of
course, called the “Red Pastor” during his ministry in Safenwil due to his support
for union workers. His political views also got him into trouble in Germany, due
to his opposition to Hitler. But he also faced criticism in Switzerland, which
sought to remain neutral during World War II, as he sought to encourage
resistance to Hitler in Eastern Europe. Later he would face criticism due to
his unwillingness to join western anti-communist efforts. His refusal to
embrace anticommunism brought him into conflict with the political powers in
Europe as with some of his theological colleagues, including Reinhold Niebuhr. He
was accused of hypocrisy since he had urged resistance to Hitler but failed to
do so regarding the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. He responded to his
critics by distinguishing between the two situations. Though he insisted he did
not support Soviet communism, he encouraged Christians in the east to adapt to
Soviet control. That is because he believed the two realities were very
different. One of his points had to do with communism's attempt to offer a solution
to social problems, while the Nazis were essentially a criminal enterprise. In
addition, unlike the Nazis, the communists did not try to portray themselves as
being Christian.
What
emerges in the course of this biography (as is true of the Tietz volume) is
that Barth is a complicated person. Politically he was left of center, perhaps
well left of center. Theologically, however, he could look, at least from some
vantage points, as if he was a conservative. Nevertheless, in reality, as Blei
reveals, Barth was rather liberal. He might have rejected the old liberalism
that he learned as a student, but he was not a conservative theologian. Perhaps
that is why Barth has proven to be both attractive to some and problematic to
others.
Regarding
his complexity, Blei reminds us that Barth was a man of his time. We see this
reality played out in the way he viewed marriage and sexuality. Although he
lived with an untraditional arrangement in his household, he still viewed the
husband-wife relationship in rather traditional ways. He also considered
homosexuality as being unnatural. For many of us, his views on marriage and
sexuality have not stood the test of time, and in many ways, do not accord well
with his theological developments in other areas of life.
As I
noted earlier the focus of this biography is the development of the Church
Dogmatics and the context in which it emerged. He does give significant
attention to Barth’s public engagements, including political and ecumenical efforts.
We hear about his lectures, both the universities he served and beyond,
including his visits to the Netherlands and the United States. What we do not
see much of is Barth’s private life, including his relationship with his wife
Nelly and his true love Charlotte von Kirschbaum, who was his partner in the
creation of the Dogmatics. Blei gives a little attention to this
relationship, but it is rather tangential to the larger public story.
Therefore, my recommendation is to read Blei’s Karl Barth: Theologian in the Tempest of Time in tandem with Christiane Tietz’s Karl Barth: A Life in Context. Each of these biographies opens different avenues of study and
conversation even though they ultimately offer relatively similar views of him
as a theologian. What is clear from both biographies is that Barth was a
complicated figure, who was influential in his own day, and continues to remain
relevant as a theological figure today. In fact, his resistance to fascism in Germany and its impact on the church will resonate today That is true even though he was in many
ways a rather flawed human being. Speaking for myself, as one whose own
theology has been influenced by Barth, I do appreciate these biographies that
allow us to see Barth for who was in life.
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