As Hitler became ever more influential among the German people, so religion became a factor which Hitler could use to the advantage of National Socialism. Hitler won over the neutrality and acceptance of the Roman Catholic Church for his government, but the more divided Protestant faith presented greater problems. Hitler's suggestion of the founding of a German-Christian Church seemed to accommodate the need for unity within the German Protestant faith. Whilst some Protestants were overjoyed at the idea that a national 'Christian' Church could be founded, others were highly critical. A conflict between Church and State soon arose. Karl Barth vigorously rejected the German-Christian movement; this work presents critical reflection from Barth's point of view upon the historical, social and political background to the transformation of the German churches. The first essay examines the nature of conflict in the Church, whilst the second focuses on the Church's opposition. The third investigates the significant year of 1933-34 for the German-Christian movement and it is in the fourth and fifth essays that the German Confessing Church's history of the period is analysed. The war on the Evangelical Church in Germany and the German Confessing Church of 1936-1939 form the central theme of the last six essays.

Karl Barth was, without doubt, one of the most significant religious thinkers of modern times. His radical affirmation of the revealed truth of Christianity changed the course of Christian theology in the twentieth century and is a source of inspiration for countless believers. Pope Pius XII declared that there had been nothing like Karl Barth's later thought since Thomas Aquinas. God Here and Now offers a succinct and accessible overview of that thought. In it, Barth outlines his position on the fundamental tenets of Christian belief, from the decision of faith to the authority of the Bible, and from the interpretation of grace to the significance of Jesus Christ. In this way Barth challenges each and every reader to discover what it means to encounter God, here and now.

This short volume, which emerged from the Karl Barth centenary year in 1986, brings together a collection of essays which makes an important contribution to Barth interpretation. Few would dispute the fact that Karl Barth is one of the great figures of twentieth-century theology, and two decades after his death he continues to fascinate those who study the field and his own thought in the magisterial, unfinished Church Dogmatics. Yet while his impact and influence upon modern theology has been great, Barth has been subject, too, to suspicion and sometimes to fierce opposition. The contributors to this book examine and refute some of the more simplistic reasons why the thought of Karl Barth has had a somewhat limited appeal in modern English-language theology. Writing form a variety of ecclesiastical persuasions, Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican and Roman Catholic, the authors seek to demonstrate at a fundamental level the continuing important of some of Barth's major concerns. Collectively the essays constitute a positive introduction to Barth, to his place in the history of the philosophy of religion, as a constructive theologian, as a Churchman and in specific relation to the modern history of English-language theology.

Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics is one of the major theological works of the 20th century. The Swiss-German theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) was the most original and significant Reformed theologian of the twentieth century. Barth began the Church Dogmatics in 1932 and continued working on its thirteen volumes until the end of his life. Barth's writings continue to guide and instruct the preaching and teaching of pastors and academics worldwide. The English translation was prepared by a team of scholars and edited by G. W. Bromiley and T. F. Torrance and published from 1936. A team of scholars at Princeton Theological Seminary have now provided the translation of Greek, Latin, Hebrew and French passages into English. The original is presented alongside the English translation. This makes the work more reader friendly and accessible to the growing number of students who do not have a working knowledge of the ancient languages. This new edition with translations is now available for the first time in individual volumes.

In this brief essay, drawn from Church Dogmatics, Barth articulates what it means to follow Jesus in faith. He emphasizes that discipleship involves a detachment from the authority of possessions, foregoing the pursuit of personal glory, challenging the fear and use of force, the dissolution of self-evident personal attachments, and a "better righteousness," which goes beyond actions to intentions and practices piety in secret. "The command of Jesus . . . is issued with all the freedom and sovereignty of grace against which there can be no legitimate objections, of which no one is worthy, for which there can be no preparation, which none can elect, and in the face of which there can be no qualification."

The rise of Islamic radicalism has led to heated discussions about how best to address the threat of religious terror. Disputes covering the right and wrong of war with Iraq, and the even bigger war on terrorism, continue to rage across America. But this is not the first argument of this nature-America was faced with a similar moral dilemma on the eve of World War II. Fascism was conquering Europe, and religious leaders across the nation vehemently debated how to confront Nazi Germany. In The End of Illusions: Religious Leaders Confront Hitler's Gathering Storm, Joseph Loconte brings together pieces from the most significant religious thinkers of the pre-war period. In these essays, the writers eloquently and passionately present their arguments for going to war or maintaining the peace. In doing so, they explore issues vibrantly relevant today, including the Christian cause for war, the problem of evil, and America's role in the world. These urgently written pieces connect the past with the present and resonate with renewed clarity and poignancy.

Karl Barth was, without doubt, one of the most significant religious thinkers of modern times. His radical affirmation of the revealed truth of Christianity changed the course of Christian theology in the twentieth century and is a source of inspiration for countless believers. Pope Pius XII declared that there had been nothing like Karl Barth's later thought since Thomas Aquinas. God Here and Now offers a succinct and accessible overview of that thought. In it, Barth outlines his position on the fundamental tenets of Christian belief, from the decision of faith to the authority of the Bible, and from the interpretation of grace to the significance of Jesus Christ. In this way Barth challenges each and every reader to discover what it means to encounter God, here and now.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203339754

A message to stir the embers of a dying faith. Given the number of people who’ve been “saved,� you’d think the world was becoming a brighter place. It could be, too, if more people would grasp the joy of losing themselves in service to God and each other. People like Christoph Blumhardt, who, in his quest to get to the essentials of faith, burns away the religious trappings of modern piety like so much chaff. Blumhardt writes with unabashed fervor, but his passion encourages rather than intimidates. His witness influenced theological giants like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth. But Action in Waiting is not theology; it is too blunt, too earthy, too real. Its “active expectation� of God’s kingdom shows us that the object of our hope is not relegated to some afterlife. Today, in our world, it can come into its own – if only we are ready.

In this concise presentation of evangelical theology -- the theology that first received expression in the New Testament writings and was later rediscovered by the Reformation -- Barth discusses the place of theology, theological existence, the threat to theology, and theological work.

Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics is one of the major theological works of the 20th century. The Swiss-German theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) was the most original and significant Reformed theologian of the twentieth century. Barth began the Church Dogmatics in 1932 and continued working on its thirteen volumes until the end of his life. Barth's writings continue to guide and instruct the preaching and teaching of pastors and academics worldwide. The English translation was prepared by a team of scholars and edited by G. W. Bromiley and T. F. Torrance and published from 1936. A team of scholars at Princeton Theological Seminary have now provided the translation of Greek, Latin, Hebrew and French passages into English. The original is presented alongside the English translation. This makes the work more reader friendly and accessible to the growing number of students who do not have a working knowledge of the ancient languages. This new edition with translations is now available for the first time in individual volumes.