Karl Barth Quotes

15 quotes from 14 authors

Karl Barth reshaped modern theology, and his words continue to spark debate. This selection of 15 excerpts, curated by 14 scholars, presents the core ideas that define his legacy and how they still resonate in contemporary faith discussions.

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“The theologian Karl Barth spoke of religion as humanity’s faulty attempts to try to understand God on their own, while Jesus Christ…

Gary M. Burge

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There seems to be a human instinct for prayer. Swiss theologian Karl Barth calls it our 'incurable God-sickness.'

Timothy Keller

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Karl Barth said it well: "We have to read the Bible in one hand... and the newspaper in the other." Our faith…

Shane Claiborne

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“When we are at our wits’ end for an answer, then the Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can…

Francis Chan

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“The great theologians from Paul and Augustine to G. C. Berkouwer and Karl Barth ... have been able to explain what the…

Anonymous

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But the saints are never the kind of killjoy spinster aunts who go in for faultfinding and lack all sense of humor.…

Hans Urs von Balthasar

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Only unconditional grace can transform a hardened heart into a grateful heart. Only a free gift can demolish any notion of quid…

Mark Galli

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I moved to Philadelphia to go to school at Eastern partly because I wanted to study the Bible and I also went…

Shane Claiborne

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In the twentieth century the Reformed tradition was developed in several ways including additional confessions (Barmen, the Belhar Confession, the 1967 Confession…

Oliver D. Crisp

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I like major theology. I like Karl Barth, and I like John Calvin, and I like Martin Luther. The scale of thinking…

Marilynne Robinson

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The philosopher is not an apologist; apologetic concern, as Karl Barth (the one living theologian of unquestionable genius) has rightly insisted, is…

Donald M. MacKinnon

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We must never forget that today's legendary achievements-awesome as they may seem-were yesterday's risky adventures. Courage is not the capacity never to…

John Claypool

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The angels laugh at old Karl. They laugh at him because he tries to grasp the truth about God in a book…

Karl Barth

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“It is fashionable to avoid talking of the wrath of God. Karl Barth for years neglected the theme and likewise most contemporary…

Desmond Ford

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“Except for Christianity, the Nazis reject as Jewish everything which stems from Jewish authors. This condemnation includes the writings of those Jews…

Ludwig von Mises

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