This is a quick read, and certainly a much more accessible introduction to Barth's thought that the infamous and multi-volumed Church Dogmatics. Very early in the three essays we see Barth's confusion in the midst of theological history: he claims that Kierkegaard had "no influence" on 19th century theology, yet most historians would agree that, when Barth wrote his commentary on Romans that launched the movement of neo-orthodoxy, he was standing on Kierkegaard's shoulders. He spends a significant amount of the essays defending his definition of evangelical theology and what he calls the "humanity" of God. However, in his discussion of God's human-ness, he lapses into the process theology error of claiming that God needs humans in such a way that He cannot function without them. He also articulates his lapse into universalism, as well as hinting at his famous non-answers to the accusations in this regard by peers. All in all, an easy read by Barth's standards, but I find his thought to be seriously wanting. What I appreciated most is his closing to the essays, in which he encouraged his audience to approach the discipline of theology accepting each other's faults in thought while working toward a common goal (essentially, the edification of the saints), and not tearing each other down. Those closing paragraphs earned a star of this rating in and of themselves, and is a call that all in the discipline of theology today would do well to take to heart. ( )

"Remember how you said the 19th century was a disaster for Christianity and any theology worth the name would have to accept that God is virtually unreachable by human beings? That was awesome."

"Yeah, but then other people said those things, and I realized it was probably a good idea to be a bit more nuanced."

"You're probably right. Why are you always right?"

"Dialectics." ( )