Great Thinkers series Written by Shao Kai Tseng Swiss theologian Karl Barth (1886–1968) has made a monumental impact all along the spectrum of theology and ethics. Among evangelicals, however, myths and caricatures have arisen that must be dismantled to achieve a critically and selectively fruitful engagement with his work. A fresh look at Barth is necessary. Inviting readers to suspend their assumptions and calling evangelicals and Barthians to mutually edifying dialogue, Professor Shao Kai Tseng, a notable Barth scholar, seeks to establish a fair interpretation of Barth’s writings that honors his texts and heeds his intellectual-biographical and intellectual-historical context. He also provides a valuable overview of Barth’s theological impact in both the East and the West to the present day. In the words of Professor George Hunsinger, “This welcome volume takes ecumenical dialogue [on Barth] to a whole new level,” and Professor Michael Horton writes, “I know of no other work that . . . explains Barth’s theology with such skill.” Recommendations “Believing that Karl Barth has often been misunderstood by evangelicals, Shao Kai Tseng makes a solid case for taking another look at the Swiss theologian and shows us a way to read him charitably and profitably. If Herman Bavinck engaged and even learned from Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel, and Feuerbach, the author argues, we can and need to learn from Barth. He’s right about that, and one need not agree with every detail of Tseng’s revisionary reading of Barth to profit a great deal from it. This is a model of how to read theologians with whom one disagrees.” - John Bolt, Professor of Systematic Theology, Emeritus, Calvin Theological Seminary “Too often, party lines are hastily drawn between these neighboring streams of Reformed theology: do you follow Barth, Reformed orthodoxy, or neo-Calvinism? Resisting this temptation, Tseng offers a charitable presentation and critical engagement of Barth that triangulates admirably between Barth’s interpreters, Reformed orthodoxy, and Dutch neo-Calvinism, and in so doing charts a refreshing and eclectic way forward. More dialogues and cross-pollination need to happen between these conversations, and Tseng’s book now serves as an invitation to that end.” - Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, DC Paperback, 256 pages, notes, glossary, bibliography, Index of Scripture, Index of Subjects and Names
