Karl Barth has made several passes at me. He's winked his eye in bookshops and whispered sweet nothings into my ear on various websites. I've let my guard down a couple of times, but I couldn't help myself. I've heard from his previous lovers that he is the real deal. "Once you go Barth there's no going back" is what they say. His reputation is second to none.
And yet, our liaisons have thus far left me feeling cold, distant, like an outsider who doesn't get the joke. There are brief moments where I see what all the fuss is about, but most of the time I'm left dazed and confused, sensing greatness but not understanding it.
I want to understand it. I want to be Barth's next conquest. What will it take? Where does one begin with this Swiss maestro? I haven't read much theology, so perhaps I need to chase after some of Barth's uglier friends before I go for the man himself. Or maybe there is a hermeneutical key that will unlock Karl Barth's meaning for me; some sort of secret password that will make his most difficult work read like Ann and Barry.
It might simply be that I need to stop the silly flirtation and make a serious statement of commitment: Church Dogmatics, here's an obscenely large space on my Shelfari "Now Reading" list; I want you to fill it, all 795 volumes of you.
Whatever it takes, I want to know Karl Barth; or rather, be known by him. Help me achieve this goal.
And yet, our liaisons have thus far left me feeling cold, distant, like an outsider who doesn't get the joke. There are brief moments where I see what all the fuss is about, but most of the time I'm left dazed and confused, sensing greatness but not understanding it.
I want to understand it. I want to be Barth's next conquest. What will it take? Where does one begin with this Swiss maestro? I haven't read much theology, so perhaps I need to chase after some of Barth's uglier friends before I go for the man himself. Or maybe there is a hermeneutical key that will unlock Karl Barth's meaning for me; some sort of secret password that will make his most difficult work read like Ann and Barry.
It might simply be that I need to stop the silly flirtation and make a serious statement of commitment: Church Dogmatics, here's an obscenely large space on my Shelfari "Now Reading" list; I want you to fill it, all 795 volumes of you.
Whatever it takes, I want to know Karl Barth; or rather, be known by him. Help me achieve this goal.
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