Karl Barth in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This volume explores the complex relationship between Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Seizing on a much-discussed criticism Bonhoeffer made of Barth in his prison letters -- that Barth was guilty of a "positivism of revelation" -- Andreas Pangritz challenges scholars who have used this ambiguous statement as a wedge to separate the two theologians. Through a careful study of their correspondence while living, and of Barth's comments and revisions after Bonhoeffer's death, Pangritz shows how Bonhoeffer's criticism has been misunderstood and overemphasized.Much more than a study of a disputed discourse in historical theology, this engaging volume raises concerns of continuing relevance regarding the role of Christian theology in our secular society.