The Word of Christ and the World of Culture: Sacred and Secular through the Theology of Karl Barth

This beautifully constructed work by Paul Louis Metzger explores what Karl Barth, the theological giant of the twentieth century, had to say about the relation of Christianity to modern culture.

Working from an intimate knowledge of all of Barth's writings, Metzger shows how Barth's theology offers a constructive synthesis of Christ and culture. Metzger first analyzes Barth's formative theological period and what it contributed to his thinking about the world. He then focuses on how Barth's unique doctrine of the Word enabled him to relate Christ to culture in inseparable terms while yet maintaining a distinction between them. The final section of the book traces the way Barth framed culture within his theological model even as he continued to champion the secular domain.