Barth's Doctrine of Creation

Theologians working on the doctrine of creation are compelled to wrestle with Karl Barth's explication of this doctrine. And yet, studies on Barth have not paid a significant amount of attention to this aspect of his theology. To help fill this gap, Gabriel introduces and clarifies Barth's doctrine of creation by outlining its contours and evaluating three prominent critiques of Barth--critiques that focus on questions regarding the place of nature, the Trinity, Jesus, and history in his doctrine. Gabriel finds value in these critiques, while also identifying ways in which Barth's theology sometimes adequately addresses them. Through this, Gabriel mines insights from Barth that can contribute to a theology of nature or ecological theology and a Trinitarian theology of creation. ""In this short but lucid work, Gabriel traces with insight and care the key contours of the doctrine of creation in the work of Karl Barth and engages thoughtfully with the principal lines of criticism it has encountered. The result is an excellent introduction to Barth's understanding of creation, evidencing both its doctrinal sophistication and its continuing significance."" --Paul T. Nimmo, Meldrum Lecturer in Theology, University of Edinburgh ""In this small book Andrew Gabriel accomplishes two large tasks. First, he provides an account of a neglected topic in Barth's Church Dogmatics: the doctrine of creation. Gabriel sets the doctrine within the context of Barth's theology, interacts insightfully with Barth's critics, and sorts out the strengths and weaknesses of Barth's doctrine. Second, Gabriel exposits some ways Barth's doctrine may contribute to the developing conversation on the doctrine of creation that the church so desperately needs to proclaim to our world today."" --Jonathan R. Wilson, Pioneer McDonald Professor of Theology, Carey Theological College ""Instructively dealing with various critiques of Barth's doctrine, Gabriel judiciously responds by stressing the need for a more developed pneumatological emphasis that upholds both the distinction of God from creation and the relation of God to creation in and through Jesus Christ, in whom we know the covenant really was and is the internal basis of creation itself. This is a book very much worth reading and discussing."" --Paul D. Molnar, Professor of Systematic Theology, St. John's University ""In this thoughtful investigation Andrew Gabriel explains and proves Karl Barth's doctrine of creation. He agrees with his christological interpretation of the creation, but shows, too, that it is open for further understanding in a full Trinitarian sense. It is worthwhile to read this interesting book that is important for ecumenical discussions."" --Eberhard Busch, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology and head of the Karl Barth Research Centre, Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen Andrew K. Gabriel is Assistant Professor of Theology at Horizon College and Seminary, an affiliated college of the University of Saskatchewan. He is the author of The Lord Is the Spirit: The Holy Spirit and the Divine Attributes (2011) and coauthor of Johannine Writings and Apocalyptic: An Annotated Bibliography (2013).