Beyond immanence : the theological vision of Kierkegaard and Barth /

Alan Torrance and Andrew Torrance (father and son, respectively, Univ. of St. Andrews) provide an incisive and well-researched comparison of the theological views of Søren Kierkegaard and Karl Barth. The breadth of the volume is impressive, covering both primary and secondary sources, both theological and philosophical. The authors first examine Hegel's strong formative influence on Kierkegaard: both were antiidealist, held to creation ex nihilo, opposed a theory of social constitution of religion, and endorsed Christocentric theology. After a thorough study of Kierkegaard's use of pseudonyms, the authors show his promotion of a faith incarnated in space, time, and history. As for Kierkegaard's relation to Barth, the authors propose the existence of a "Kierkegaard-Barth trajectory" (KBT) on the basis of which both thinkers are shown to have affirmed the redemptive kinship that God established in Christ, which then undergirds a Christian's engagement with secular society. This engagement enacts a kinship with God that is to inform social, ethical, and political obligations. The KBT downplays apologetics, argumentation, and increasing secularization in theology, and instead promotes openness to the gift of divine self-disclosure as the basis for all Christian faith and hope. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. --James Clark Swindal, Duquesne University