113 - Barth and Schleiermacher: Beyond the Impasse?

Barth and Schleiermacher: Beyond the Impasse?
By James O. Duke and Robert F. Streetman, eds.
Philadelphia, Fortress, 1988. 186 pp. $24.95.

Arguably the two most influential Protestant theologians of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Schleiermacher and Barth have often been presented as prototypes of two conflicting and irreconcilable approaches in modern theology. In this volume, twelve scholars reconsider the debate to determine whether the impasse can be surmounted.

Part I, "Reopening the Debate," with essays by John E. Thiel, Richard R. Niebuhr, and Terrence N. Tice, asks whether Barth rightly interpreted and criticized Schleiermacher. While the consensus is negative, it is recognized that Barth showed increasing admiration for Schleiermacher and conceded that it was possible to interpret his theology in a much more positive light than Barth had earlier allowed. The essay by Niebuhr in this section is outstanding. Part II, "Exploring Points of Dialogue," contains essays by Hans W. Frei, Stephen W. Sykes, Ronald F. Thiemann, Robert F. Streetman, and Daniel W. Hardy. On the question whether there are points of convergence, if not agreements, between the theologians, the consensus is affirmative, with Frei and Sykes offering especially thoughtprovoking pieces. Part III, "The Prospects for Further Dialogue" has essays by Richard Crouter, Daniel B. Clendenin, and James J. Buckley. A qualified yes is given to the question whether the Barth-Schleiermacher debate has continuing importance for constructive theology today, with Crouter reminding readers that both theologians belong to and must be understood within their own historical contexts.

As Barth himself intimated, further progress in this debate probably awaits a theology that preserves the important insights of Barth's own concentration on the second article, but that also provides a strong and convincing theology of the third article, that is, the Holy Spirit and the freedom of the children of God.

Daniel L. Migliore
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, N. J.