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This book examines the speculative core of Karl Barth´s theology, reconsidering the relationship between theory and practice in Barth´s thinking. A consequence of this reconsideration is the recognition that Barth´s own account of his theological development is largely correct. Sigurd Baark draws heavily on the philosophical tradition of German Idealism, arguing that an important part of what makes Barth a speculative theologian is the way his thinking is informed by the nexus of self-consciousness, reason and, freedom, which was most fully developed by Kant, Fichte, and Hegel. The book provides a new interpretation of Barth´s theology, and shows how a speculative understanding of theology is useful in today´s intellectual climate.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: The Speculative Aspect

Chapter 3: Kant´s Critical Philosophy

Chapter 4: Fichte and Hegel on Knowledge and Self-consciousness

Chapter 5: The Early Dialectical Theology of Barth and Thurneysen

Chapter 6: The Form of Barth´s Speculative Theology

Chapter 7: Barth´s Speculative Theology and the Kirchliche Dogmatik

Chapter 8: Conclusion

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"Baark´s argument regarding speculative theology, and in particular the way that it critically departs from McCormack´s work, positions The Affirmations of Reason to be a helpful, if provocative, foundation for future scholarship to build upon. ... There is a fascinating interplay of certainty and indubitability of God´s existence and character that is also radically non-totalizing. This certainly deserves further consideration, alongside the primary arguments Baark offers about Barth´s speculative theology." (Michael Laminack, readingreligion.org, July, 2018)

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Sigurd Baark is an assistant pastor at the German Reformed Church of Copenhagen, as well as an associate research fellow at the Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

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