Whinging about Barth

I would just like to say that Barth annoys me.

He has some good things to say. Sometimes he is provocative and startling in a helpful way. And I think that his motivation for doing theology was generally quite impressive, particularly given his liberal context.

But I am annoyed by his inability to communicate, and his conviction that communication is merely an incidental aspect of theology. In other words: "If you can't keep up, that's fine. I'm not going to make it easy for you! You'll have to find something else to do."

I am truly frustrated by his determination to eclipse humanity. So, we only know our humanity in Jesus and only have our humanity in him, and sin is an 'unreality' or way of not being which is such a contradiction that it seems impossible. These and other aspects of his theology make it impossible to understand how his theology actually plays out in the Real World. It's like a fascinating, interesting puzzle which assumes that gravity does not exist. It's cool, until you realise that actually gravity does exist and it's happening to you right now.
So, it's fine to say that Jesus is my humanity, but does that mean that non-Christians are not human? No! (of course, Nein!) says Barth. It means that humanity can only discover itself in Jesus. But that then means that his first statement is impractical. How can Jesus be my humanity and all humanity? What does that mean??? Or is it just words?
Similarly, does sin not exist because it is a contradiction of being? That seems to be the conclusion that Barth comes to. It's an ideal that cannot exist in the real world, where sin (and gravity) tend to be hard at work bringing things down.
Ultimately the contradictions in what Barth's saying make him stimulating but impossible to really understand. And it's as though that is self-protective: he can contradict anything and then state the opposite and you can't accuse him of denying anything. But you can't see what it is he is affirming either.

I realise and acknowledge that he had an amazing mind, but it is frankly unimpressive to have such a large mind that doesn't connect with reality. I think that is basic to the task of theology. So, I'm ticked off with Barth. I think the elaborate clothes he wove for the emperor were interesting, but insubstantial and not for public parades in this world.

It's all this gravity we peasants have to put up with. It doesn't go away just because someone denies it exists.