Calvin, Barth, and Reformed Theology

"Love him or hate him, Karl Barth was one of the most importanttheologians of the twentieth century who continues to provoke strongresponses on all side, not least for his claim to stand in the traditionof the great Reformed theology of the sixteenth and seventeenthcenturies. My hope is that this volume will stimulate furtherdiscussion of his thought and that even those like myself who findthemselves in sharp disagreement with him will find such interaction tobe helpful and worthwhile."
- Carl Trueman, Editor; Vice President for Academic Affairs, Westminster Theolgoical Seminary

Karl Barth and John Calvin belong to the first rank of great theologians of the Church. Both, of course, were also reformed theologians. Historically, Calvin's influence on Reformed doctrine has been much greater than that of Barth's, and continues to be so in the present day.

In contrast, Barth's Reformed credentials have been questioned - not least in his understanding of election and atonement. The question is: who should be of greater importance for the Reformed church in the twenty-first century? Who has the better arguments on the Bible? Barth or Calvin? Doctrinal areas of focus are the nature of the atonement, scripture, and the sacraments.