This is a good reminder of the powerful witness of the Blumhardts and their influence upon Barth. Echoes of the Blumhardts were present in the work of the Christ-centered radical politics of such figures in the 20th century as Will Campbell, William Stringlellow, John Howard Yoder (yeah, I know...), Moltmann, Bonhoeffer, and my own teacher Paul Lehmann.
But to my ear, the word "spirituality" does not belong in this discussion. Widespread use of this now-ubiquitous, trendy term did not appear in Barthian circles (or indeed anywhere else in Protestant theology) until recent decades. It too quickly becomes a non-specific, blurry wprd applicable to generic "religious" notions of all kinds and should not be used uncritically in discussions of Barth and those influenced by him.
Similarly, "mysticism" is suspect in a theology of radical grace, tending toward a transfer of agency from God's inbreaking to an emphasis on human preparation, readiness, or effort.
This is a good reminder of the powerful witness of the Blumhardts and their influence upon Barth. Echoes of the Blumhardts were present in the work of the Christ-centered radical politics of such figures in the 20th century as Will Campbell, William Stringlellow, John Howard Yoder (yeah, I know...), Moltmann, Bonhoeffer, and my own teacher Paul Lehmann.
But to my ear, the word "spirituality" does not belong in this discussion. Widespread use of this now-ubiquitous, trendy term did not appear in Barthian circles (or indeed anywhere else in Protestant theology) until recent decades. It too quickly becomes a non-specific, blurry wprd applicable to generic "religious" notions of all kinds and should not be used uncritically in discussions of Barth and those influenced by him.
Similarly, "mysticism" is suspect in a theology of radical grace, tending toward a transfer of agency from God's inbreaking to an emphasis on human preparation, readiness, or effort.