Karl Barth
A theologian who declared a decisive 'No' to Nazi ideology, he reshaped modern Christian thought by emphasizing God's absolute otherness.
1886–1968 (age 82)·Protestant theologian·Birthday: May 10·The Lost Generation
Biography
Karl Barth began his career as a Swiss pastor, but his theological world shattered with the outbreak of World War I. Disillusioned by his liberal teachers who supported the German war effort, he penned 'The Epistle to the Romans,' a bombshell that argued against finding God in human culture and instead called for a return to the radical, transcendent God of the Bible. When the Nazis rose to power, Barth was the principal author of the Barmen Declaration, a foundational document for the Confessing Church that rejected state control over matters of faith. His massive, unfinished 'Church Dogmatics' stands as a monumental attempt to rebuild Protestant theology from the ground up, insisting that revelation comes from God alone, not from human philosophy or political movements.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Karl was born in 1886, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Karl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1886
Karl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1886Born
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1891Started school
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Became a teenager
President: William McKinley
1902Could drive
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Could vote
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Turned 21
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1916Turned 30
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 40
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1936Turned 50
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 60
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 70
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 80
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Died at 82
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
Key Achievements
- Authored the Barmen Declaration (1934), a theological foundation for church resistance against the Nazi regime.
- Published 'The Epistle to the Romans' (1919), a revolutionary commentary that critiqued liberal theology and initiated 'dialectical theology'.
- Began the multi-volume 'Church Dogmatics', a systematic theological work that profoundly influenced 20th-century Christian thought.
- Was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1962, signaling his impact beyond academic circles.
Did You Know?
He lost his professorship in Germany in 1935 for refusing to swear an oath of unconditional allegiance to Adolf Hitler.
He was an avid Mozart lover and often said he imagined angels playing Mozart when praising God.
His 'Church Dogmatics' spans over six million words and was left unfinished at his death.
He sent a copy of his commentary on Romans to his former teacher, who returned it with the note that he had failed to understand it.
“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”
