Barth and Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Barth and Reinhold Niebuhr were each larger than life individuals. Their writing alone is amazing in quantity and quality, but they were also engaged in political and societal life. One suspects that their presence would take up all the air in the room. They did not occupy the same rooms often, but in the room called Christianity - and that smaller room called Christian theology - they could make it difficult for the other to get sufficient air. They may have had a good conversation in Bonn but the difference between them exploded in Amsterdam. This chapter provides the background necessary to understand what happened at Amsterdam. Their disagreements are of historical interest but because they continue to represent alternatives, particularly in theological ethics, which continue to shape the field it is important to understand their differences.
