Concursus and Concept Use in Karl Barth’s Doctrine of Providence
Nature, Grace, and Norms
David C. Chao
Publisher : Routledge
November 17, 2025
Language : English
Hardcover : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 0367700735
ISBN-13 : 978-0367700737
David Chao provides an astute and rigorous reading of Barth’s account of providence in Church Dogmatics III/3, which promises to set the pace for future reflection on this topic. His discussion of concept-use, which draws on cutting edge philosophical and theological reflection, should hold especial interest: it attests to a keen and constructive sensibility, and a winsome desire to connect Barth scholarship with broader dynamics in the humanities.
—Paul Dafydd Jones
Associate Professor, University of Virginia
This book provides a fresh interpretation of Karl Barth’s doctrine of providence in Church Dogmatics III/3, emphasizing concursus―the cooperation between divine and human action. Challenging accusations of occasionalism, it highlights Barth’s christological reorientation of classical doctrine and advances a social-practical theology of concept use and norms. Through rigorous analysis, the author situates Barth within historical debates on providence, demonstrating Barth’s innovative christocentric approach that avoids occasionalism. The work uniquely incorporates social-practical theory to explain how theological norms function within Christian community practices. By addressing how Barth’s concepts of faith, obedience, and prayer mediate normative authority, this volume deepens readers’ understanding of Barth’s theology. It further provides theological and philosophical tools for recognizing and critiquing ideological distortions, offering a constructive vision of how divine providence shapes human language and practice. The book will be relevant to scholars and students of theology and philosophy of religion, particularly those focused on Karl Barth, Reformed theology, and theological method, as well as readers interested in contemporary debates on the intersection of divine action, human agency, and the formation of Christian norms.
Endorsements
Critics of Karl Barth have long argued that his emphasis on divine sovereignty comes at the expense of human agency. In this important study, David Chao responds to such criticisms by placing Barth’s account of providence within the longer tradition of non-competitive understandings of divine and human agency. Identifying the doctrine’s practical impact on human agency and social practices, Chao demonstrates how Barth’s understanding of divine accompanying works alongside his account of concept use and social-practical norms. The result is a deeply learned book that invites and rewards careful attention.
—Joshua Mauldin
Assistant Director, Center of Theological Inquiry
Chao’s steady-handed investigation of Barth’s teaching on providence has implications that go well beyond the doctrine proper. Making his own original offering to a longstanding dialogue, Chao argues compellingly that a theology of providence is incomplete without due attention to the social and discursive practices in which it is articulated. Read this book for a fresh and insightful take on the place of providence in theology and on the wider relationship between doctrine, norms, and practices.
—Cambria Kaltwasser
Co-president, Karl Barth Society of North America
With historical and conceptual precision David Chao offers us a window into the metaphysical heart of Barth’s theology―along with replies to some of the most persistent and troublesome objections to Barth’s project. This intervention promises to shape conversation around Barth, divine action, and the role of philosophy in modern theology for years to come. Anyone with a stake in modern theology and its reception should read this book.
—Daniel Pedersen
Lecturer in Philosophical Theology, University of Aberdeen
This creative book advances not only Barth scholarship, but the social-practical turn in contemporary theology and broader streams of the humanities. Historically and doctrinally sensitive, it reads Barth’s concursive account of creaturely participation in divine providence closer to both scholastic and post-Kantian traditions than many of his critics and defenders allow. In so doing, however, Chao offers a comprehensive interpretation of Barth’s distinctively Christological approach and its relevance for today.
—Eric Gregory
Assistant Professor at Department of Religion, Princeton University
This illuminating study offers a rich treatment of Karl Barth’s doctrine of providence, and specifically of the divine concursus. Setting this account within its historical and theological context, David Chao offers both perceptive analysis and critical correction of this rather overlooked topic in Barth studies. The volume comes warmly recommended.
—Paul T. Nimmo
King’s Chair of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen