Moving beyond traditional ways of reading Karl Barth, William Stacy Johnson proposes an approach that makes Barth relevant for the postmodern period. Recognizing Barth's insight that God is mystery, he suggests that theology is best seen not as a restating of old orthodoxies but as an ongoing response to that divine mystery. Johnson's reassessment of Barth opens exciting possibilities for a new appropriation of Barth's insights for contemporary theology and the church. The Columbia Series in Reformed Theology represents a joint commitment by Columbia Theological Seminary and Westminster John Knox Press to provide theological resources from the Reformed tradition for the church today. This series examines theological and ethical issues that confront church and society in our own particular time and place.