Jacques Ellul regularly cited three primary influences upon his work: Karl Marx, Søren Kierkegaard, and Karl Barth. The latter two influences disclose a fair amount about Ellul’s approach to theology and ethics, but the mention of Marx in this trio may complicate matters for some people.

Ellul was not a Marxist per se. He taught courses on Marx, he wrote about Marx, and he was a fine reader of Marx. He often said it was the Marxist structural analytical method he most appreciated and used in his work, yet because he was a Christian, he could not completely take the Marxist yoke upon himself.

Perhaps in another conversation we’ll explore Marx’s influence on Ellul, but in this conversation, we’ll be exploring the work of Karl Barth, and through that exploration, get a picture of a theologian who significant influenced Ellul. In fact, as Ellul put it in an interview: “I recall the shock I had in 1936—in reading The Word of God and the Word of Man… It was an incredible liberation.” Here’s why Ellul uses such strong language when describing this discovery: “Barth was infinitely less systematic than [John] Calvin, and he was completely existential at a time when the concept did not exist. He put biblical thought in direct contact with actual experience; it wasn’t armchair theology.” In this conversation, we’ll get a glimpse at the existential character of Barth’s work as I talk with Daniel Rempel, someone whose dissertation title (which he is currently readying for publication) says it all: Intellectual disability and the Christian life: a study in Karl Barth, disability, and witness.

Of course, neither Ellul nor Barth are ‘disability theologians.’ Such a theological category did exist while they were alive. But, as you will encounter in this conversation, the lack of such categories being applied to their work does not mean it cannot offer helpful resources for thinking about witness, in and beyond disability.

Bio

Daniel Rempel, PhD is Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Providence University College & Theological Seminary. His doctoral research was situated at the intersection of disability theology and the work of Karl Barth. All his work is ultimately rooted in the same concerns: how can we come to know God better, and how does that change the way we live?

Links

Providence Faculty Bio Page: https://www.prov.ca/team-members/daniel-rempel/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:acqk2sjny33npbrbthcdxgxq

'Intellectual disability and the Christian life: a study in Karl Barth, disability, and witness' (dissertation): https://abdn.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44ABE_INST/1jd70l9/alma9918422993505941

“Wounded for Us: Disability Theology’s Contribution to Christology” (article): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23312521.2024.2440702?src=exp-la

“We Have Wasted Too Much of Our Time Ignoring the Fact That We Belong Together: The Office, Belonging, and the Body of Christ,” in Theology, Religion, and the Office: Beauty in Ordinary Things (book chapter): https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781978715936/Theology-Religion-and-The-Office-Beauty-in-Ordinary-Things

Additional Resources

Christiane Tietz, 'Karl Barth: A Life in Conflict': https://academic.oup.com/book/39435