Karl Barth

“The goal of human life is not death but resurrection.”

“God is not a celestial prison warden.”

“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”

“Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is himself the way.”

“Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.”

“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”

“The Church is the Church only when it exists for others.”

“The best theology would need no advocates; it would prove itself.”

“Belief cannot argue with unbelief, it can only preach to it.”

“Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret the newspaper from your Bible.”

“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”

“Theology is not a private subject for theologians only. It is a matter for the church and for the world.”

“No one can be a Christian all by himself.”

“Man's extremity is God's opportunity.”

“A theologian who has no joy in his work is not a theologian at all.”