Bad Concept Use and Barth's Comprehensive Correction

This chapter examines Karl Barth&s;s critique of scholastic theology, emphasizing his commitment to a christological norm as the comprehensive correction to traditional accounts of providence, particularly concerning the doctrine of concursus . Barth&s;s primary critique centers on scholastic reliance upon Aristotelian causal categories, which he views as empty and abstract, lacking the biblical specificity required to prevent ideological misuse. By employing Christology as the determinative norm, Barth argues that theological concepts must be rigorously shaped and governed by Scripture and ecclesial practice, ensuring that divine providence remains genuinely Christian. Barth&s;s correction, while maintaining substantial continuity with concurrentist scholastic positions, marks a significant shift in inferential logic, grounding concursus explicitly in God&s;s covenantal history and eternal love revealed in Jesus Christ. Additionally, the chapter highlights how Barth applies the christological norm differently across doctrinal contexts: in salvation, monergism excludes human cooperation with grace, whereas providence permits a genuine two-sided cooperation, affirming free yet divinely accompanied creaturely action. Ultimately, Barth&s;s comprehensive correction lies in grounding the doctrine of providence explicitly in biblical and christological premises, offering a rigorous framework for theological concept use that remains faithful to divine revelation and resistant to ethical and political distortions, notably exemplified by its misuse under National Socialism.