Church Dogmatics III.1 The Doctrine of Creation The Work of Creation

The third doctrine Barth examines in his Church Dogmatics is the Doctrine of Creation. Barth does not begin the Dogmatics with creation because of his strong conviction that creation can only be known and interpreted in light of the revelation of God. Apart from such a guiding principle, creation and its so-called orders can be turned into idols, which is exactly what occurred during the nazification of the German Church. Barth commences the Doctrine of Creation with faith in God the Creator, which is the starting point for any knowledge of creation. He then moves on to treat the relation of creation to the covenant and concludes the volume with analysis of God's gracious "Yes" in affirming the goodness of creation.