The God of the Gospel is the God who mercifully dedicates and delivers himself to the life of all men–including their theologies. Nevertheless, he transcends not only the undertakings of all other men but also the enterprise of evangelical theologians. He is the God who again and again discloses himself anew and must be discovered anew, the God over whom theology neither has nor receives sovereignty.

– Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology (Wm. B. Eerdmans 1963) 6.

I know, it is offensive to some to offer commentary on the great Barth, but I can’t resist for that very reason. Really though, if more people (by people I mean, well, you know) read Barth I think the world would be a happier place. Seriously. Many groups give their theologies (which in some ways are convenient constructions even if they are derived from some sacred source) a position of authority on and about God without considering the fact that the very God that they put their faith in transcends the human understanding. Sure we can come up with language and labels that attempt, as accurately as possible, to capture the nature of the object which we label “God” but to presume that we have some comprehensive understanding is quite naive. Yet, this happens all the time.