Just received these helpful additions to my earlier post on Barth from an interested reader:

Here are some things that would make my reasons-for-Barth list:

•  Barth is more than a sparring partner, he seemed to be deeplydevoted to the church of Christ and its survival in the midst ofintellectual and political assault in Europe, and thus can be a greatexample to pastor-theologians of our age (his submission to the churchwas criticized by Altizer).
•  He was an example of how to read one's enemies charitably and stillwork to destroy their errors (I'm thinking of Schleiermacher).
•  As wrong as he was, Barth shows us evangelicals the necessity ofbeing connected to historic Christian orthodoxy for the purposes ofexegesis, dogmatics and preaching.
•  His (in my mind) botching of the biblical account of the covenants,and how he connects it to his other positions, is helpful in navigatingthe current problems that churches are facing.