Karl Barth and Christian Ethics: Living in Truth

189 Pages·2013·0.89 MB·English

by  Professor William Werpehowski

Karl Barth and Christian EthiCs
this critical study of Karl Barth’s Christian theological ethics discusses Barth’s
controversial and characteristically misunderstood ethics of divine command.
the surprising relation of his ‘divine command ethics’ to contemporary ‘narrative
theology’ and ‘virtue ethics’ and specifc moral themes concerning bonds between
parents and children, the nature of truth telling, and the meaning of Christian love
of God and neighbour are all discussed. This book reveals Barth’s richness, depth
and insight, and places his work in constructive connection with salient themes in
both Catholic and Protestant ethics.
Barth studies
series Editors
John Webster, University of Aberdeen, UK
George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary, USA
Hans-Anton Drewes, Karl Barth Archive, Switzerland
The work of Barth is central to the history of modern western theology and
remains a major voice in contemporary constructive theology. His writings have
been the subject of intensive scrutiny and re-evaluation over the past two decades,
notably on the part of English-language Barth scholars who have often been at the
forefront of fresh interpretation and creative appropriation of his theology. study
of Barth, both by graduate students and by established scholars, is a signifcant
enterprise; literature on him and conferences devoted to his work abound; the Karl
Barth Archive in Switzerland and the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton give
institutional profle to these interests. Barth’s work is also considered by many to
be a signifcant resource for the intellectual life of the churches.

Drawing from the wide pool of Barth scholarship, and including translations of
Barth’s works, this series aims to function as a means by which writing on Barth,
of the highest scholarly calibre, can fnd publication. The series builds upon and
furthers the interest in Barth’s work in the theological academy and the church.
Barth’s Interpretation of the Virgin Birth
A Sign of Mystery
dustin resch
Ethics with Barth: God, Metaphysics and Morals
Matthew Rose
Karl Barth on the Filioque
David Guretzki
Karl Barth and the Fifth Gospel
Barth’s Theological Exegesis of Isaiah
Mark S. Gignilliat
a shorter Commentary on romans by Karl Barth
With an Introductory Essay by Maico Michielin
Maico M. Michielin
Karl Barth and Christian Ethics
living in truth
WilliAM WERPEHoWSKi
Georgetown University, USA
© William Werpehowski 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
William Werpehowski has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identifed as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing limited Ashgate Publishing Company
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Union Road Suite 3-1
Farnham Burlington
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www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Werpehowski, William.
Karl Barth and Christian Ethics: living in Truth / by William Werpehowski.
pages cm. – (Barth studies)
includes index.
1. Barth, Karl, 1886-1968. 2. Christian ethics. i. Title.
BX4827.B3W44 2013
241–dc23 2013020872
iSBN 9781409438755 (hbk)
iSBN 9781409438762 (ebk-PDF)
iSBN 9781472400505 (ebk-ePUB)
IV
For
Robert W. Jenson
who helped get me started and then, quietly, kept me going
This page has been left blank intentionally
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xi
Part One: Divine COmmanD, narrative, anD ethiCs
1 Divine Commands and Philosophical Dilemmas 3
2 Command and History 15
3 Narrative and Ethics 37
4 Realism and Discernment 57
Part twO: virtue, mOral PraCtiCes, anD DisCernment
5 What Shall Parents Teach Their Children? 73
6 In Search of Real Children: Innocence, Absence and
Becoming a Self 85
7 Love of God and the Moral Meaning of Joy 105
8 Hiddenness, Disclosure, and the Reality of God:
The Practice of Truth Telling 119
9 Practical Wisdom and Integrity 135
10 Desire, Reverence, and Friendship 151
Index 169
This page has been left blank intentionally
Acknowledgments
For more than three decades, the Yale-Princeton Theology Group has been a
standing help and inspiration to me. I am particularly indebted to the members
who came together at Princeton Theological Seminary in June 2012 to discuss
a draft of this book—James Buckley, Joseph Mangina, Michael Root, Katherine
Sonderegger, Kathryn Tanner, Thomas Tracy, and our host, George Hunsinger.
George, along with John Webster, continue to be especially supportive of my work
on Karl Barth’s theology and ethics, and their critical infuence on much of what I
have to say here is enormous.
I also want to thank the following colleagues and friends for their generosity
and guidance: Patrick Brennan, Lisa Sowle Cahill, Jesse Couenhoven, Kathryn
Getek Soltis, Eric Gregory, Anthony Godzieba, James M. Gustafson, Amy Laura
Hall, Stanley Hauerwas, Kevin Hughes, Mark Husbands, Mary Jo Iozzio, Patricia
Beattie Jung, James Keenan, Aryeh Kosman, Robin Lovin, Eugene McCarraher,
Bruce McCormack, Anne McGuire, Gerald McKenny, Gilbert Meilaender, Anna
Moreland, Michael Moreland, Fran O’Brien, Douglas Ottati, Gene Outka, Stephen
Pope, Jean Porter, Deborah Roberts, Matthew Rose, Edmund N. Santurri, Douglas
Schuurman, William Schweiker, Thomas W. Smith, Jeffrey Stout, Darlene Fozard
Weaver, Sondra Wheeler, and Diane Yeager.
In the last stages of writing, I was happy and grateful to receive the support
of the Robert L. McDevitt, K.S.G., K.C.H.S and Catherine H. McDevitt L.C.H.S.
Professorship in Catholic Theology at Georgetown University.
Robert Jenson has been more important to me in my vocation as a Christian
ethicist than he knows. But he should know, and so I dedicate this book to him.
* * *
Chapters 1 through 6 as well as Chapter 9 are revisions of essays previously in
print. I gratefully acknowledge the following presses and periodicals for their
permission to republish: Dialog, for “Divine Commands and Philosophical
Dilemmas,” Dialog (Winter 1981), 25–30; the Journal of Religious Ethics, for
“Command and History in the Ethics of Karl Barth,” 9/2 (Fall 1981), 298–320;
Theology Today, for “Narrative and Ethics in Barth,” 43/3 (October 1986), 334–53;
Zeitschrift fur dialektische Theologie, for “Hearing the Divine Command: Realism
and Discernment in Barth’s Ethics,” (1999), 64–74; Continuum International
Publishing Group, a Bloomsbury Company, for “What Shall Parents Teach Their
Children?,” in Why Are We Here? Christian Answers to Everyday Questions,
ed. Ronald F. Thiemann and William C. Placher (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press