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Karl Barth and Christian Ethics: Living in Truth PDF

189 Pages·2013·0.89 MB·English
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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 Wey Court East 110 Cherry Street Union Road Suite 3-1 Farnham Burlington Surrey, GU9 7PT VT 05401-3818 England USA 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

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