Barth's Moral Theology: Human Action in Barth's Thought

By John B. Webster

Book Overview

In this classic text, John Webster shows how you should regard Barth's work as a moral theology. He opens with a study of Barth's ethical thinking in key writings from the period of his break with theological liberalism, and then highlights the moral anthropology set out in his lectures on ethics from the end of the 1920s. He studies the themes of original sin, hope and freedom in Barth's Church Dogmatics, illustrating Barth's concern to prove that divine grace shapes and restores human agency. He explores the theme of the missionary activity of the church in relation to Barth's remarkable treatment of the prophetic office of Christ. He also draws a contrast between the moral anthropology of Barth and Luther.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 056772090X
• ISBN13: 9780567720900
• Release Date: February 2027
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An excellent guide to Barth's theological ethics

Webster continues the task taken up in his previous effort, Barth's Ethics of Reconciliation, which examined Barth's mature ethical writings. Here, he expands the defence of his thesis that Barth's relativizing of human moral consciousness before the Word of God does not at all compromise, but rather properly establishes, the true place of human action. He offers a revision of previous efforts at Barth interpretation (similar to Bruce McCormack's work) through a more exhaustive and systematic study, utilizing neglected or previously unavailable texts such as Barth's Muenster Ethics and The Christian Life, as well as the early ethical writings not addressed in Webster's last study in Barthian ethics. It is an important contribution to Barth scholarship and to theological ethics upon which further efforts will be built.