Barth's Ethics of Reconciliation

Review
"While Webster's presentation is noteworthy for its lucidity and comprehension, this book requires sustained effort by its readers. For the pastor who persists in that task, the benefits for ministerial understanding and practices are well-worth the labor. Barth's Christocentric focus, his biblical grounding, his grace-permeated theology, and his profound pastoral orientation all come to expression in this superlative exposition of his ethical thinking. He remains the premier `church theologian' of our century, and a superb conversation partner for those called to be `ministers of the Word.' Trinity Seminary Reviews

"Webster's study reveals Barth to be a fierce and relentless critic of modernity's loss of a stable ethic; his writing makes clear that any ethic of reconciliation is not possible without the salvific image of Christ at the center." Christianity and Literature

"This first rate commentary upon church Dogmatics raises up detailed discussion of the ethical dimensions of Barth's systematics....Here we are given a more integral way of discussing the moral aspects of this theology that finds itself tacitly challenging much that has been written about Barth's ethics. Highly recommended." The Reader's Review

"This well crafted monograph should be required reading for any student of Barth and for others who have a serious interest in the relationship between theology and ethics." Nigel Biggar, Religious Studies Review

"...fine analysis....Webster focusses on the themes of human agency in relation to God's action in Christ..." Nigel Biggar, Religious Studies Review

"This fine book makes an important contribution to both the interpretation of Barth and to a Christian theological account of human agency....Webster succeeds in his central constructive intent of drawing out of the texts of Barth an ethical dogmatics that contributes both to the interpretation of Barth and to developing a theological account of human agency." James J. Buckley, Pro Ecclesia


Book Description
It is arguable that one of the most serious obstacles to a proper appreciation of Barth's magnum opus is an inadequate grasp of the fact that the Church Dogmatics is a work of moral theology as well as of systematics. A failure to take this point seriously often lies behind critiques of Barth's theology generally, when he is accused of being abstracted from the world of human history and action. By reinterpreting Barth's work as an ethical dogmatics, Webster shows that such readings are all too often abortive from the beginning.


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John Webster provides a major scholarly analysis, the first in any language, of the final sections of the Church Dogmatics. He focuses on the theme of human agency in Barth's late ethics and doctrine of baptism, placing the discussion in the context of an interpretation of the Dogmatics as an intrinsically ethical dogmatics. The first two chapters survey the themes of agency, covenant, and human reality in the Dogmatics as a whole; later chapters give a thorough analysis of Church Dogmatics IV/4 and the posthumously published text The Christian Life. A final chapter examines the significance of Barth's work for contemporary accounts of moral selfhood. The book is important not only for a detailed analysis of a neglected part of Barth's oeuvre, but also because it casts into question much of what has hitherto been written about Barth's ethical dogmatics.


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