Dogmatics and Ethics: The Theological Realism and Ethics of Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics

The radical nature of Barth’s ethical thought, whereby ethics is inseparable from the Gospel, stems from his revolutionary decision to integrate ethics within church dogmatics. The truth of revelation has dogmatic and ethical relevance. This study investigates this decision and its profound impact on Barth’s unique conception of the task of theology. This means a total reworking of a theological conception of rationality in confrontation with modern conceptions of rationality. On the basis of a thorough exposition of Barth’s theological, realistic and ethical thought this study demonstrates that it is set within a meta-perspective that is informed by faith and open to revelation. The whole is understood as a theologically guided correlation of theory and practice founded in prayer and lived in radical obedience to God’s command.