Introduction:
During my second year of Seminary, I had the pleasure of taking a yearlong “theology and ethics of Karl Barth” course at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary taught by Dr. John Burgess. The year accounted for three credits hours in which we covered Karl Barth’s “Church Dogmatics Volume 3: The Doctrine of Creation Part 4.” The setup of the class was to read anywhere from 25-40 pages of Barth a week and produce a detailed outline of the material in the readings. We then would meet once a week to discuss the readings. At the end of the course, we were asked to prepare a 20-page paper that covered a main theme in the Church Dogmatics Volume. This series of blogs consists of sections from my paper that I wrote for the course. As you will see in the posts, I was specifically impressed by Barth’s discussion of ethical issues in the light of the Command of God and what he calls the exceptional case to that command. There are many other things that I loved in this volume that are not covered in these post, and I am in no way claiming to have fully comprehend what Barth is getting at, I just want to share some of my thoughts in hope to continue my theological pursuit after seminary!
Series introduction HERE
The first ethical case that will be discussed arises from the question: does the Command of God give freedom for man to take his own life? The Command that a person should protect human life (Thou shall not kill) surely should apply to a person’s own life. But, Barth also seems to suggest that a person may be forbidden to will life’s continuation.[1] The freedom of the Command of God means that God may demand such an exception. Barth appears to believe that for a person to seek to continue living at all cost, even against the Command of God could be a sinful and rebellious desire.[2] Therefore, it may be that a person is called to offer their self.[3] This suggests that Barth agrees there is some type of honorable sacrifice which aligns with the Command of God. However, Barth rejects the view that a person can freely dispose of their life by their own will.[4] Even so, Barth does not see suicide as an unforgivable sin.[5] Barth’s view of suicide is immersed in his reformed tradition. Not only does Barth describe suicide by reminding his reader that God sees and weighs the whole human life and not just one individual action, but he explains that there is no circumstance in which humanity is saved by works or their own actions as opposed to faith.[6] This includes suicide. Thus, it is not correct to make a definitive statement about the subject of suicide and the eternal outcome of that decision. Barth also believes there could be a time when self-destruction equals self-offering.[7] However, Barth would push vigorously for a person to withhold from such an action. The Command of God calls for respect of life, which is a gift from God. Barth is clear that he feels, in every case, Christians must avoid any arbitrary denial of the possibility of the exception.[8]
Brief thoughts on Barth’s suggestions:
This is a remarkable approach to the ethical issue
of suicide. Before coming in contact with Barth’s text, I was led to believe
that the act of suicide was unforgivable due to selfishness and the fact that
the last action of the person was a sin. But Barth calls us to bring to mind
reformed theology and its confession that it is only by faith that we are saved not
by works or individual actions. Thus, we as Christian must be careful to place
such a graceless punishment on any one single action. I do not believe Barth is
giving a free pass to someone who may take their own life. On the contrary, the command of God and the
demand that “thou shall not kill” calls for respect of human life. And it is no
hidden fact that Karl Barth is a big advocate of the following of the command
of God; however he is an equal advocate of following the living and active God
as he commands his people through their daily lives. The two must be
continually weighed and evaluated through prayer and discernment to ensure that
the Christian understands and follows the command of God.
[1]Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3, the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4, Edited by
G.W / Bromiley and T.F. Torrance. S.l.: T. & t. Clark, 1961 P. 404
[2] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 401
[3] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 401
[4] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 403
[5] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 403
[6] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 405
[7] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 410
[8] Barth,
Karl. Church Dogmatics; Volume 3,the Doctrine of Creation, Part 4 P. 411
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