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BY-NC-ND 4.0 license Open Access Published by De Gruyter 2022

Barth’s Römerbrief and Liturgy’s Formative Function: Critique and Prospect

From the book Karl Barth’s Epistle to the Romans

  • Luke Zerra

Abstract

This chapter puts Barth’s Römerbrief in dialogue with contemporary debates in Christian ethics concerning liturgy and moral formation. Some ethicists see liturgy as an important site of moral formation, others doubt worship’s formative effects, and still others argue liturgy can deform participates. Barth does not take up exactly these questions, yet worship is central to his treatment of ethics in Romans 12. This chapter claims Barth offers both critique and prospect for debates in Christian ethics concerning liturgy and moral formation. As critique, Barth reveals a tendency to focus on liturgical practices themselves accomplishing the work of moral formation. As prospect, Barth points Christian ethicists move past debates concerning the formative import of practices and instead to other factors, including the work of grace.

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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