Worship as primary ethical act: Barth on Romans 12

Marthinus J. Havenga

doi:10.4102/hts.v76i1.5824

Abstract

Following the centenary year of the publication of the first edition of Karl Barth’s Der Römerbrief, this article attempts to look at what a contemporary South African audience could potentially learn from Barth’s reading of Romans 12. This article begins with a few preliminary remarks on the reading of Barth in both apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, and asks whether his theology still has any role to play in current theological and ethical discourses (amidst calls that theology should be decolonised). After arguing that Barth might still have ‘a’ contribution to make (as we further develop our own theologies), this article provides an in-depth exposition and analysis of Barth’s reading of Romans 12. Here it is shown how, in his commentary on this chapter (under the heading ‘The Problem of Ethics’), Barth maintains that worship, that is, the offering of our bodies as ‘living sacrifices’ to God, should be seen as the primary ethical act, which precedes and renders possible all other secondary ethical conduct. This is then followed by the last section of this article, which explores the possible meaning and relevance of Barth’s insights for life in present-day South Africa.

Highlights

Last year marked the centenary of the publication of the first edition of Karl Barth’s Der Römerbrief,1 and when surveying current Barth-scholarship, it is interesting to note that this anniversary seems to be accompanied by a renewed interest in Barth’s early theology
For the past 2 years, the Centre for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary has been hosting student-led colloquiums on Barth’s commentary, which have given doctoral students and early career researchers the opportunity to discuss and debate its relevance for the present moment.3. As part of this larger reconsideration of Karl Barth’s early theology, in general, and Der Römerbrief, in particular, this article will attempt to look at what a South African audience could potentially learn from Barth’s reading of Romans today, 25 years after the dawn of democracy
It is well known that the writings of Barth played an important role in the church struggle against apartheid, but what could his theology, in its so-called ‘early form’, have to say to those living and doing theology in post-apartheid South Africa – especially when it comes to questions of ethics and what Christians should do in the current South African context? In what follows, I will begin by making a few preliminary comments on the reading of Barth in present-day South Africa, before preceding to address the above-mentioned questions by turning to Barth’s analysis of Romans 12

Summary

Introduction

Last year marked the centenary of the publication of the first edition of Karl Barth’s Der Römerbrief,1 and when surveying current Barth-scholarship, it is interesting to note that this anniversary seems to be accompanied by a renewed interest in Barth’s early theology.

Results

Conclusion