A NEW PROTESTANT ETHICS AND PHILOSOPHY
The Divine Imperative : A Study in Christian Ethics. By Emil Brunner. Translated by Olive Wyon. (Lutterworth Press. 25s.) The Philosophy of Religion from the Standpoint of Protestant Theology. By Emil Brunner. (Nicholson and Watson. 6s.)
Miss WYON, who translated Troeltsch's massive work on
the Social Ideas of the Christian Churches, has now given us an English version of Brunner's almost equally long study of Christian Ethics. It may be said at once that the translation is excellent, and evidently the performance of one who knows not only the language but the subject. The book is difficult to review, because it covers an immense field, and perhaps still more because it represents a point of view which is unusual and not easy to summarise fairly. Brunner argues that the attempt to formulate a " rational " system of ethics has broken down and a survey of the philosophical theories of ethics leaves us with a mass of contradictions. Nor is he satisfied with the current presentations of Christian morality, holding that, Protestant and Catholic alike, they fall into the error of " legalism."
In Brunner's view, there is no general conception of ethics which would include the Christian ethic, nor is there any.
possible definition of " the Goiid." " There is no Good save obedient behaviour, save the obedient will. But this obedience is rendered not to a law or a principle which can be known beforehand; but only to the free, sovereign will of God. The Good consists in always doing what God wills at any particular moment." From this it follows that the Christian ethic can only be understood by believers, it can never be stated as a " truth of reason."
It might seem that such a theory of the nature of the Good would preclude anyone who held it from writing on ethics, since the -right is individual, even atomistic, determined afresh with every occasion of willing. Nevertheless Brunner has produced a book of more than boo pages on the various aspects of Christian duty. The relation between the theory of the Good, " the Divine Imperative," and the " Commandments," the several duties and virtues, is undoubtedly the most obscure part of his system.
He does not wish to recommend a pure individualism, a reliance upon the inspiration of the moment. The law, under which is included the conscience, is the " schoolmaster to bring us to Christ " and freedom comes, as it were, by the bursting of the bud through its sheaf, the obedience of love breaking through the law.
For Brunner Christian morality must be, in one sense, " world-accepting." We must not begin by standing over against the world with the question, " What can we make of it ? " " First of all we must accept the world, adjust ourselves to it, accept its concrete demands, before we can begin to reform it." But this acceptance of the world is only the necessary prelude to effective action upon the world. The insistence upon the service of men as the centre of Christian conduct leads Brunner to a position which will to many appear extreme. He will not allow that there is a separate sphere of " duties to oneself," and he rejects the idea that we should aim at personal sanctification as an end alongside the service of humanity ; such concern with the self leads, he believes, to " an unhealthy mystical asceticism."
Brunner's treatment of the Christian duty with respect to the State,- marriage, culture and education is profoundly affected by his Augustinian theology. He takes seriously the doctrine of original sin. All human relations are necessarily infected with evil.' Thus it is absurd to suppose that business can be carried on in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount or that secular society can be organised on the basis of love. The Christian, who is compelled to act as a member of the social order, is involved in a complex which is by its nature largely hentile to the Kingdom of • God. Brunner encourages no Utopian dreams. The world needs not progress but redemption. His point of view enables him to take a liberal attitude on such questions as divorce and birth control, since, according to him, the will of God has to be sought for each individual case, and universal prohibitions would be " legalism."
This challenging book deserves a more thorough examina- tion than can be given to it here. It will leave some obstinate questions in a reflective mind. Among them, it may be sug- gested, are the -following In Brunner's view in what sense Can God be described as "lewd " ? How can Christianity be defended as the consummation of the moral development of man ? How are we to guard against fanatical illusions concerning the will of God ? It would be an interesting exercise to read The Divine Imperative along with the Bishop of Durham's recent Gifford Lectures.
The short book on the Philosophy of Religion is recommen- ded by the editors of the useful series in which it appears as " laying bare the system of thought behind the whole move- ment " represented by Karl Barth and Emil Brunner, but it may be doubted whether this is an accurate statement. Brunner's conception of the nature of theology would preclude him from resting it upon a " system of thought "—it depends on " revelation." To the student of the philosophy of religion this book will seem strangely meagre. The tonics which have occupied the great masters of the subject—the defence of theism, " natural theology," the nature of religion and its relation with other spiritual activities—receive from Brunner. almost no attention. His whole interest is centred upon Revelation, which for him means the Bible as interpreted by faith, and " by Christain faith is meant, not some universal truth, nor yet some universal religious experience, but a definite fact which as such is opposed to every universal, be it religion or philosophy." Brunner is undoubtedly right in insisting upon the " givermess " of religious truth, as Von Hiigel used to call it, but his sharp distinction between reason and revela- tion, which seems almost to amount to an antithesis, can lead only to extreme individualism in religion and intellectual
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