William G. Witt

Renewing Moral Theology

Theology

“Daniel Westberg's Renewing Moral Theology makes a strong argument for the significance of Thomas Aquinas's 'virtue ethics' for contemporary Christian ethics. Not simply a historical account, Westberg's book is a new text in the tradition of Anglican moral theology. His discussion is deliberately ecumenical, bringing Thomas into conversation with Roman Catholic, Anglican and Protestant partners. Throughout, Westberg argues for a theological reading of Thomas's ethic, engaging but also offering correction to traditional Catholic and Protestant approaches. Westberg's reading of Thomas challenges the Catholic 'natural law' tradition, arguing for a more biblical and christocentric approach to moral theology; he looks to Protestant theologians such as Barth and Bonhoeffer to shed light on the neglected subject of conversion; he finds Thomas's account of human action corrects unexamined deontological, consequentialist and voluntarist assumptions. In chapters on the cardinal virtues, Westberg makes needed distinctions in addressing such questions as to the extent that non-Christians exercise virtues such as justice; his discussion of the theological virtues centers on charity as friendship with God and suggests that Thomas's discussion of the virtues of charity and hope balances Protestant accounts that tend to focus exclusively on faith. In the end, Westberg's book is not only a summary of Thomas Aquinas's account of human action and the virtues, it is a welcome irenic challenge to different theological traditions to engage in conversation with each other, and looks to Thomas Aquinas's moral theology as one of the best starting points for that discussion.”