A Cruel God?: Divine Command Theories as a Challenge for Theological Ethics

What contribution does the doctrine of divine command make to the foundation of normative ethics? What role does divine will play in metaethics? Do God's emotions, desires, and commands determine what is morally good? And if so, must we take the idea of a potentially cruel God seriously (not only) in theological terms? Do all ethics have religious roots? Or does this only apply to some or none of their actual and/ or possible versions? These and related questions have been addressed by ethics and philosophy of religion in the Anglo-American world for some time. However, Germanophone research, both within and outside theology, has so far only dealt with them marginally. This anthology therefore brings together representatives of German- and English-speaking theology and philosophy of religion to discuss these and similar questions. The contributors focus specifically on the so-called divine command theories, alternative approaches to a decidedly religious metaethics, and fundamental questions of theological ethics as a whole. In addition to examining current theses and theories, they also shed light on the historical and interreligious dimensions of the topic. Last but not least, the contributors to this volume aim to intensify the dialogue between continental and analytical traditions of religious philosophy and ethics.