FAITH AND DUTY

This is a penetrating and arresting consideration of the area where theology and ethics meet. Dr. Robinson, a Scottish theologian, in a discussion of the contribution of Barth, Brunner, and Niebuhr to theology feels that in emphasizing the sinful condition of man they have not taken into account sufficiently moral values and man's responsibility. ""How can man be held responsible for his sin if he is inevitably corrupt?"" he asks. The answer of liberal Protestants he finds unsatisfactory also, being based, he contends, upon a too optimistic view of man. Like other such books the author is more convincing in his attack upon the positions of others than he is in stating his own. His attempt to reconcile a concept of universal sinfulness with ethical responsibility does not seem successful. The book is useful, however, because of its critical analysis of modern theological thought which is in danger of being accepted just because it is new and fashionable.