In the Role of the Father: the Barth-Feuerbach Debate in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead

Abstract

There is a longstanding critique that a commitment to Christian faith is incompatible with a commitment to the finite world. Against this critique, I argue that Marilynne Robinson’s novel Gilead presents commitment to God as not only compatible, but necessary for genuine commitment to this world. She draws on the correspondence that took place between Feuerbach and 20th century Swiss theologian Karl Barth, and by embedding this philosophical-theological correspondence in the characters and plot of Gilead, Robinson illustrates that a commitment to God is necessary for a commitment to, and affirmation of, this world.