| Title | : | On Being a Christian |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 038519286X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780385192866 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 724 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1974 |
On Being a Christian Reviews
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I have read and been inspired by many modern German and Swiss theologians: Jurgen Moltmann, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Hans Urs von Balthasar, among others. But reading their books, though ultimately rewarding, has always been hard work. I often feel that their arguments are too carefully made, repititive to the extreme, in an attempt to hermetically seal their theses against criticism from other theologians, who seem to be their primary audience. They are often more reliant on obscure points of philosophy and the work of other theologians than on the Scriptures.
Hans Kung's "On Being a Christian" is a completely different sort of book. While based on learned arguments, it is accessible, drawing the grist for its arguments almost solely from Scripture. Kung writes in a conversational style, which is captured even in translation. While "On Being a Christian" is essentially a one-volume systematic theology, it has a natural flow from near-current issues (it was originally published in 1974) to formative Judeo-Christian thought and back. I think this fine book could easily be read by those with only a very basic education in theology and Church history.
I found this encounter with Kung's thought to be both stimulating and sad. He clearly represents the liberal wing of the Roman Catholic Church which held sway during the Second Vatican Council and made such great strides to bring the Church of Rome into the Twentieth Century. Of course, in ensuing years, Kung's writing has been officially suppressed and the reactionary approach of Wojtyla, Ratzinger, et al., has cast its shadow over the Church. Kung and Ratzinger were close colleagues and friends in their younger days and the final irony of this book is that Kung lists several books he found to be useful to his own writing in a short appendix at the end. One of them is Ratzinger's "Introduction to Christianity." -
I first read this in 1975, soon after the Eng. translation came out. I found it to be an amazing and serious liberal R.C. exploration of the major questions of christian theology. Certainly it should be considered on the same level as many of the great protestant theologians (e.g. Tillich, Bonhoeffer, Bultmann, Kierkegaard). Considering this and many of his other works, it is no surprise that both Karol Wojtyła and Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger strongly opposed Kung’s relatively radical views. Re-reading it again nearly 40 years later, I would say if there was any truth to the christian image of reality, I would prefer Kung's church to that of most christian thinkers, RC or otherwise. Kung's discussions of the history of christian thought, the development and structure of the church, and especially his comparisons between RC christianity and 1)other world religions, 2)Judaism, and 3)other forms of christianity, are all fascinating and thought provoking. However, he is frustrating in that with each argument (and in ~600 pages he covers a LOT of arguments) he always haults at the brink – after showing the physical, philosophical, historical, and/or other problems with a particular "belief" issue, he then concludes with something along the line of, "but faith answers all" (of course, these conclusions are argued with his usual skill). I still think he is a brilliant, and learned man, but I wish his learning could push him a step further to even more liberal conclusions. Still, I recommend the book to serious students of christian thought/history, whether or not you are Christian yourself. One BIG caveat - while he repeatedly says he is also talking to atheists, except for those like me who still enjoy the history of christian thought separate from their own beliefs, atheists will not find him to be addressing them at all (no, I do not expect him to give up his beliefs, I am just noting that most of what he considers shared questions would not even mean anything to most atheists). And certainly I do nott recommend it to any of a more conservative christian mind unless they really can read it with a very open mind – this man is not shy about questions the precepts and assumptions of the christian cult. Finally, even though yes, I disagree with many of Herr Professor Kung’s conclusions, I still find myself greatly admiring the mind of this great thinker. Also – if you only can visit a few cities in Europe, Kung’s own Tübingen should be towards the top of your list!
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Hans Küng (born 1928) is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author, who was famously censured by the Vatican in 1979 and declared no longer authorized to teach "Catholic theology," though he remains a priest in good standing. He has written many other books, such as Does God Exist?: An Answer for Today, Eternal Life?: Life After Death as a Medical, Philosophical, and Theological Problem, etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1974 book, "This book is written for all those who, for any reason at all, honestly and sincerely want to know what Christianity, what being a Christian, really means... It is an attempt... to discover what is permanent: what is different from other world religions and modern humanisms; and at the same time what is common to the separated Christian Churches."
He states that theology claims "to be no more than scholarly reflection on its object from ONE particular standpoint, which is anyway one legitimate standpoint among others." (Pg. 87) The most decisive characteristic of Christianity is that "it considers this Jesus as ultimately decisive, definitive, ARCHETYPAL for man in these various dimensions of his." (Pg. 123)
He suggests that the resurrection cannot be "proved by historical arguments... It is itself the object of faith." (Pg. 360) Jesus' suffering shows us that "even manifestly senseless suffering and death CAN have a meaning, can ACQUIRE a meaning. A hidden meaning." (Pg. 433) He argues that there is no God other than the one who manifested himself in Jesus; "the face he showed in Jesus is really his true and single face." (Pg. 446)
The Bible, he states, "does not simply contain God's word: it becomes God's word for anyone who submits trustfully and in faith to its testimony." (Pg. 467) -
In some respects this book is still the author's magnum opus; it belongs to its era, but in his opinion it needs no updating. He has a valid point, for updating would clearly display the lack of ecumenical progress, and the failure of the Roman Catholic Church to fully implement the conclusions of the Second Vatican Council or to effect for the reforms in church polity or ethics. But, apart from these matters, we have a theologian who challenges all by his radicalism, who refutes errors, who respects scholarship, and who has no sympathy for obscurantism. This is no easy read, but the effort was worth it!
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Amazing!!! Must read in 2023.
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Currently rereading Hans Kung's brilliant work. Read it in late 1970's while onboard a US Naval ship. Yes, I was in the Navy.
At the time, I found the sentences laborious to read being translated from the German into English. I was able to plow thru the tedium due to research skills from my science background at Auburn University. To this day the Old Testament, Kung, Edward Schillebeeckx and the many sentences of St. Paul are some of the hardest reading one can do.
(After rereading this classic work, I still feel this is absolute must for any liberal Christian who wishes to be considered well read on modern theology. It is a brilliant work and is lightning for one's walk in Faith.) -
A Catholic theologian that can hold his own with most social scientists. Read the second chapter for sure!
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-For Sam Suk Hahn
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I finally finished this mammoth of a book -- but I suppose it's short compared to the Summa Theologica or Church Dogmatics! Kung presents a complete Christian theology for the intelligent, critical, modern mind. It does not gloss over the many errors of the Church, but instead points to the reasons for his continued faith and his optimism for the future of the Church and creation. As Kung says, everyone has to make a choice about their faith: even the decision to NOT make a choice is a choice! I can't really explain any of his conclusions, because they are meaningless without the 500 pages of discussion beforehand.
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My absolute favorite devotional book. You can spend a day contemplating the meaning of each paragraph. For a while during the decade after its 1st publication, I was pressing copies onto everyone I thought might be interested. The author himself regarded it as his magnum opus. A Book-of-the-Month Club selection (1976). One of the 10 most influential books in my life that made me who I am today.
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One of the hardest books I can recall reading. But, it was very, very informative, enlightening, comforting and meaningful.
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The very first book I ever added to my "To Read" list in Goodreads, I finally made it to (and made my way through) On Being a Christian. This book was not a page-turner for me. Rather, it proved to be more of a pilgrim's slow progress, during which I read 10-20 pages each weekend for several months. Reading it more quickly would likely have blunted my appreciation, and reduced my understanding.
Writing in the 1970's, Kung, a German Catholic theologian, offers up a Christian apologetic that will make sense to the layperson. He begins by addressing challenges to Christian faith that come from humanism, communism, and other social or cultural movements. He also looks at challenges to the historicity of Christian scripture. He moves on to discuss how Christianity differs from other world religions and why it might still be relevant, 2000 years after the life of Christ. He then takes us through a systematic theology, attempting to define primary tenets of the faith, as well as detail some of the implications of these ideas. Kung sees these ripples of influence passing into and through the arena of personal morality of course, but he also discusses how they affect the nature of the church, as well as how they begin to outline Christian response to social dilemmas, human suffering, opposing worldviews, and alternate philosophies to name a few.
At the heart of all of Kung's teaching is just this: The Christian faith must always return to the person of Jesus. Who was he and why was his existence and teaching so profound? What made him unique and why was he such a threat to the religious and political authorities of his day? Kung often wanders into a long discourse on a subject of some theological rigor before returning us to this theme, and it's remarkable how powerful a rhetorical device this is.
If we are to take the name of Christian seriously, we must wrestle with the person of Christ. How often do those of us who call ourselves Christians fail to do this? Kung's assertion seems to be that, once you strip away the trappings of history, liturgy, and theology, anything that is unique or valuable in the faith must come back to the transformative, world-changing, universe-shaking event that was the life of Christ. Without him, we literally have nothing. And returning to the source of our faith can clarify much.
When this book came out, it was selected for the Book-of-the-Month Club, which I find truly remarkable. I wonder how many people actually read it back then? Did the average adult have a higher tolerance for dense prose and thoughtful argumentation? Has our current sound-bite culture, and social media post age reduced our intellectual capacity so much?
For most folks today, this will likely not be a beach read. But for the thoughtful layperson who doesn't mind the intellectual or theological rigor of a scholar, this tome can be helpful. If one reads it over a period of time, it can reward you handsomely. -
I was drawn to read this book by reading a magazine article. What the author of the article said regarding the views of the author were intriguing to me. I found that I wrote in the margins often and for several reasons. One reason was for the usual, in that I did not want to forget where in the book something was at. A second reason was I agreed with what the author said. A third was I didn't partially or fully agree with what the author said. And perhaps finally, what was said gave me pause to wonder about it and to perceive parallels to present, past, and even future happenings.
The author used many words I was not familiar with, so you may be able to expand your vocabulary if you may also not be familiar. You may also want to be prepared to reread passages to grasp more fully what is said.
Overall, I must say I enjoyed reading this 601 page book because it showed me that there is a very learned man out there that has not only pondered but expressed in print many of the same things I have. This is not a book for a pure conformist, for one who is not prone to question. There is probably a reason that I've heard that the author is not allowed by the Church to teach Catholic theology. -
Fantastic.
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This was the first book I read by Fr Küng, and connected immediately with his theology and view of Christianity as a call to accept from the heart, discern with the mind and live with your being, body and soul.
With it being one of his greatest books, On Being a Christian explores the historical Jesus - and intertwines into it the understanding that we as Christians are called to be emulate him in our daily lives and to love all our neighbours for the Christian message to grow and for our living of it to become tangible.
Fr Kung’s book is a slow read, and I read it with a pen in hand and commonplace notebook beside me to record what he had written as the volume is great and I didn’t want to forget anything. I later discovered that it took him just one academic term to write the script for this book - an when you reflect upon that fact and having read the book, you can only but come to the realisation that Küng had one of the greatest minds in Christian Theology.
Damian North -
Returning to this book in 2015 after first reading it shortly after its initial publication, I was amazed by its continuing relevance. This is without question the best introduction to Christianity that a thoughtful contemporary seeker could encounter. Kung is a fine writer and the work is ably rendered into English by his translator. It is not necessary to agree with each and every one of Kung's arguments nor do I think that the author expects that from his readers. The great achievement of the book is to make Christianity alive for the contemporary world without pandering to current thoughtlessness or chauvinism or by entirely jettisoning the incredible history of the faith. Kung is a Catholic writing to a catholic faith and, in my view, he succeeds brilliantly.
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A voluminous and scholarly work that is alternately highly engaging and dreadfully dull. I read this with the hope that it might provide some meangingful terms on which I could accept the possibility of Christianity as a viable personal worldview. It did not succeed.
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At 600 pages of translated German, this book takes perseverance to read, but is ultimately worth the journey. It is difficult to find a book by a current progressive theologian that does not quote this book, so I decided to go back to the source and read it.
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Massive and dense at times...but really awesome. He speaks to the issues of contemporary theology.
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in depth, foundational, solid, biblical
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gave up for now... the first ~150 pages are pretty good and occasionally really excellent, but then you realize you're only 1/3 through! i'll be back.
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Highly recommended by a friend for whom I have a great deal of respect. I look forward to tackling it.
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Read in 1991 - pre-Goodreads
Review 12.01.17
Borrowed from a friend. I thought this was a very good, very intelligent book.
