The Shaking of the Foundations

by Paul Tillich

A collection of twenty-two philisophical sermons by existentialist theologian Paul Tillich, crossing multiple historical and cultural influences; Marx, Buddha, Nietzsche, the Ancient Greeks, Rilke, Kierkegaard and Jesus of Nazareth all play a part in Tillich’s apologetic sermons, based on Biblical texts, which are characterised by a width and modernity of knowledge that permits him, if need be, to comment with terrifying irony on the groundless existence of contemporary life.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Philosophy, Christianity, Nonfiction, Essays, Social Justice

Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Paul Tillich was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. Tillich was – along with his contemporaries Rudolf Bultmann (Germany), Karl Barth (Switzerland), and Reinhold Niebuhr (United States) – one of the four most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century. Among the general populace, he is best known for his works The Courage to Be (1952) and Dynamics of Faith (1957), which introduced issues of theology and modern culture to a general readership. Theologically, he is best known for his major three-volume work Systematic Theology (1951–63), in which he developed his "method of correlation": an approach of exploring the symbols of Christian revelation as answers to the problems of human existence raised by contemporary existential philosophical analysis.

Reviews

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The Shaking of the Foundations is a great theological treasure! It contains piercing insight, inspiring meditations, illuminating Biblical interpretations and some of the most innovative, challenging and foundation-shaking theology ever written. Technically, it's a collection of sermons - a format, frankly, that is helpful in some respects and not so much in others - and not a unified/cohesive treatise, but, collectively, these ruminations on various aspects of Christian theology and mid-twentieth century experience are, in the main, profound, thought-provoking and faith-inducing.

There are several major theological innovations explored in this collection, including Tillich's revolutionary concepts of God as "the Gound of Being"/"Ultimate Concern" and Jesus as "the Christ" (as opposed to 'Jesus Christ') and as the exemplar and deliverer of "the New Being"/new revelation/new experience of God. Also, his consideration of the Christian concept of immortality will strike some as heretical, others as revelatory and all as profound and thought-provoking. Further, there are myriad piercing and illuminating insights into human nature that are at once timeless and yet speak to us urgently in our time. In sum, whether you are seeking to explore Tillich's unique mix of (Christian) theology and philospohical existentialism or to have your faith challenged and evolved by his revolutionary exegesis or to avail yourself of the wisdom contained in some of the most profound sermons ever constructed, this book will engage you fully and meaningfully.

It is an intense - and, admittedly at times, challenging - read and experience. Quite frankly, numerous times I had to put it down to give myself time to process some of its more profound concepts and insights. And often I had to 'recover' after reading a chapter (containing a single sermon): it is so deep at myriad points that working through it can be a taxing (though enriching) experience intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Simply put, it's a challenging, engrossing read, so you are well-advised to be prepared before attempting it.

And, honestly, it's also disappointing at times, in large part due to its format. Because it's a collection of sermons, some concepts are not as fully developed in the individual sermons/chapters as they otherwise would be in treatise form. For example, in one of the chapters that touches on Tillich's unique perspective on the Christian conception of immortality, he ruminates longer on what it is not/should not be and too little on what it is/should be. To put a fine point on it, it felt like he tore down the conception of life after death that I had been taught without fully developing an alternative with which to replace it. This being said, I consider my personal perspective on this concept evolved significantly because of his insight while also feeling that I have work to do in fleshing out this emerging conception fully. So, Tillich has gotten me started on the journey, but has not revealed its destination. Yet I truly value both the "push" and the challenge: my personal theology has both been enhanced and evolved meaningfully and I have a consequential exploration to continue to pursue because of his insights.

There are so many deep concepts and quotes that I want to share to illustrate how profound a treasure this work is, but they are, in a word, legion and thus, to do them justice, too numerous and meaningful to mention only partially. Suffice it to say that as I reviewed my notes - and I have a significant number of margin notes on virtually every page of this work - I was struck again by how abundant and how deep his insights are. And when I consider that this was written over 60 years ago, I am further impressed with how timeless his wisdom is. Frankly, these insights speak to me just as powerfully today as they did to those who were lucky to hear them as Tillich developed them in the World War II era and are nonetheless revelatory. I am truly grateful for having my consciousness and conscience expanded and will use the break that I have to take after this book to explore various meaningful aspects of my personal faith joyfully ... and rest and recover mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

In closing, I highly recommend this compliation, which is a major contribution to Christian theology and a groundbreaking work. It will challenge you, it will change you, it will inspire you and it will embolden you. Enjoy the journey....

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my favorite books. A collection of Tillich's sermons--many of which were delivered while at Chicago Theological Seminary--that provides excellent analysis of many of the Bible's most arcane and easily-misunderstood passages, including many of Paul's letters to the early churches springing up in Turkey and Greece.

[Josh Issa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Tillich in this collection of sermons breathes life into the Scriptures and explicates a meaning that is actually tangible and deep. This book deserves to be chewed and digested slowly and carefully. Every time I felt I was going too fast, I put the book down and wrote about my thoughts (either to Adam, Tim, and Shane or in my journal). There is so much here to unpack, think about, and apply to today. I think this book (along with God Is Not A Christian by Desmond Tutu) has done a lot to mature my theological thinking and speaking. I’ve spent a lot of time deconstructing the toxic theologies that were taught to me during my upbringing, but I didn’t have anything new to say. I just knew what was wrong. But the simple truths that Tillich preached in these sermons have so much power. I feel like he spoke them to me despite him being dead for 59 years.

Splits and gaps are in every soul: for instance, we know we are more than dust; and yet we know that we are going to be dust.

Faith in divine Providence is the faith that nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the ultimate meaning of our existence. Providence does not mean a divine planning by which everything is predetermined, as in an efficient machine. Rather Providence means that there is a creative and saving possibility present in every situation, which cannot be destroyed by any event.

Love lasts; love alone endures, and nothing else besides love, nothing independent of love… It is not a blind love that is the enduring love, the love that God Himself is. It is a seeing love, a knowing love, a love that looks through the Heart of God, and into the depth of our hearts.

A fun part of my reading experience is that since I got the book second-hand, I got to read the notes of a Buddhist who in 1989 was trying to create a constructive dialogue between Tillich’s symbolic understanding of Christianity and the teachings of the Buddha. Thank you Douglas for donating this book that you held onto for 34 years and clearly thought through carefully. Your thoughts helped form my own. Your emphasis that all religions are grounded in the same Light and are revelatory of our seeking spirits and compassionate hearts was a powerful message for me to receive.

[Ash Bajwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stimulating read, for those especially who are interested in the existential interpretations of the Bible with elements of the Mystic.
22 sermons contained within 186 dense pages.

[Zoë Birss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad to have come to the end of this book days after finishing The Essential Tillich anthology of Tillich's work. The anthology collected writing of all kinds from all of Tillich's career. This collection is sermons alone.

As sermons, pieces are much shorter than the theses found among The Essential Tillich. Furthermore, since sermons are delivered to believers, and are so brief, definitions and assumptions are necessarily leapt past to best give the centre of the argument. The definitions and assumptions are already carried by the community, and need not be addressed.

Unfortunately, this left me a little behind whenever a sermon included necessary assumptions that I did not share. Furthermore, as an essentially exclusive encouragement of the faithful, this reader from without the flock of believers was unable to be enriched in the ways originally intended by the writer.

There was still a lot of good in here. A lot. It is over 200 pages of sermons based on the Bible, and I was never bored, annoyed, or triggered. That's something. Tillich has a way of sharing from the Bible that is both unapologetically faithful, while remaining always thoughtfully compassionate to listeners of every diverse perspective. He may not have written the core of this to someone like me. But he had me in mind. His writing is so universal, so welcoming, even when speaking to insiders. It's very refreshing.

For this reason, I especially appreciated his sermon on Paul's message on Mars Hill. It felt like reading a meta commentary on Tillich's philosophy of sharing the gospel.

I was also especially encouraged by his sermon on Waiting. Of the collection, it was the one in which I felt most as though I could actually be among the audience. In it, he speaks of the "waiting" in the Hebrew Scriptures, and "hope" of the second testament as being evidence for the need for Christians not to claim that they "have God". He goes as far as to say that Christians only have God to the degree that they do not. For whatever they believe they have of God is impossible, a reduction of the fullness of God and therefore not God at all. To be a Christian is not to have and hold, but to hope, and in that hope be held. Nice.

In The Essential Tillich, I noticed the absence of conversation of the afterlife, with an emphasis instead on life lived now. In this book, Tillich goes as far as to say that there is no reasonable evidence for an immortal soul, and therefore interprets eternal life as something lived now. I appreciated this perspective, and the matter-of-fact way it was stated and faithful way it was employed.

So, I discovered in this book that I much prefer Tillich's academic writing to his sermons, his long form to these short thoughts. That said, these short pieces are a great deal more accessible for most lay readers. Therefore, I would still recommend The Essential Tillich as an introduction to this great thinker's philosophical and theological foundations before reading this book, and probably before anything else.

[Jonathon Hagger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Religious texts are not my usual source of reading enjoyment. I started reading Tillich with an understanding that he was contemporary in his thinking and application of scripture - I was right. This particular book brings together a number of his sermons and speeches and gives a good overview of his theology.
I could not fault his insights or clarity of thought. His writing is easy to read and comprehend. For those persons wanting to understand a modern theologians philosophy this would be a very good text to begin with.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FIRST VOLUME OF TILLICH’S PUBLISHED SERMONS

Paul Tillich (1886-1965) was a German-American theologian and Christian philosopher, who was dismissed from his teaching position in Germany after Hitler came to power in 1933. He came to America, where he taught at Union Theological Seminary and the Harvard Divinity School. The other volumes of his sermons (many given during chapel at Union Theological Seminary) are: The New Being, and The Eternal Now. The psychologist Rollo May [a close friend of Tillich’s] wrote a sympathetic biography of him ('Paulus') and Tillich’s wife Hannah wrote a much less-friendly account ('From Time to Time'). [NOTE: page numbers below refer to the 186-page paperback edition.]

He wrote in the Preface to this 1948 book, “There are two reasons why I agreed to the publication of a book of sermons at this time. Many of my students and friends outside the Seminary have told me of the difficulty they have met in trying to penetrate my theological thought. They believe that through my sermons the practical or… the existential implications of my theology are more clearly manifest… There is, however, a more important reason… A large part of the congregation at the Sunday services came from outside the Christian circle… For them, a sermon in traditional Biblical terms would have had no meaning. Therefore, I was obliged to seek a language which expresses in other terms the human experience to which the Biblical and ecclesiastical terminology point.”

In the sermon whose title is the title of this book, he observes, “When the earth grows old and wears out, when nations and cultures die, the Eternal changes the garments of His infinite being. He is the foundation on which all foundations are laid; and this foundation cannot be shaken. There is something immovable, unchangeable, unshakeable, eternal, which becomes manifest in our passing and in the crumbling of our world… The Greeks called themselves ‘the mortals’ because they experienced that which is immortal. This is why the prophets were able to face the shaking of the foundations. It is the only way to look at the shaking without recoilng from it.” (Pg. 9-10)

He notes, “very often I have met citizens of this country, who have expressed a feeling of guilt for the situation of the world today. They were right, and the exiles were right: they are responsible, as are you and I. Whether or not we call it sin, whether or not we call it punishment, we are beaten by the consequences of our own failures. That is the order of history. But at the horizon the other order appears, saying that our struggles are not in vain, that our iniquity is pardoned.” (Pg. 19)

He observes, “We suppose the future to be better than any present; but there is always another future beyond the next future, again and again without a present, that is to say, without eternity. According to the Fourth Gospel, eternal life is a PRESENT gift: he, who listens to Christ, has eternity already. He is no longer subject to the driving of time… We have lost the real ‘now,’ the ‘now eternal’; we have, I am afraid, lost eternal life in so far as it creates the real present.” (Pg. 36-37)

He asserts, “the so-called ‘psychology of depth’ … cannot help us in an ultimate way, because it cannot guide us to the deepest ground of our being and of all being, the depth of life itself. The name of this infinite and inexhaustible depth and ground of all being is God. That depth is what the word God means… if you know that God means depth, you know much about Him. You cannot then call yourself an atheist of unbeliever. For you cannot think or say: Life has no depth! Life itself is shallow. Being itself is surface only. If you could say this in complete seriousness, you would be an atheist; but otherwise you are not. He who knows about depth knows about God.” (Pg. 56-57)

He points out, “in the visions of the prophet, that salvation means salvation of the WORLD, and not of human beings alone. Lions and sheep, little children and snakes, will lie together, says Isaiah… The resurrection of the BODY---not an immortal soul---is the symbol of the victory over death… Do we not see everywhere the estrangement of people from nature, from their own natural forces and from nature around them? And to they not become dry and uncreative in their mental life, hard and arrogant in their moral attitude, suppressed and poisoned in their vitality? They certainly are not the images of salvation.” (Pg. 85)

He acknowledges, “Jesus does not tell us that He will ease the labors and burdens of life and work… Whether or not we come to Him, the threats of illness or unemployment are not lessened, the weight of our work does not become easier… the horror of ruins, wounds, and death falling from heaven is not stopped; and the sorrow over the passing of friends or parents or children is not overcome. Jesus cannot and does not promise more pleasure and less pain to those whom He asks to some to Him. On the contrary, sometimes He promises them more pain, more persecution, more threat of death… All this is not the burden to which He points…” (Pg. 95) He adds, “Do not ask in this moment what we shall do or how action shall follow from the New Being, from the rest in our souls. Do not ask; for you do not ask how the good fruits follow from the goodness of a tree. They follow…” (Pg. 103)

He proposes, “if someone were to come and tell us that he is estranged from the Christian Church and its foundations, that he does not feel the power of the Spirit, that he is empty of spiritual knowledge, BUT that he asks again and again the theological question, the question of an ultimate concern and its manifestations in Jesus as the Christ, we would accept him as a theologian…. If we were convinced of his seriousness, we would consider him a theologian.” (Pg. 121)

He argues, “No argument of reason can give certainty. The finite cannot argue for the infinite; it cannot reach God and it can never reach its own eternity. But there are two certainties. One dwells in every soul which knows about itself… The eternity of despair encompasses us in the moment that we are conscious of our witness to the law. The other certainty dwells in those who have the Spirit; they are beyond their own finiteness and they cannot use arguments, for their eternity is present to them.” (Pg. 137-138)

He contends, “The Christ had to suffer and die, because whenever the Divine appears in all Its depth, It cannot be endured by men… It is a radical attack on everything that is good in man, and therefore man must repel It, must push It away, must crucify It…. For the Divine does not complete the human; It revolts against the human…” (Pg. 147)

He suggests, “sin is separation. To be in the state of sin is to be in the state of separation… For we as men know that we are separated…. We know that we are estranged from something to which we really belong, with which we SHOULD be united… Such separation is manifest in the special actions of our conscious life. It reaches beyond our graves into all the succeeding generations. It is our existence itself. Existence is separation! Before sin is an act, it is a state.” (Pg. 154-155)

He asks, “Do we know what it means to be struck by grace? It does NOT mean that we are suddenly believe that God exists, or that Jesus is the Saviour, or that the Bible contains the truth. To believe that something IS, is almost contrary to the meaning of grace… Do not seek for anything; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted! If that happens to us, we experience grace. After such an experience we may not be better than before, and we may not believe more than before. But everything is transformed… And nothing is demanded of this experience… nothing but ACCEPTANCE.” (Pg. 161-162)

Tillich’s sermons are a much more accessible and “personal” side of his theology/philosophy, and will be of great interest to anyone seriously studying modern theology.

[Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading so many footnotes, quotes and references pointing to Paul Tillich, I finally got around to reading one of his books. I can see why its a classic in this genre. In short but yet deep sermons he elaborates on some common biblical passages. After reading about 70% of the book, it finally began to be interesting for me. One of the challenges of sharing the gospel in a new or rather more illuminating light, is the weight of language. Especially when particular words are overused and/or abused. This is particularly true of the church. Paul attempts to address some of this. I think he does a good job, especially towards the end of the book when he takes on common concepts, phrases and words such as "acceptance," "Christ," "death," "grace," "sin," "waiting" (on the Lord), etc. In doing so he challenges some of the core 'doctrines' of the common theologian which has informed the common church. His challenges usually start off depressing in some ways because we, as a product of the church, don't generally want to grow from what we "know" as the "truth." However, he deftly engages each subject briefly, but well enough to provide an enlarged understanding of what we already "know." This was a good read that became a better read towards the end.

[Monty Milne · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no doubt Tillich delivered powerful sermons and sharp insights in his day. I found this book of historic interest only; its leaves crackle with the dust of the past. Maybe this reflects my own journey away from belief. But I think most Christians would surely agree that a great deal of water has flown under the bridge of faith since this book was written.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

These sermons are so affirming and readable! I checked out a copy from the library to read for class, and after reading just two of the sermons, I raced to Amazon.com to buy a copy for myself. (I was SO tempted to mark all over the margins.)

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book by Tillich many years ago and had problems reading any Tillich years ago. He still is complex but his work is very fesh indeed for us today. I was a great book.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of his sermons -- this is Tillich at his best. The title sermon is especially powerful and still relevant.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating reflects my reaction, not an innate quality of the book. I think you really need to be a Christian to get with his outlook.

[Nobody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection was my first introduction to Tillich. Given his academic backround and personal history, I was excited to dive in to his work, particularly because of my lack of patience for more mainstream Southern Protestant preaching.

Although my expectations were not disappointed, perhaps this wasn't the right time for me to read these sermons. Tillich occasionally touches on some interesting ideas, often derived from major thinkers such as Freud and Kant, but only for a moment, and I'm left wanting more. However, I understand sermons must be made accessible to a broader audience, and certainly see the benefit in briefly visiting an idea in order to encourage your audience to think a little differently - Tillich himself discusses how to bring meaning back to traditional concepts and words that have been talked about endlessly. One could, ironically, view this as yet another contribution to the problem.

Tillich does tailor his message universally - often his sermons are equally applicable to atheists, agnostics and theists alike. He does not shy away from addressing percieved faults with Christians of the time, but he does so in a way that maintains their dignity and faith, something that is commonly lost in the fueding and critcism surrounding a topic as important as spiritual life is. Nonbelievers can rest assured that their skepticism is not dismissed out of hand by Tillich - in fact, he regards many religious criticisms as completely valid, and suggests improvements that Christians should adopt rather than deflecting the issues altogether.

Overall, I enjoyed the work, but wasn't impressed. This may be one to revisit later, at a different stage of life.

[Vince Eccles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a recasting of Augustinian theology (Platonist Christianity) by a 20th century Lutheran Theologian. The Tillich uses existential philosophy (Kierkegaard) to separate the realms of the Divine and of humans. God is redefined as the humans 'ultimate concern' and 'Being itself', etc. Tillich feels that some thoughtful atheists are closer to Christianity than many Christians. Too much to explain here, but it is a Christian Theology suitable for thoughtful disenchanted Christians who have become agnostic or atheist.

This is actually the 2nd time I read the book, separated by about 25 years. I felt is good in both readings.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very challenging read for me; and disappointing. I was hoping to learn more about Tillich's "groundbreaking" theology/philosophy. Instead what I got was 22 fairly conventional sermons from the late 40's on... They were full of dogma and black and white absolutes that are no longer sustained by most people.

The one interesting thing is the historicity of the sermons. They are not dated, but it is clear from references to "current affairs" that several of these were first delivered during, or right after WW II.

[Jeffd134 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I wish I had read 40 years ago. Glad to have found it now. I especially recommend this book to those who struggle with what might be a similar time of 'shaking foundations'. I can only hope that, as Tillich states in the final sermon (delivered while the scent of the ashes of the Second World War still permeated everything), we can find new life out of what feels like the death and destruction of all that we hold dear.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

To wait on God is to know and have God, but to possess God is to not know God at all. That’s just one of the main thoughts of this demanding collection of sermons by this mid century theologian whose writings had a popular appeal. As dense and elusive he can be, you have to appreciate the way he pokes at our everyday perceptions and yet about the too easy answers.

[CL Chu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essay "You are accepted" plays a key role in leading me to faith. The rest is somewhat repetitive: the paradox and mystery that a believer would continue to wrestle with. Good to remind myself to not get too comfortable about God, too sure about salvation, & reduce Christianity to a religion of doctrines.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, timeless collection of sermons by Tillich. Especially touching on the existential facet of the Christian faith.

[Mark Matzeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of homilies by the eminent 20th Century theologian, striving to express spiritual authenticity in light of that century's horrors.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it's Tillich, so it's brilliant and challenging. But this one was a little more academic and a little less accessible than Eternal Now, for instance.

[Oso Blaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful sermons given in the wake of World War II. Impeccably weaves the Gospel into a challenge for Christians to embrace the fallible world and its hurting.

[Claudia Sărban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary

[Yoeri Emmaneel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing, deep and profound collection of sermons by Paul Tillich. A great introduction to has work and way of thinking.

[Lux]

Wonderful sermons with permeating analysis.

[The Scribbling Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Jon Stout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read a couple of Paul Tillich’s books, I was looking for a more detailed account of his theological conceptions, such as of God as “the ground of being.” Tillich was much influenced by Martin Heidegger, who approached philosophy through examining what is immediately available to consciousness, although spelling this out can at times be difficult to follow. In a book of sermons, The Shaking of Foundations, Tillich could be both more personal and less technical, and therefore more accessible, in articulating his theology.

While some of the sermons did not impress me, his best are a wonderful illustration of his approaching theological concepts through Heidegger’s phenomenological or existential approach. To give the example I like best, in the sermon “You Are Accepted,” Tillich examines the concepts of sin and grace. These are concepts which have heavy religious baggage, evoking the doctrines of original sin and sacrificial redemption. But Tillich gets at the meaning of the religious mythology by giving an account of sin and grace existentially, that is, as they are experienced by us immediately in consciousness, without external explanatory apparatus.

To get rid of the religious baggage, Tillich parses sin and grace as “separation” and “reunion.” Sin is separation (or estrangement, or alienation) from others, from ourselves, and from God. The feeling of separation from others is a common experience, as when we create a distance from others through unkindness, rivalry, exploitation, or in any number of ways. The feeling of separation from oneself is also common, as when we feel we have strayed from our true selves. The feeling of separation from God raises hackles because of the baggage of the word “God,” but we can parse this, a la Tillich, by saying that separation from God is the feeling that we have not done what we ought to have done, or that we have not lived as fully as we might.

Grace as reunion (or reconnection or reconciliation) is the opposite of sin. It occurs when we have the feeling that, in spite of separation, we are accepted, whether by people around us, by ourselves in moments of peace and calm, or by life in an unqualified sense. In moments like these, according to Tillich, what we are called to do, is to “Accept that we are accepted.” This is the experience of grace.

Tillich’s discussion is, of course, more elaborate than I have reported. One cannot let oneself off the hook, so to speak. One who has experienced grace is moved to act gratefully, to make amends, to live a new life. Tillich’s remarkable achievement is that he handles religious language in personal, emotional, existential terms, thus avoiding the hang-ups of an overly literal interpretation of religious mythology.

[John]

I had read Tillich's other two sermon collections before this one. I had heard this collection contained his best sermons. There is some repetition of themes between this and the other two, in terms of the escape from God, Jesus as the New Being, etc. The stand out sermons for me were the title sermon and You Are Accepted, which made me look at the concept of grace in a modern way.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

My greatest joy in reading this selection of his sermons is Tillich's description of the suffering and fragmenting of mortals. "God is nearer than ourselves," he writes.

His sermon #19, my favorite, is titled "You Are Accepted." Sin is separation and estrangement, according to Tillich. Paul serves as an examples of a life transformed.