Notes from a Wayfarer: The Autobiography of Helmut Thielicke

by Helmut Thielicke

Helmut Thielicke was one of the most popular theologians of the 20th century. He repeatedly came down from the ivory tower of academic religion to build bridges between church and world, between gospel and society. His works followed both Protestant and Catholic theology, were discussed in dissertations and reviews, and published widely. In Notes from a Wayfarer, written shortly after his 75th birthday, Thielicke’s narrative is filled reflections about suffering, death, and the poignancy of life as well as with a delightful humor that easily makes us part of every story and encounter. Without pretense or self-promotion, Thielicke introduces us to the figures whom he counted among his friends and Karl Barth, Konrad Adenauer, Romano Guardini, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Eduard Spranger, Theodore Huss, and Helmut Kohl. Thielicke was a witness to many of the most significant events of our century; his life history is interwoven with the Kaiser period, the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Third Reich, a divided Germany, and the tumultuous 60s. From the perspective of this single life we are afforded a broad and clear vision of the moments that have shaped the generation leading us into the 21st century.

Genres: Biography

416 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 1995

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in 2003 and made the following notes at the time:
It's great for the first two-thirds, and then in the last chunk tails off into a ‘list’ of what happened in his administrative years, plus a long piece on his visit to a Zen master (obviously culled from an earlier writing) – you long for the sense of the very thing that made him still memorable – that ability to communicate great truths in a readable and graspable way.
However it’s interesting to note that he says something along these lines himself late in the book! Obviously he feels some concern that he doesn’t lose his reader in the last stages.

[Demetrius Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read on Thielicke's life. He was a German Theologian who overcame some amazing obstacles to become one of the 20th century's greatest preachers. I rated it only three stars because the book was simply a chore to get through. It was a class assignment otherwise I would've never finished it. Had to soldier through this one, but I'm glad I did. It had its rewards.

[Riley Steffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps one of my favorite books of all time. Think of your dear and aged grandpa reliving stories of wartime and love and God while he smokes a pipe with one hand and sips lemonade with the other. That's what reading this book is like.