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Why I am Still a Christian
Hans Küng (1928-) is one of the most distinguished and widely-acclaimed theologians of the twentieth century. He has committed himself to a Christian Church full of life and freedom and humanity. His ideas have been warmly received and appreciated by people throughout the world and have stirred the imaginations of Christians and non-Christians alike. But why have his ideas also met with such opposition and even outright hostility from many Church authorities? And what does Hans Kung himself make of these personal attacks?
In this simple, personal and often moving testimony, Hans Küng describes his fundamental convictions and reveals why, despite all the difficulties he has to face, he is still committed to the Christian way.
What Hans Küng has thought, experienced and expresses in this book will help others in their search for personal values and a sense of direction - and also help them realise the unique value and importance of the Christian way.
In this simple, personal and often moving testimony, Hans Küng describes his fundamental convictions and reveals why, despite all the difficulties he has to face, he is still committed to the Christian way.
What Hans Küng has thought, experienced and expresses in this book will help others in their search for personal values and a sense of direction - and also help them realise the unique value and importance of the Christian way.
94 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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About the author
Hans Küng
338 books146 followersHans Küng was a Swiss Catholic priest, controversial theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he had been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic (Stiftung Weltethos). Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing," but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology. Though he had to leave the Catholic faculty, he remained at the University of Tübingen as a professor of Ecumenical Theology and served as Emeritus Professor since 1996. In spite of not being allowed to teach Catholic theology, neither his bishop nor the Holy See had revoked his priestly faculties.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 21, 2012
This slim volume published 25 years ago by one of Europe’s leading Catholic theologians reflects on why he continues to believe in a benevolent and personal deity in the face of evil and violence in the world, cling to the conviction of the Truth of the Gospel in the face of cynical rationalism and remain committed to an institutional Church that has often acted sinfully and with which he disagrees on many social issues. For Catholics who hold to an absolute adherence to all magisterial teaching, this book will be heretical. For those who have long ago decided that institutional religion is irrelevant, this will read as a brilliant man’s pathetic attempt to justify his fidelity to pre-rational myth. But, for those who are grappling with questions of faith in the Christian story or commitment to the institutional Church, this book will be thought provoking.
August 1, 2013
Moving, impressive, logical, thought-provoking, and much more...
January 23, 2015
In this brief book, Hans Kung distills for the layman what he has written in more complex scholarly books (p.13). While acknowledging the flaws and failures of the church, he laments the growing spiritual homelessness and rootlessness that accompany alienation and disassociation (p.23).
"With this critical questioning of accepted authorities, traditions and ways of life, the values associated with them seem to be called into question as well. Liberalization was necessary, but often went further than had been foreseen ... The effects of all these developments have been anything but liberating. The ground has been cut from under the feet of some people--especially the young--who now feel their lives have no meaning and turn to delinquency, or extreme religious sects, or to political fanaticism, even terrorism." (p.20)
Were he writing in 2015 instead of 1987, Kung would observe a generation absorbed in social media, video games and virtual realities. It is remarkable to note his concern thirty years ago that our youth find meaning in terrorism--a phenomena we observe today with hundreds and perhaps thousands of teens and young adults streaming into the middle east as volunteers for the jihad!
"That is to say," he writes on p.26, "we cannot put religion aside without accepting the consequences." "I am not suggesting a nostalgic retreat into the past; but perhaps we should chart our future course with the help of a certain ancient compass, which may not have outlived its usefulness after all." (p.27-28)
Kung goes on to discuss the reasonableness of faith, the elevation of character, the fortification of will, the resilience under pressure, the enhancement of everyday life that are part of choosing to trust a Good God and choosing to live as part of a faith family. He asserts the right to individual differences within a faith family, and rejects institutional dogmatism. Specific issues with his own Catholic church and his role in reform movements are identified.
Kung does not completely answer the question, "Why be Christian;" i.e. why "believe in Jesus." Rather he is discussing why remain in a flawed community--i.e., "Why I am STILL a (Catholic) Christian."
The world we see today, with empty churches and weakened Western democracies, is the world Hans Kung did not want us to chose; a world he foresaw should society relinquish its historic faith traditions as well as the Enlightenment and reason.
"With this critical questioning of accepted authorities, traditions and ways of life, the values associated with them seem to be called into question as well. Liberalization was necessary, but often went further than had been foreseen ... The effects of all these developments have been anything but liberating. The ground has been cut from under the feet of some people--especially the young--who now feel their lives have no meaning and turn to delinquency, or extreme religious sects, or to political fanaticism, even terrorism." (p.20)
Were he writing in 2015 instead of 1987, Kung would observe a generation absorbed in social media, video games and virtual realities. It is remarkable to note his concern thirty years ago that our youth find meaning in terrorism--a phenomena we observe today with hundreds and perhaps thousands of teens and young adults streaming into the middle east as volunteers for the jihad!
"That is to say," he writes on p.26, "we cannot put religion aside without accepting the consequences." "I am not suggesting a nostalgic retreat into the past; but perhaps we should chart our future course with the help of a certain ancient compass, which may not have outlived its usefulness after all." (p.27-28)
Kung goes on to discuss the reasonableness of faith, the elevation of character, the fortification of will, the resilience under pressure, the enhancement of everyday life that are part of choosing to trust a Good God and choosing to live as part of a faith family. He asserts the right to individual differences within a faith family, and rejects institutional dogmatism. Specific issues with his own Catholic church and his role in reform movements are identified.
Kung does not completely answer the question, "Why be Christian;" i.e. why "believe in Jesus." Rather he is discussing why remain in a flawed community--i.e., "Why I am STILL a (Catholic) Christian."
The world we see today, with empty churches and weakened Western democracies, is the world Hans Kung did not want us to chose; a world he foresaw should society relinquish its historic faith traditions as well as the Enlightenment and reason.
January 23, 2009
My problem with this book is that it presented me with nothing new. Anyone familiar with Kung will likely know what he will say here. It would probably serve well as an introduction into his work.
July 25, 2024
A "PERSONAL" AND POPULARLY-WRITTEN BOOK
Hans Küng (born 1928) is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author, who was famously censured by the Vatican in 1979 (see ‘Kung in Conflict,’ ‘The New Inquisition? The Case of Edward Schillebeeckx and Hans Kung,’ ‘The Kung Dialogue: Facts and Documents)’ 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 'On Being a Christian,' 'Does God Exist?: An Answer for Today,' 'Eternal Life?: Life After Death as a Medical, Philosophical and Theological Problem,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1986 book, "In this little book I have tried to set out as simply and briefly as possible much of what I have written about at greater length elsewhere on the importance of Christian commitment, and I hope that many readers who would not otherwise venture to read a serious work of theology ... will find it helpful."
He states, "There is so much that is CALLED Christian. But is it all Christian just because it is called Christian? We must face up to this question... I cannot think that the One to whom Christianity appeals, Jesus of Nazareth himself, would today take up the same attitude as the Roman (Catholic) authorities in the questions at issue. I cannot believe: that he, who warned the Pharisees against laying intolerable burdens on people's shoulders would today declare all 'artificial' contraception to be mortal sin; that he, who particularly invited failures to his table, would forbid all remarried divorced people ever to approach that table; that he, who was constantly accompanied by women... would today have forbidden marriage to all ordained men, and ordination to all women..." (Pg. 30-31)
He argues that God is "fundamentally neither personal nor a-personal... He is in fact both at the same time, and might therefore properly be called 'superpersonal.'" (Pg. 41)
Concerning Vatican II, he asserts that it was NOT a "year of illusions... An enormous amount had been accomplished and neither the Catholic Church nor the other churches have been the same since... For the Catholic Church, the Middle Ages and the anti-Protestant Counter-Reformation had finally come to an end." (Pg. 75)
Very unlike Küng's other books, this heartfelt testimonial will be of interest to a wide variety of Christians, as well as other spiritually-inclined people.
Hans Küng (born 1928) is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author, who was famously censured by the Vatican in 1979 (see ‘Kung in Conflict,’ ‘The New Inquisition? The Case of Edward Schillebeeckx and Hans Kung,’ ‘The Kung Dialogue: Facts and Documents)’ 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 'On Being a Christian,' 'Does God Exist?: An Answer for Today,' 'Eternal Life?: Life After Death as a Medical, Philosophical and Theological Problem,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1986 book, "In this little book I have tried to set out as simply and briefly as possible much of what I have written about at greater length elsewhere on the importance of Christian commitment, and I hope that many readers who would not otherwise venture to read a serious work of theology ... will find it helpful."
He states, "There is so much that is CALLED Christian. But is it all Christian just because it is called Christian? We must face up to this question... I cannot think that the One to whom Christianity appeals, Jesus of Nazareth himself, would today take up the same attitude as the Roman (Catholic) authorities in the questions at issue. I cannot believe: that he, who warned the Pharisees against laying intolerable burdens on people's shoulders would today declare all 'artificial' contraception to be mortal sin; that he, who particularly invited failures to his table, would forbid all remarried divorced people ever to approach that table; that he, who was constantly accompanied by women... would today have forbidden marriage to all ordained men, and ordination to all women..." (Pg. 30-31)
He argues that God is "fundamentally neither personal nor a-personal... He is in fact both at the same time, and might therefore properly be called 'superpersonal.'" (Pg. 41)
Concerning Vatican II, he asserts that it was NOT a "year of illusions... An enormous amount had been accomplished and neither the Catholic Church nor the other churches have been the same since... For the Catholic Church, the Middle Ages and the anti-Protestant Counter-Reformation had finally come to an end." (Pg. 75)
Very unlike Küng's other books, this heartfelt testimonial will be of interest to a wide variety of Christians, as well as other spiritually-inclined people.
May 17, 2020
Très bon éléments dans les trois premiers chapitres (première moitié du livre), puis certaines compréhensions, notamment sur la personne de Jésus, sont difficile à cautionner. Le dernier chapitre (p61) qui fait office de conclusion, ainsi que les 2 Applications donnent a nouveaux de bon éléments, mais encore une fois tout n'est pas à garder.
March 8, 2024
I really didn’t enjoy or like this. The 2 stars are for its brief nature and some initial, clear points. Of the 20 books I’ve read so far this year, this was the least enjoyable. I disagreed with him on several points. I didn’t enjoy his writing style. I got lost or bored regularly.
Definitely not what I thought the book was going to be, sadly.
I definitely don’t recommend.
Definitely not what I thought the book was going to be, sadly.
I definitely don’t recommend.
September 22, 2014
It makes me want to check out some of his larger books and give them a read. Kung is very liberal in some respects, and yet reads the Bible more literally than most other liberal theologians that I have come across.
February 28, 2009
Hans Kung is a great Catholic THinker, and old rival/colleague of the current pope. He is worth reading to understand the roots of Catholic thinking and the Catholic Faith.
October 28, 2009
Useful in understanding the mind of a theological liberal.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews