Christianity: Essence, History, and Future

Rating:
Summary: Serious
Review: Here is a book by the noted German Ecumenist Hans Kung. You can tell Kung is an Ecumenist, even if you've never heard of him, for this book is punctuated by "Questions for the Future" and parallels between, and for, different faiths. Kung's kind of ecumenism is not between denominations but between religions. In this book those faiths are primarily the Christian, the Jewish and the Islamic. Kung, so it seems, wants something approaching complete world religious tolerance. An interesting message in these days of terror.

Let us not accuse Kung of superficiality. This is no short book and the scholarship within is no mere trifle. The book demands, indeed, requires, a serious cast of mind. The ecumenism it wears so obviously will be found a challenge by some (for it asks us to recognise others) but it should not be allowed to put the reader off track. For the book repays serious study. What is paid out are questions. This book is a book of few answers. The wise reader, however, will recognise that answers are "ten a penny" and that questions are more fundamental.

Kung's paradigm approach to the incarnation of Christianity throughout history is interesting but always a matter of debate. His approach in many respects could be said to be chickening out. After all, it is basically marking arbitrary lines off on a linear view of history. However, for all that Kung has chosen this obvious way of reviewing Christianity he has done it well. There is detail and debate in Kung's discussions.

Read, think, and question. That is how this book should be approached.

Rating:
Summary: Painfully honest but equally controversial
Review: Kung attempts to break down, but certainly not simplify, the complex history of Christianity through the analysis of five historical paradigms. Despite some ambiguity, his work is a fine summary of the past two thousand years and I cautiously recommend picking up a copy at the nearest bookstore. Like with anything though the reader should resist the temptation to buy into Kung's theology and analysis "wholesale". His intention is clearly sincere and ecumenical, but the weak mind will renounce the fundamentals of Christianity altogether after reading Kung. My advice: stay alert and fine tune all critical thinking skills. Address each of Kung's "questions for the future" with questions of your own and know when it's time to take a break from reading.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Kung's book is a tour de force polemical - and yes, read it critically, in bite-sized chunks, think over each of his points before buying or rejecting anything. Kung will challenge and perhaps even surprise (shock?)you. Many will block out his words, because they question many pat, traditional beliefs that have become doctrine in Christian circles. But do not fail to appreciate the faith in (and deep love) of God exemplified in Kung's search for the real Christianity. Anyone looking to find Jesus and Christ in their Christian faith, to work toward returning the "Christ" to Christianity, and who is willing to think, ponder, re-consider and weigh, should read this book. In Kung we once again have one of the finest living minds at work in the field of theology. You may conclude to disagree with him on many points, but you will not find him shallow, or closed-minded. His courage to question marks him as a great Christian as well as a great Christian thinker. His books are stimulating and inspiring. But if you prefer a keeping a closed mind, skip this book.

Rating:
Summary: Both a liberal education and a book of questions
Review: Kung's book is a tour de force polemical - and yes, read it critically, in bite-sized chunks, think over each of his points before buying or rejecting anything. Kung will challenge and perhaps even surprise (shock?)you. Many will block out his words, because they question many pat, traditional beliefs that have become doctrine in Christian circles. But do not fail to appreciate the faith in (and deep love) of God exemplified in Kung's search for the real Christianity. Anyone looking to find Jesus and Christ in their Christian faith, to work toward returning the "Christ" to Christianity, and who is willing to think, ponder, re-consider and weigh, should read this book. In Kung we once again have one of the finest living minds at work in the field of theology. You may conclude to disagree with him on many points, but you will not find him shallow, or closed-minded. His courage to question marks him as a great Christian as well as a great Christian thinker. His books are stimulating and inspiring. But if you prefer a keeping a closed mind, skip this book.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Kung's brilliance as a religious historian and a Christian theologian carry this erudite review of the paradigm shifts of Christianity over the past two millenium. It is not an easy read, as are none of his books, however, it is by far the most enlightening. It is clear why Pope John XXIII chose Kung to participate in Vatican II even though he was outside the curia. It is tragic that the great pope's followers repudiate Kung.

Rating:
Summary: Paradigm shifts in christianity
Review: The book of Hans Kung, "Christianity: Essence, History and Future" is a must read for any person who is serious in her/his commitment to Christianity as a transforming agent in the world.
The book is of three parts: 1. A look into what is authentically and essentially Christian; 2. The origins of Christiantiy and a definition of what is central to Christianity: the person of Christ, the cross and discipleship for a radical humanity; 3. the last part consist in the study and reflection on the major paradigm shifts in the historical evolution and development of Christianity. It is a book that looks on not only the meaning of history but the directions it is taking, enablilng the reader and the Christian to get involved in making history. It gives a good portion of reflection on women in history and challenges the female reader to continue in the reclaiming of women traditions in Church History and making history a common history.

Rating:
Summary: The essential Jesus Christ
Review: What fascinates me more about Christianity is Jesus Christ himself. I agree with Kung when he says that the essence of christianity is the person of Jesus Christ.

I find Jesus Christ liberating, and I take his death and bodily ressuraction seriously. I take seriously His message of eternal love and redemption from sin. I take seriously His revelation. I look at Jesus for salvation. I see Jesus as the only Lawyer I, as a sinner, can count on, when I will be before the throne of the absolutely Holy and Just God. He has payed the price of my sins, through his death and ressurrection. Both historical and material facts.

Unfortunately, here I have to notice that Hans Kung hardly speaks about the Jesus Christ of the Gospel. For Kung, Jesus is more like a special man, who dared to live and die for his own convictions, not for us. He is the authentic and non alienated man of the german existentialists. For Kung Jesus seems to be, most of all, an example of faith and life, and not really the Way, the Truth and the Life. Kung seems at times to be too much influenced by theologians like Graaf, Welhausen and Bultmann, who used science to demythologize the Bible, instead of using the Bible to demythologize science. Man's fallible word is given more weight than God's infallible Word. This has severely damaged Hans Kung's christianity.

The fact is that in Jesus we have the strength to challenge the Popes and the Emperors of this world, along with dominant materialist, naturalistic and evolutionary ideologies and "scientific" paradigms. Because he rests more in german philosophy and theology than in the Bible, Hans Kung obliterates some of the essential parts of the christian message.

We also find in Jesus Christ the strenght to fight against the churches of this world. As John Locke, I believe that a church should be a free and voluntary society constituted by free and equal believers. An authoritarian church is not a christian church.

The church should be composed only by baptized believers. The christian faith should be one in which confession of Jesus as saviour should be followed by obedience to Jesus as Lord. This should apllly in the political,legal, economic, social, cultural, and academic spheres of life. A pure institutional, sacramental or national church is at odds with the ecclesiae from the New Testament.

Free and equal believers in the church make good free and equal citizens (John Rawls) in the political community. They will know to promote their views in society not through coercion but by means of legitimate persuasion, always respecting the equal rights of non christian and non-religious.

Each christian has different gifts, talents and functions, but is endowed with the same privileges and responsabilities. I think this is the only church compatible with the essence of christianity.

In my view, while very critical, Hans Kung still expects to much from hierarquical and authoritarian christianity. I think the only true hope for the future is in a decentralized, non-hierarquical, all transparent, truly democratic and free church system.

A structure and culture of cover-up and secrecy, even when serious crimes are being commited, is not christian.

A democratic and transparent church can help building a democratic and transparent society.

I doubt Hans Kung will be able to come up with something really new here. For a reformer, he remains too catholic.