Christianity: Essence, History, Future [Paperback]

Hans Küng (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

"A big book on a big subject by the biggest name in contemporary theology ... Anyone ... interested in Christanity would find Kung's latest masterpiece a permanent enrichment of the mind." --Church Times "Kung is brilliant and exciting." --Christian Century "A dazzling display of scholarship." --Library Journal "The best yet from one of the world's premier teachers ... Breathtaking in scope and analytical power. Excellent layout, helpful graphics ... A "must" for every serious library." --Choice "Mammoth and important." --Kirkus Reviews>

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The second volume in the Religious Situation of Our Time series initiated with Ku{}ng's Judaism (1991) constitutes this massive "paradigm analysis" of Christianity. It is tempting to refer to both the volume and the series as "magisterial," though Ku{}ng's rocky relationship with the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church gives that adjective a decidedly ironic twist. The book is further evidence of Ku{}ng's already well established place in a tradition of German systematizers whose systems, though driven by laudably global motivations, have had ambiguous global consequences. This book continues Ku{}ng's application of Thomas Kuhn's paradigm analysis--developed as a way to think about the structure of scientific revolutions--to religion. It is not so much a "history" as an examination of five "constellations" of Christianity (the Jewish Christian apocalyptic, Hellenistic Byzantine, Roman Catholic, Reformation Protestant, and Enlightenment modern paradigms) that constitute a still-present past of Christianity. This is an important contribution to the understanding of Christianity's present fragmentation and also to ecumenical conversation to the extent that it resists the temptation to think of later paradigms as rendering earlier paradigms obsolete; that all five paradigms coexist in Ku{}ng's analysis is a reminder that ecumenical conversation has to reckon with translation and (sometimes) untranslatability. Steve Schroeder --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A big book on a big subject by the biggest name in contemporary theology ... Anyone ... interested in Christanity would find Kung's latest masterpiece a permanent enrichment of the mind." -- Church Times

"The best yet from one of the world's premier teachers ... Breathtaking in scope and analytical power. Excellent layout, helpful graphics ... A "must" for every serious library." -- Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 968 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826408842
• ISBN-13: 978-0826408846
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both a liberal education and a book of questions, August 27, 2003

By 

B. F. Mooney "biologist" (Mooresville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christianity: Essence, History, Future (Paperback)

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.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hans Kung--A Great Christian Thinker!!, August 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christianity: Essence, History, Future (Paperback)

This book is a must-read for any serious Christian theologian or Church historian. While the book is tremendous in size and scope, it is very readable and is full of Kung's keen insights and humor. Kung looks at five different theological/cultural paradigms in the history of Christianity -- The Jewish Christian Apocalyptic, The Hellenistic, The Medieval Roman, The Protestant Evangelical, and the Liberal Modern. He analyzes and critiques these 5 paradigms in the light of their faithfulness to the original Gospel message of Christ. Then he asks intriguing questions about the lessons that can be learned from each paradigm, and projects the future of Christianity in terms of a 6th paradigm: An Ecumenical Post-modern Paradigm. Both for its theoretical insights and for its practical relevance, you won't find a better analysis of church history!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serious, November 5, 2001

By 

peculiar "andrew_eccentric" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christianity: Essence, History, Future (Paperback)

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.