53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy collection of Tillich, October 19, 2005
This review is from: The Essential Tillich (Paperback)
This is an interesting collection of the writings of Tillich. It breaks down Tillich into more easily digestible pieces. Tillich is not an easy read. Educated in German schools deeply influenced by liberal theology of the nineteenth century and philosophical schools reacting to the breakdown of Enlightenment thinking, Tillich sought to make theology a relevant subject in the academy. Much of his writing is primarily geared toward other academics, philosophers in particular. Many seminarians have difficulty with Tillich, both in making real-world connections as well as traversing the language -- Tillich invents his own terminology and develops his own linguistic methods of discussing theological issues.
Tillich is sometimes mistaken for being an atheist, since he makes the radical claim that God does not exist -- however, this shows the redefinitions and subtle aspects at work in Tillich's writing. Only finite things can be spoken of as 'existing'; God, not being finite, does not 'exist' in the way that any created thing exists. God becomes for Tillich the Ground of Being, that from which all existing things come and in which all in existence have their being.
Tillich was profoundly influenced by his experiences in the first world war, where he served as a chaplain in the trench warfare. Unlike theologians such as Barth, he initially had a young man's bravado and support for the war, until the grim realities set in. This experience would never leave Tillich, and he continued to strive all his life to craft a systematic theology that would on the one hand address the concerns of culture but at the same time resist traditional pitfalls of theology-of-culture that make it less universal, and too much a human construct.
Tillich's development of Christology, with Christ as the New Being, is very significant, the way for Tillich's more general philosophical theology to find a grounding in Christianity. Tillich had a long fascination with other religions, Buddhism in particular, and was charged by some critics of relegating Christianity to a secondary status. Like many of Tillich's theological ideas, there is a tension apparent in his Christological development that exists between different traditional methods of dealing with the issue historically, philosophically and theologically.
The selections here come from many of Tillich's works - 'The New Being', 'The Courage To Be', 'Dynamics of Faith', 'History of Religions', and 'Systematic Theology', among others. All of the fundamental concepts of Tillich - the ground of being, the ultimate concern, the idea of history of religions as a primary source of theology, etc. - are here in Tillich's own words, with careful arrangement and a bit of commentary by F. Forrester Church.
This is a good, one-volume introduction to Tillich for those who wish to seek deeper insights into one of the major theologians of our times. This is useful for individual study, for group and bible study groups, for beginning theology classes, and for those ministers and other seminary graduates who would like a one-volume text with which to refamiliarise themselves.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Introductory Anthology, April 4, 2007
This review is from: The Essential Tillich (Paperback)
For someone with no background or prior knowledge of Tillich or existential theology this is an excellent first step. Divided into multiple sections concerning the different aspects of Tillich's thought, with multiple excerpts from his many works to give an overview of his position. Primarily concerned with Tillich's more overtly theological thought, this volume does leave out much of his writing on the arts and politics, though likely for good reason. An overview of Tillich's opinions about socialism, though influenced by his theology and interesting for someone interested in his life, is not likely to be foremost among the interests of someone looking to read Tillich. If it is, then this book will help point you in the right direction for your next purchase.
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51 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Premium Timeless Existential Theology, June 20, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Essential Tillich (Paperback)
Having studied religious/philosophical discourse for decades, I was electrified intellectually and spiritually by the brilliance of existential thought in every selection in this anthology! Not for casual review or the beginning contemplative, the demand for a complex conceptual imagination, a consuming passion for Being, and plasticity of one's most cherished personal beliefs is required. This is an excellent introduction to Tillich's depth and style. Positively transforming!
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