Customer Reviews

Faith and the Future

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Faith and the Future is a small but powerful book that concisely introduces the contemporary reader to the best and, I'd argue, most socially- and politically-relevant of his thought in the 21st century. Here he especially examines the relationship between faith and hope, and what faith is (or should be) for the Christian today in the fallen world.

I would especially recommend this book to be read along with Pope Benedict's encyclical Spe Salvi as well as his older book, The Yes of Jesus Christ. But all in all, this is a must-read for Catholics and Christians alike seeking a deeper understanding of the relevance of faith for modern life.

An excerpt:
"We are now in a position to say that this faith is essentially related to the future, that it is a promise. It signifies the superordination of the future over the present, and the readiness to sacrifice the present for the sake of the future. It signifies life lived in the spirit of trust. It signifies the certainty that it is God who guarantees man his future. Thus it signifies a breaking out of the calculable, everyday world to make contact with what is eternal; it signifies man's interest in eternal things and in the Eternal. It signifies the bold realization that man can have dealings with the Eternal, and is not confined within a petty meanness of heart, that will not look beyond its immediate surroundings nor give itself credit for the greatness which sees that there might be more to human life than bread for tomorrow and money for the day after tomorrow."

The content is OK... but heads up... it was written by Ratzinger in 1969!!!
By the title one might - mistakenly - think that the book was written by the Pope in light of recent developments in modern life (the fact that it is published in 2009 also contributes to this confusion).
That said, the book is very enlightening and interesting.