My Struggle for Freedom: Memoirs [Hardcover]

Hans Kung (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

Hans Kung is undoubtedly one of the most important theologians of our time, but he has always been a controversial figure, and as the result of a much-publicized clash over papal infallibility had his permission to teach revoked by the Vatican. Yet at seventy-five years of age Kung is also something of a senior statesman, one of the Group of Eminent Persons convened by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a friend of heads of government like Britains Tony Blair and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. In this fascinating autobiography Kung gives a frank and outspoken account of the first four decades of his life. He tells of his youth in Switzerland and his decision to become a priest, of his doubts and struggles as he studied in Rome and Paris, and of his experiences as a professor in Tubingen, where he received a chair at the early age of thirty-one. Most importantly, as one of the last surviving eyewitnesses of Vatican II, Kung gives an authentic account of the conflicts behind the scenes. Here it becomes clear just how major an influence he was, to the point of shaping the Councils agenda and drafting speeches for bishops to deliver in plenary sessions. Kungs book offers an acute analysis, compelling in its drama, of meetings with presidents like John F. Kennedy, popes like John XXIII and Paul VI, great theologians like Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, and journeys around the world. With its rich thought and vivid narrative, it paints a moving picture of Kungs personal convictions, including his relentless struggle for a Christianity characterized not by the domination of an official church but by Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...A splendid book, packed with theological insights, as Küng constantly demonstrates precisely why he has to disagree with officialdom.'

(Lord Habgood Church Times )

'Fans of Hans Kung who have not yet seen this important book will no doubt want to...Controversial, vigorous, courageous, always thoughtful, exciting, an elder stateman, friend of presidents, prime ministers and governments...Kung was one of Kofi Anna's 'Group of eminent persons'....The man and the theology aer bound togther with passon and excitment...The end result will be rewarding.'

~ David Tennant, Baptist Times, 15 June 2006

(David Tennant Baptist Times )

'Kung's autobiography is an honest exposure of the politics of the Catholic Church, the foibles of recent popes, and the internal workings of the powerful Curia in Rome.'

'...A splendid book, packed with theological insights, as Küng constantly demonstrates precisely why he has to disagree with officialdom.'

(, Church Times )

'Fans of Hans Kung who have not yet seen this important book will no doubt want to...Controversial, vigorous, courageous, always thoughtful, exciting, an elder stateman, friend of presidents, prime ministers and governments...Kung was one of Kofi Anna's 'Group of eminent persons'....The man and the theology aer bound togther with passon and excitment...The end result will be rewarding.'

~ David Tennant, Baptist Times, 15 June 2006

(, Baptist Times )

'Kung’s autobiography is an honest exposure of the politics of the Catholic Church, the foibles of recent popes, and the internal workings of the powerful Curia in Rome.’

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

<div>Hans Kung is Emeritus Professor of Ecumenical Theology at the University of Tubingen and President of the Global Ethic Foundation. He is the author of numerous best selling books including <em>On Being a Christian</em> (Harper Collins).</div> > --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802826598
• ISBN-13: 978-0802826596
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fine book from Kung, October 15, 2003

By 

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

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This review is from: My Struggle for Freedom: Memoirs (Hardcover)

My Struggle for Freedom is another fine book from this great Christian and Christian theologian, but one concentrating on his life and experiences as another way of approaching the issues central to his life. The years he covers are through the late 1960s, and include his boyhood in Switzerland, his path to becoming a priest, his education in theology and finally Vatican II. The issues, and his commitment to intellectual honesty, to Christian honesty and to Christ as the very core of Christianity, are still central. As always, he calls it as he sees it and gives his reasons for doing so. If you don't like honest and well-reasoned opinion, don't read Kung.

The book reads well, is touching at many points, and simply resounds with his famed honesty, clarity and great erudition. Reading this book is yet more of the liberal education he supplies in all his books. My Struggle for Freedom has only increased my love and admiration for him as a person, as a fellow Christian and as a leader in ethical and religious thinking today. To me, Kung is the voice of ecumenism. (Note that the publisher is a traditionally protestant book house.) While I am mainly protestant in my Christian orientation, Kung has helped me understand the Catholic Church, the mother church of Christianity, to the point where I deeply regret all the historical splits, and that another outcome had not been negotiated for the Reformation. This is ironic. He is a persistent and insightful critic of the church, yet he creates love for this church which he refuses to leave or stop loving; and after all is done, it is an ironic testament to the greatness of the Church itself that it has produced such a man.

Kung is a man of great courage, of true commitment to Christ and Christian ideals.

If you have ever wondered about the man, the person, who has the thoughts behind his many other books, you will enjoy reading this one. The best recommendation I can give is to say I await with excitement the publication of the second volume of autobiography, detailing his life up to today.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 star book 3 star translation, April 29, 2005

By 

Catherine Michael "catherinemichael" (Sacramento CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: My Struggle for Freedom: Memoirs (Hardcover)

Fascinating reading for those interested in the background of the Vatican II council sessions and Kung's part in them; and in the development of his theology. And for understanding who he is, getting behind the media picture of the young theological "radical". What emerges is that the Vatican's biggest problem with Kung is that they don't scare him, can't browbeat him, and are arguing with a man trained in their own methods.

Oddly, the book is written (or translated?) all in the present tense, which can be confusing at times, when some use of past tense might distinguish between what Kung thought at the time and thinks now. I don't know if this is the translator, or the author himself; at times it gets annoying and tedious, even occasionally sounding pompous, which is not characteristic of Kung judging from everything else (and that's practically his entire opus available in English) I've read of his work.

At any rate, the use of present tense is strange even in a memoir; I encountered it once previously in a biography, and almost couldn't finish that book.

Kung's memoir also contains some assessments of others (including the late and current popes) that come off unkind and "snarky", which also doesn't seem typical of Kung, even in dealing with opponents, who I think he typically confounds by courteously sticking to his position and insisting on truth. I can't help wondering if some of the "snarkiness" is also a product of the translation.

Also, there are, as noted by a previous reviewer, some odd translation errors, such as calling the USA Secretary of the Treasury "Finance Minister"; again, perhaps translation, or could be the translator trying to stay "true" (unnecessarily, in my view) to Kung's German? I have ordered the German edition (along with the new "Islam" volume) out of curiosity on this point. My German is labored, but I'm anxious to get started on the Islam volume, which could problably prove dangerous to Kung himself if it goes in the direction I suspect (urging modernization by subjecting the Islamic "scriptures" to exegesis, historical and form criticism commonly applied now for decades in Christian scriptural scholarship.)

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vatican II, the true story, May 14, 2004

By 

Gregory J. Zimmerman (Downers Grove, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Struggle for Freedom: Memoirs (Hardcover)

As a theology student at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. during the time of Vatican II, I was constantly in tune with what was taking place in Rome. Many of our professors made bi-weekly trips to Rome when the Council was in session and would bring back the details.
Kung's memoirs adds the inside story to complete the picture. It is a lengthy, yet fascinating review of the various Vatican II designers and participants. Better yet, you get an excellent understanding of the reform and why it was ended before it could take hold. And the knowledge of the author comes through. It's no wonder that Kung was the top theologian and primary behind-the-scenes designer of it all. I eagerly await his second volumn.