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What It Means to Be a Christian

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"What It Means to Be a Christian" is being released shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's 79th brithday. The book presents three sermons that the Pope, then Jospeh Ratzinger, preached in December of 1964 at the age of 37. He was a college professor speaking to a congregation from the Catholic Student Chaplaincy.

I found his call to be a Christian "for others" to be the most challenging and provacative idea. In an age of individualistic, consumer-driven Christianity, this is a message that needs to be taken to heart. I suspect that modern, Western Christians who read this through a "Purpose Driven" lense may be a little rattled by his assertion that, "Becoming a Christian is not taking out an individual insurance policy." (Shoot. That's exactly what I thought it was about.)

If you are of the "fire insurance" mentality, you may have to read this book twice. I know I need to.

Given the anti-Catholic reviews on this (and other Catholic book pages) by folks who have never read the texts they are posting reviews on, I thought I would actually buy and read this book. I've read through the book this week, and must say it was well worth it.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in this series of sermons is not speaking to the North American Fundamentalist, it should be pointed out. In fact, his sermons are not even addressed specifically to Americans. It is certainly not a treatise on justification as some may think from the title. Cardinal Ratzinger is very aware of the decay of European society and the decline of Christian values and spiritual well being in Europe. Many of his texts, this one included, calls us back from secularism and individualism. He calls Christians to service to the Gospel message, to be heralds in the world and not to lose that important missionary zeal. He notes that the true Christian does not only become a Christian for the salvation of his own soul, but for others as well:

"Becoming a Christian is not taking out an individual insurance policy; it is not the private booking of an entry ticket into heaven, so that we can look across at other people and say, 'I've got something the others haven't got; I've got salvation arranged for me that they don't possess.' Becoming a Christian is not at all something given to us so that we, each individual for himself, can pocket it and keep our distance from those others who are going off empty-handed." (pg 54)

The intent of the text is not to say "This is how you become a Christian", but to address Christians and say "You are called to live a life of service to the Gospel, to work in the vineyard of the Lord, this is what it means to be a Christian".

An entire text is well worth reading, Protestant or Catholic.

I was a non-catholic christian for 26 years. I used to think like a couple of the reviewers of this book. But PRAISE GOD I don't anymore. This book is incredible. It is simple, concise, and TRUE. This orthodox Pope is a gift from God to all christians, Catholic or protestant. I would encourage everyone to read this powerful collection of sermons from this very devout, humble, and loving man. And just to clear up a couple of things from some of the other reviews of this book, Catholics don't worship anyone but the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We honor Mary as Jesus did and still does. Even He obeys the commandment He wrote, "Honor your mother and father", which in His case would be , Mary and the Holy Spirit. And we don't worship Saints either, we simply ask them to pray for us, it's called the communion of the saints. One might want to look into what one thinks is the Catholic Church, not what one assumes it to be. That's what I used to do too.

Peace of Jesus,
Keith

This is a collection of three sermons given by the young Joseph Ratzinger (decades before his elevation to Cardinal and his eventual election as pope) to an audience of Catholic College Chaplains. Orienting his reflection on the metaphor of Christianity understood as Advent, Ratzinger does a splendid job elucidating the Gospel message of what it means to be a Christian in contemporary terms that strike a chord some 40-plus years after they were first spoken.

This is the second publication in English, the first by Franciscan Herald Press - same publisher of his dissertation - and it bears a new translation. While the opportunity to be more inclusive in some of the general references to humanity (vs. "Man") was neglected, and may prove to be a mild burden to the reader conscious of the exclusive nature of such a language-choice, the translation as a whole is very approachable and easily read.

Perhaps the most frequently mentioned milestone in Ratzinger's life by his biographers and scholars is his so-called "intellectual conversion" (or "regression as some have declared) during the academic turmoil in 1968. For those who wish to read something that predates that event, this is a great starting place. Sermons given in December 1964 and first published in German in 1965, this is a taste of his theological vision nearly a half-decade prior to the 1968 revolutions. A must-read for any scholar (professional or "armchair" alike) of Ratzinger/Benedict XVI!

This little book -- three sermons by Joseph Ratzinger, is a real gem. The first sermon: Are We Saved? Or, Job Talks with God is the best of the three sermons. It is remarkable in what it says about, "What it means to be a Christian," and serves as an honest examination on our failures as a so called "Christian" people. There is salvation outside the Church, and being inside the Church does not necessarily guarantee the salvation of anyone!

The Second Sermon Faith as Service was well done but about half way through it lost some of its sharpness. It spite of that it was still an excellent sermon and a call for all of humanity to serve their brother or sister. The "judgment" of all religions is, "How does it serve its fellow man?"

The Third Sermon Above All: Love was, in my opinion the weakest of the three sermons. Perhaps my brain and spirit was dulled by the time I read this sermon since I read straight through all sermons is one sitting. I probably should have taken a break between readings.

All in all a great book! Recommend it to Christians and religious skeptics -- it might just open the eyes of the reader as to how open minded this Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI really is! He proves himself a theologian and thinker.