| Remarkable and still contemporary statement on | | | | He is unabashed in his favor for this way of religion. |
| Ultimate Concern | | | | It is even an argument for Protestantism. Catholics |
| Many years ago, about 35, I was talking on the | | | | will find this an informative and useful book, even one |
| phone to a friend who told me "God is love." This | | | | required as reading in many seminaries. A woman |
| shocked and surprised me so much that I had to get | | | | friend who attended Nashota House told me she had |
| off the phone. The idea was new to me, a child of | | | | to read it when she was a seminary student, though |
| atheist parents. Now I find that Paul Tillich in his book, | | | | the seminary is Protestant it is part of the Episcopal |
| "Dynamics of Faith," writes of the ultimate concern | | | | Church catholic tradition. |
| (God) in terms of love. Imagine that I was so | | | | The other books in this series by the publisher are |
| unknowing and ignorant, in a way lost, and presently | | | | part of what was called World Perspectives. I cannot |
| continue in my discoveries of God. And of love. | | | | speak to the other works, but this work remains |
| Paul Tillich is someone who will help a reader on the | | | | contemporaneous, as you could guess by what I |
| way to know and learn about what God is and who | | | | have written so far. Editors in that series: Niels Bohr, |
| he is to mankind. This includes who he is to the | | | | Richard Courant, Hu Shih, Ernest Jackh, Robert M. |
| individual man or woman. I have started at the end | | | | MacIver, J. Robert Oppenheimer, I.I. Rabi, Sarvepalli |
| of the book to work my way to introduce the | | | | Radhakrishnan, Alexander Sachs. Many of these |
| reader of this review to Paul Tillich's wonderful book. | | | | names I know, but then these are more of my |
| First, who was Paul Tillich. This from the Encyclopedia | | | | parent's generation in some ways than mine (I was |
| Brittanica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite (the | | | | born after the Second World War). But though |
| Brittanica designed for the computer): | | | | unchurched in their lifetime, my parents were |
| German-born U.S. theologian and philosopher whose | | | | educated people, if just by their own devices: |
| discussions of God and faith illuminated and bound | | | | intellectuals and artists. |
| together the realms of traditional Christianity and | | | | You'll find the book takes off right at the beginning. |
| modern culture. Some of his books, notably The | | | | The first chapter is titled, "What Faith Is," and the |
| Courage to Be (1952) and Dynamics of Faith (1957), | | | | first sentence goes: "Faith is the state of being |
| reached a large public audience not usually concerned | | | | ultimately concerned: the dynamics of faith are the |
| with religious matters. The three-volume Systematic | | | | dynamics of man's ultimate concern. Man, like every |
| Theology (1951-63) was the culmination of his | | | | living being, is concerned about many things, above all |
| rigorous examination of faith. | | | | about those which condition his very existence, such |
| The writer is a man with a powerful way with | | | | as food and shelter." Not the first to say it, nor the |
| words, imaginative gift of communicating theological | | | | most important, I will add my voice to others and |
| ideas, and a teacher with a strong mind. His writing | | | | declare the writer writes so very well. It is a pleasure |
| will strengthen the reader's mind and provide means | | | | to read for the writing is so good. |
| to approach ideas. He says there is "...the healing | | | | This remarkable and brilliant book, I cannot go |
| power of the state of the ultimate concern." In the | | | | without praising it again, talks about courage. Paul |
| last chapter, "The Life of Faith," he goes on, "The | | | | Tillich finds courage an important ingredient to faith, |
| concern of faith is identical with the desire of love: | | | | the kind he explains and extols. He says it is in doubt |
| reunion with that to which one belongs and from | | | | that we find faith, for faith without doubt is static. |
| which one is estranged. In the great commandment | | | | We are all with some doubts, and from doubt we |
| of the Old Testament, confirmed by Jesus, the | | | | grow faith and renew our faith in the ultimate |
| object of ultimate concern, and the object of | | | | concern. |
| unconditional love, is God." This is a book for people | | | | Not so long a book, but 127 pages, I think a reader |
| who like ideas. We are, each of us, being reconciled | | | | will find it edifying. Edifying is a good word for this |
| to our ultimate concern throughout our lives. This is | | | | work. We are destined to have faith, for the writer |
| the dynamic. | | | | says we are a species with a spiritual nature and |
| Published in 1957 by Harper & Brothers Publishers of | | | | desire. ""Faith sees in a concrete piece of reality the |
| New York, this one of a series of books planned and | | | | ultimate ground and meaning of all reality. No piece of |
| edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen, is a first edition. I do | | | | reality is excluded from the possibility of becoming a |
| not know what it is worth as such, perhaps a few | | | | bearer of the holy; and almost every kind of reality |
| dollars more than a new copy. I found mine in my | | | | has actually been considered as holy by acts of faith |
| Church library, an Episcopal Church. The book is a | | | | in groups and individuals"-- a graceful book. |
| statement in favor of the Protestant way of faith. | | | | |