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On Being a Christian Paperback – March 2, 1984

by Hans Küng (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 72 ratings
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An international bestseller by one of this century's most prominent theologians, On Being a Christian is a work of exhaustive scholarship, born of the author's passionate belief in Jesus Christ as the center of existence. Hans Kung here assesses the impact of other world religions, humanism, science, technology, and political revolutions; and sifting through the theological controversies within the Christian community itself, he affirms the vitality and uniqueness of Christianity by tracing it back to its roots -- the reality of the historical Christ.

But more than history or theology, On Being a Christian reexamines what it means to be a Christian today: the role of Christian ethics in a social and political context, the relationship between Christians and Jews, the organization of a community of believers, and practical suggestions for dealing with personal crises of faith. This Image Books edition will reach even larger segments of the population for whom the book was written. Kung defines his audience as those: who do not believe, but nevertheless seriously inquire; who did believe, but are not satisfied with their unbelief; who do believe, but feel insecure in their faith; who are at a loss, between belief and unbelief; who are skeptical, both about their convictions and about their doubts; who are Christians and atheists, Gnostics and agnostics, pietists and positivists, lukewarm and zealous Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox.

A landmark work, for both scholars and educated laity, On Being a Christian has become a small "Summa" of the Christian faith. "This is not another gospel," Kung contends, "but the same ancient gospel rediscovered for today!"

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    724 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 2, 1984
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1.81 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    038519286X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0385192866
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

One of this century's most prominent and outspoken theologians affirms the vitality and uniqueness of Christianity by tracing it back to the reality of the historical Christ.

From the Inside Flap

One of this century's most prominent and outspoken theologians affirms the vitality and uniqueness of Christianity by tracing it back to the reality of the historical Christ.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Crown Publishing Group; Reprint edition (March 2, 1984)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 724 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 038519286X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385192866
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.13 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.81 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

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Hans Kung

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
72 global ratings
On being Christian.
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On being Christian.
I realize that this is a used book . The product was described with good binding. When it arrived I guess it was but 1 day after using it I noticed the binding was broken down in two places. To keep this book I will probably have to have the book rebound as I need it for my studies.
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Top reviews from the United States

Richard Saunders
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb introduction to a modern Christian thinker
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
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Writing style is clear and consice. Very effective critique of contemporary institutional traditions.
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M. L. Asselin
5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour de Force on the Essence of Christianity
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2006
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At 602 pages of text, ON BEING A CHRISTIAN is the definition of a tome. The style is no walk in the park: even taking into account that it's a translation from German, some of the passages are quite dense. The bottom line is, though, that it's worth the effort.

When this book first appeared in the 1970s, I hesitated to read it. Aside from the intimidating length of the work, I had the thought--if Kung is on the margins of Catholic theology, then what impact could his work have? Suffice it to say that I was neither a theologian nor a very astute young Catholic. However that may be, I was surprised to find that, except, perhaps, for matters pertaining to Church governance, Kung is hardly a leftist firebrand or a Bishop John Shelby Spong-like skeptic; Kung, essentially, is a fairly orthodox theologian, it seems to me. As a committed Catholic Christian, he's devoted, though, to scraping away the barnacles that have adhered to the mother ship of Roman Catholicism over the past two millennia.

Kung does not shy away from the difficult issues: in the course of ON BEING A CHRISTIAN, he tackles thorny issues like Karl Rahner's "Anonymous Christian" concept, the Resurrection, the Trinity, liberation theology, and a Christian's response to war, among many, many problems. I was often in awe of Kung's deft handling of these issues, but other times felt somewhat lost in the theological discourse. For instance, Kung accepts the "reality" of the Resurrection, but rejects the theological and historical necessity of the Empty Tomb. He claims that the disciples could not just have had some sort of self-realized epiphany after the death of Jesus; for the Christian movement to have taken off as it did, it must have been because the disciples of Jesus had a real experience of Jesus' resurrection. But since Kung also rejects the notion that a Christian must accept the violation of the physical laws of the universe, is he trying to have it both ways, or is it that his argument is simply beyond me? For Kung, what is *real* about the Resurrection?

Kung's root answer to what Christianity is about is given early on in the book: "Christianity exists only where the memory of Jesus Christ is activated in theory and practice" (p. 126). For Kung, Jesus is "in person the living, archetypal embodiment of his cause" (p. 545). One who accepts this Jesus in his or her life receives the call to be radically human. What ultimately counts in life is not accomplishments (not that accomplishments are bad), but trust (faith) in the Christ Jesus. In fact, Kung demonstrates from the opening section on "The Challenge of Modern Humanisms" throughout the course of this book, that the Christian as true humanist is the principle that underlies his concept of Christianity.

For a long time many people have encouraged me to read ON BEING A CHRISTIAN. I am heartily glad that I have finally followed their advice. I know that I will be returning to this book in the years ahead to revisit Kung's keen insights into what being a Christian truly means. In these days, when Christianity has been degraded and sold out as a tool of politicians, this is a book whose message should be read all the more to call us to metanoia, a change of heart.
38 people found this helpful
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Chuck Neely
4.0 out of 5 stars On balance, this is a book all Christians should ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2017
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On balance, this is a book all Christians should read. Kung tackles almost every problem and opportunity to make the faith relevant without changing the basic faith, in his opinion. Yet I read the book without having satisfactory answers to the 4 following questions: 1. the book (602 pages) never mentions hell. What happens to those people who reject Jesus' ideas and demands? Do they cease to exist at death? Go to hell? or some other situation? There are many such people today. 2. Is God so involved with us that God does not exist independently of us? 3. What is the difference between 'Faith' and 'Trust'? Are they interchangible? 4. Kung says we modern Christians were converted, not by historical or critical studies, but by 'word of proclamation'. If so, they how does this differ from 'blind faith' which he rightly criticizes? I hope Kung, or his followers, will eventually answer these questions.
6 people found this helpful
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Michael Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars I read
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2010
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this book thirty years ago when Kung was world wide news for being silenced by the Catholic Church. Tubingen University continued his professorship and Kung continued to write. His book on comparative religions isn't a fast read but it is really thorough. I just finished rereading "Christian" and remembered all over why the church would kick his work out. The Catholic Church doesn't want Kung's version of Christianity that does not depend on power and control. Kung provides a humanist view that is hopeful and builds on the work of the second Vatican Council. Pope John the XXIIIrd haunts this book and makes me wistful for what could have been. Kung is a contemporary of the current pope and both worked together at Tubingen and both had doctoral students together. This is revealed in Kung's second autobiography, Disputed Truths...very aptly named.
10 people found this helpful
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roshanlal
3.0 out of 5 stars The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
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The book does mention it - all the intellectualizing, the rational, scientific analysis is limiting. Like most apologists, he advocates a leap of faith, albeit not blind but well-informed. This book asks a lot of relevant questions and will sharpen the analytical skills of seminary students by providing a lot of theological background in addition to political, economic and cultural observations, but the answers are not clear, complete, or compelling. After struggling through the tome, one may be tempted, as Khayyam said, to "leave the wise to wrangle". But the author is to be commended for challenging papal infallibility and the rigidity and political ambitions of the papacy even though he knew the Vatican would make his life miserable. Coming back to his questions, like was the Crucifixion necessary? That is something that all thinking minds grapple with. He does expound on it (the question, not the answer) - what kind of savage blood-thirsty God would sacrifice his son in a blatant throwback to pagan rituals? He could have gone a step further and questioned the nature of Yahweh, the warrior god of the Old Testament. Unless one is an unabashed apologist, there is no excusing the behavior of Yahweh. The OT is full of the terrible things Yahweh does to the Canaanites, Amalekites, Midianites, Jebusites, Hittites, and all the other "ites" including the Israelites (the "chosen ones"? - so what are we? chopped liver?). Yahweh's jealousy and anger are mentioned many times, with gory details of his xenophobia, genocide, ethnic cleansing, plunder and rape. How does a Christian reconcile such a monster with the person of Jesus? The book should have addressed that.
One person found this helpful
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Richard de Meath
5.0 out of 5 stars Unsterstanding Christianity
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2013
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Hans Kung is one of those authors that other authors envy simply because of the enormous depth of his knowledge. Reading this book might not make you a good Christian, but it will make you a better one!
One person found this helpful
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J. Frandsen
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Detailed
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2013
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This book met, and exceeded, my expectations.

Kung has dug deep and shares new viewpoints that I'd never contemplated. No wonder author Brennan Manning was so gung- go about this book compared to the theology presented in other tomes.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Eidol in the Kitchen
5.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedic
Reviewed in Canada on April 11, 2020
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Kung offers a balanced view of what it is to live as a Christian, both the edifying and the disappointing. His analysis and opinions have remained consistent through the years. Read originally some 50 years ago, it was purchased as a reference text for a religion study group.
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Marcolorenzo
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but not for beginners
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2014
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Excellent Opus Magnus, discusses numerous complicated issues of Christianity in a very equilibrated but often controversial manner. Not for beginners, especially for readers without a very good basis in Christology. Kung's views of Christ are controversial on many points. His views on the unbelieveable events described in the Bible are given very common sense discussions. "Many things did not happen as they are described in the Bible and many things did not happen at all", he says. His ideas on Church renewal for our times are noteable and well thought out. His discussion on the relativity of morality and on an absolute standard for ethics is on the mark. Highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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European Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2017
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The most significant theological book written in the last century in a style anyone can read and understand
One person found this helpful
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Geraldine Mac
4.0 out of 5 stars Abook to get your teeth into
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2013
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I did not find this an easy read. It includes a lot of theological, philosophical, humanistic etc detail that was completely above my understanding or interest, BUT I read much of it especially the historical details behind Jesus of Nazareth and the people of the early Christian church. I understand Kung's view to be that how one behaves is the criterion of Christianity and being a Christian does not necessarily mean being a member of any particualr denomination or church today. You may be the sort of person who replies " well I have always thought that anyway" but the detailed considerations of what exactly IS Christian behaviour made me think and this author whom i have often judged as an angry academic came across in parts as a very spiritual person after all. If you find yourself questioning either your own beliefs or those of others and are prepared for a pretty academic read and are able to just skim those parts which are above you or in which you have no interest, then I can whole heartedly recommend this book. I actually began reading it as a library book, but realised that I needed to live with it, go back in to it. I may have to order another copy, since I have worn this paper back edition to pieces and will be reading and re-reading it for a long time yet.
10 people found this helpful
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Nigel B
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Classic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2014
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Fantastic book which has stood the test of time. It is so full of information that whenever one picks it up one finds something new to provoke thought.
4 people found this helpful
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