In this blog post, we will examine how the questions raised by editor Kuchiki intersect with the multifaceted understandings of God presented by each author through the eight essays included in this translation, which are based on a series of lectures from the original work.
Book Overview and Publication Background
This book is a selection and translation of eight essays from GOTT HEUTE. Fünfzehn Beiträge zur Gottesfrage, originally published in Germany in 1967. The original work was compiled from a series of lectures delivered by Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish theologians, philosophers, and journalists on West German Hessian Radio, and it garnered widespread public interest through its initial broadcast and subsequent rebroadcasts.
In his preface, editor Norbert Kutschiki points out the diverse attitudes and paradoxes surrounding the word “God” in modern society. To some, God is traditional and revered, like an old piece of furniture passed down through the family; to others, God is an outdated nuisance and sometimes even an object of hostility. At the same time, he emphasizes that God is also experienced as a source of comfort that fills a void and soothes anxiety.
The Editor’s Question: What Does the Modern Concept of God Mean?
Kuchiki diagnoses the concept of God in modern society as being fragmented and confused across multiple layers, cautioning against both the attitude of defining God simply as a vanished tradition and that of unconditionally defending it. He broadly presents the issues surrounding God, including fragments of ancient and Scholastic philosophy, Nietzsche’s impulses and cosmology, the spirit of sacrifice and tender love, the horrors of Auschwitz, mysticism, scientific arguments, rational dialectics, and steadfast faith and deep piety.
The editor’s central thesis is that the question of God today is not merely a matter of proving His existence, but rather requires a reexamination of the practical meaning and function of the concept of “God” through theological, philosophical, and historical critique. Despite their diverse starting points, the essays in the original volume share the common theme of modern critique, offering insights that intersect and complement one another.
Essays Included and Excluded from the Original and This Translation
The original volume contains 15 essays, and this translation has selected and included 8 of them. Other essays included in the original volume are Hans Joachim Tülke’s “A World Without God, or a World in God?”, Siegert Martin Decke’s “The God of the Creator,” Anton Gunnebeck’s “The Distorted Image of God,” Walter Dielkes’ “The Triune God,” Walter Kasper’s “God in History,” Heitz Robert Schrete’s “On the Path of God’s Salvation,” and Philmer Sturm’s “My God.”
The editor notes that none of the essays offer a fixed definition of God or a clichéd formulation. Instead, the book can be understood as 15 variations on the theme of “God,” with each essay presenting a unique perspective that differs from the others, raising questions that are closer to those concerning a “God without attributes” (if such an expression is permissible).
Included Essays and Author Profiles — Overview
Below is a brief biography of the authors of the translated essays and an explanation of the thematic content of their essays. Based on their philosophical and theological backgrounds and personal reflections, each author reveals a distinct perspective on God.
Johannes Hirschberger — ‘The God of the Philosophers’ (Der Gott der Philosophen)
Hirschberger summarizes the conceptions of God that philosophy has addressed since ancient Greece, distinguishing between the philosophical God (God as a concept) and the religious God (the personal God of revelation and experience). He views philosophy as playing a role in guarding against idolatry and preventing faith from becoming blind by critically elucidating belief in God. In particular, invoking the tradition of “seeking God” established by Cusano, he argues that God does not degenerate into a human idol only when thought and faith, philosophy and religion, walk a common path.
Kurt Flasch — ‘Man as the Measure of God’ (Der Mensch als Mass Gottes)
Flasch addresses the question of whether “God is the measure of man, or man is the measure of God” dialectically. While pointing out the relativity of a human-centered God since Xenophanes, he emphasizes that as long as humans understand and perceive God, humans serve as the measure that defines God. In other words, he concludes that affirming God does not negate human value; rather, without human spiritual self-awareness, the term “God” loses its meaning.
Walter von Löwenig — “God in Heaven” (Gott im Himmel)
In light of the changes in worldview brought about by outer space and the development of modern science, Löwenig questions what meaning the traditional spatial concept of “God in Heaven” can still hold. Referring to Bultmann’s demythologization and Bonhoeffer’s “non-religious interpretation,” he argues that God’s transcendence should not be understood as a mere spatial concept. At the same time, he argues that instead of setting God’s immanence and transcendence in unilateral opposition, they must be dialectically related.
Hans Bolewski — ‘The God of the Beyond’ (Der jenseitige Gott)
Bolewski reminds us that in the biblical tradition, the expression ‘God in Heaven’ originally emphasized a God who does not dwell in a temple. He critiques the concept of the “God of the Beyond,” which, when linked to Platonic ideas, tended to separate God from the problems of reality—a tendency he views, in line with the critical perspective following Bonhoeffer, as having caused Christianity to distance itself from practical responsibility. He urges that the God of the Bible be rediscovered on the level of reality.
Shalom Ben-Coren — ‘The Unknown God’ (Der unbekannte Gott)
Jewish writer Ben-Coren develops his argument around the problem of God’s justice and evil—that is, theodicy (the problem of God’s justice). In particular, he asks how one can believe in God’s love and justice amidst the historical experience of the Jewish people and the scars of persecution. He defines trust in God as “the adventure of believing the unbelievable,” pointing to the dual nature of the “freedom” granted to humans—namely, that evil can arise as a consequence of that freedom.
Dorothee Sölle — ‘The Expropriation of God’ (Die Enteignung Gottes)
Zöller reinterprets Paul’s “Hymn to Christ” (Philippians 2:6–11) within the context of modern human alienation and political and social realities. Comparing the “self-emptying (kenosis)” of this hymn to Gnostic mythology, she views the event of Christ renouncing divine privilege and entering into humanity not as a mere mythical return but as a practical event that transforms history. For Zöller, Christ is one who rejects the “privatization” of God and stands in solidarity with humanity.
Jürgen Moltmann — “The God of Hope” (Der Gott der Hoffnung)
Moltmann’s argument focuses on redefining God as the “God of Hope.” Rediscovering the tradition of liberation and prophecy revealed through the history of the Old Testament, he argues that God only becomes the true God through the realization of the future. He presents the perspective that God is not merely a comforter, and that God’s divinity is fulfilled when the Kingdom of God is realized in this world through justice and peace.
Radislav Boros — ‘God — Our Future’ (Gott — unsere Zukunft)
Boros interprets the resurrection of Jesus from a cosmic and creative perspective. He understands the resurrection within the context of evolutionary cosmology and human self-transcendence, viewing Jesus’ resurrection as connected to the ultimate meaning of cosmic development. He argues that the essential fulfillment of humanity cannot be achieved on its own, and that the progress of the universe and humanity is sublimated to an absolute dimension through God manifested as a human being.
Common Themes and Intersecting Issues
Although the various essays included differ in their starting points and methodologies, they reveal several common issues. First, traditional conceptions of God (particularly spatial and mythological notions of transcendence) require reinterpretation in light of modern science and historical criticism. Second, philosophical and critical thinking is essential for recognizing or asserting the existence of God. Third, the question of God’s existence goes beyond a simple debate over proof of existence and is directly linked to human ethical and social responsibility.
Furthermore, many of the essays emphasize that we should not treat God’s “immanence” and “transcendence” as a dichotomy but rather consider them dialectically. God is neither a purely transcendent entity outside the universe nor a pantheistic concept identified with the world. Rather, God is presented as a future force with the potential to be realized within human history and as a being in solidarity with suffering humanity.
Conclusion — Questions for the Reader
The essays in this book do not offer a single conclusion. Instead, each essay intersects with the others to reveal the unavoidable questions that arise when modern people speak of “God.” Readers must ask themselves and answer questions regarding how to speak of God, in what language to express God, and what demands God places on history and individual lives.
Today’s debates about “God” are prone to becoming hollow unless they combine philosophical discernment, theological reflection, historical responsibility, and ethical practice. The diverse perspectives offered in this book provide a starting point for attempting such a synthesis, and readers will be able to reflect on and apply these discussions within the context of their own lives.
