An important and comprehensive work on the crucial issues of reform facing the Catholic Church today.

In 1993, the World Parliament of Religions endorsed the "Declaration towards a Global Ethic" based on the premise that the only way to peace among nations was achieving peace among religions, and that peace would only come through dialogue and understanding. With this declaration, drafted by Rev. Dr. Hans Kung, representatives from all the world's religions agreed on principles for a global ethic and committed themselves to directives of non-violence, respect for life, solidarity, a just economic order, tolerance, and equal rights and partnership between men and women. But the declaration was just the first step.

In How to Do Good and Avoid Evil, the acclaimed Rev. Dr. Hans Kng and Walter Homolka illustrate how achieving these directives is possible by examining them through the lens of Judaism. The authors make the case for a fundamental consensus on binding values, irrevocable criteria and basic moral attitudes, which can be found in Judaism's universal message that action over belief offers hope of a better world. By exploring Judaism's focus on ethical conduct over declarations of faith, its intrinsic tolerance toward other religions based on openness to more than one way to salvation, and the application of human interpretation of scriptures, the authors show a working model for making ethical decisions possible in an ever-changing world.

Hans Kung's Global Responsiblity, published in 1991, marked an important new stage in his work. On the one hand it led to his magisterial books on Judaism and Christianity, and on the other hand it led to the Declaration toward a Global Ethic, approved by the Parliament of the World Religions in 1993, and the setting up of the Global Ethic Foundation of which he is president. This book marks a further practical step forward. In it Kung enters into a detailed examination of current ethical issues in politics and economics in a way which will surprise those who regard him solely as a theologian. Discussed at every stage of its creation with experts in politics and economics, his argument shows a quite remarkable grasp of contemporary issues and has that professional touch which is so much a hallmark of all that he has written. Can politics break all the rules, whether in international politics, domestic questions or in their personal lives? Is power everything, and do the means justify the end? These are the questions dealt with in the first part, which offers historical surveys of Realpolitik and more idealistic attempts at an alternative along with discussions of the war in former Yugoslavia and the Gulf War. Is the welfare state doomed? Is the market a law to itself? Does the future lie with the transnational companies? How much scope is there fore ethics in a business world which increasingly seems to be dominated by financial scandals? These are the issues in the second part. As well as tackling all these difficult questions in depth, Hans Kung offers his own concrete suggestions for a more humane social order. His vision will fascinate all those concerned for a better world, of all religious beliefs or none. Hans Kung was President of the Global Ethic Foundation in Tuebingen, Germany.

After two volume of autobiography, Hans Kung now write a short personal statement of his Christian belief. Hans Kung is one of the most celebrated theologians of the Roman Catholic Church today. His audience which is strong within his own Church is every bit as strong among Christians of other denominations and indeed among those at the frontiers of organised religion. From the start, he has been a rebel, being Swiss and a lover of personal freedom. Many of his books like "Infallible?" and "On Being a Christian" have rocked the Papal boat. Now after publishing two magnificent and acclaimed volumes of memoirs, Kung has written a much shorter and more personal book to explain his own beliefs. If one sets aside all scientific knowledge and learning, all formal theological language and the skilful construction of theories, what remains as the core of faith? What do we need for our lives? What is indispensable to us?. Kung writes of trust in life, joy in life and suffering in life and in so doing writes a summa of his faith - and life.

No other religion in the modern world has come under such close scrutiny or been viewed as a source of so much harm to our civilization as Islam. It is routinely portrayed in the media as a promoter of terrorism, supporter of authoritarian governments, oppressor of women, and an enemy of the West. In this sympathetic assessment of the religion, renowned Christian theologian Hans Kung, demonstrates that this simplistic perception could not be further from the truth. Providing a masterful overview of Islam's 1,400-year history, Kung's critically acclaimed bestseller examines its fundamental beliefs and practices, outlines the major schools of thought, and surveys the positions of Islam on the urgent questions of the day. Deft, assured, and comprehensive, this essential reference work is now available in paperback for the first time.

The Catholic Church has been nearly destroyed by its resistance to change, censured for its abuses. Pope Francis has promised reform: radical theologian Hans Kung here presents what Catholics have long been yearning for: modern responses to the challenges of a modern world.

In 1962 the Second Vatican Council met in the hope they could, in the words of Pope John XXIII, open the windows of the Church and let some fresh air in. Hans Kung and Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, were both there.

In Can We Save the Catholic Church? Kung relates how after fifty years the Church has only grown more conservative. Refusing to open dialogue on celibacy for priests; the role of women in the priesthood; homosexuality; or the use of contraception even to prevent AIDS, the Papacy has lost touch. Now, amid widespread disillusion over child abuse, the future of Catholicism is in crisis.

Pope Francis seems sincere in his wish for a more compassionate Church. The time is ripe for reform, and here Kung calls for a complete renewal of the Church. As grassroots support grows Can We Save the Catholic Church? makes an inspiring and compelling case for offering a new Catholicism to the modern world."

"Tracing the Way: is the product of a lifetime of experience. In researching and compiling this book Hans Kung has travelled to every corner of the globe in search of God in his many guises. Kung casts an analytical eye over the major world religions and offers a view of the present and what that means when measured against the past. Kung surveys, as succinctly as possible, the historical stages of each world religion and analyses their major paradigms and paradigm shifts. For the present can be understood only in the light of constellations from the past which have persisted side by side with each other. "Tracing the Way" attempts to understand the religions, in both text and pictures, as objectively as possible and discusses the social, political and historical contexts of the many forms of belief that exist today.

Originally published: Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1980.

Now, forty years since its original publication, Hans Kung's groundbreaking study--acclaimed as a model for ecumenical discussion--has become a classic work. Looking at the doctrine of justification as understood by the Protestant theologian Karl Barth in comparison to classic Roman Catholic theology, Kung found that the two had similar ideas about the main elements of justification. He argued there is fundamental agreement between Catholicism and Barth's doctrine and that the somewhat divergent viewpoints "would not warrant a division in the Church." This anniversary edition now features a new essay assessing Kung's work in light of contemporary ecumenical dialogues between Roman Catholics and Protestants.

As the twentieth century draws to a close and the rush to globalization gathers momentum, political and economic considerations are crowding out vital ethical questions about the shape of our future. Now, Hans Kung, one of the world's preeminent Christian theologians, explores these issues in a visionary and cautionary look at the coming global society.

How can the new world order of the twenty first century avoid the horrors of the twentieth? Will nations form a real community or continue to aggressively pursue their own interests? Will the Machiavellian approaches of the past prevail over idealism and a more humanitarian politics? What role can religion play in a world increasingly dominated by transnational corporations? Kung tackles these and many other questions with the insight and moral authority that comes from a lifetime's devotion to the search for justice and human dignity. Arguing against both an amoral realpolitik and an immoral resurgence of laissez faire economics, Kung defines a comprehensive ethicfounded on the bedrock of mutual respect and humane treatment of all beingsthat would encompass the ecological, legal, technological, and social patterns that are reshaping civilization. If we are going to have a global economy, a global technology, a global media, Kung argues, we must also have a global ethic to which all nations, and peoples of the most varied backgrounds and beliefs, can commit themselves. "The world," he says, "is not going to be held together by the Internet."

For anyone concerned about the world we are creating, A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics offers equal measures of informed analysis, compassionate foresight, and wise counsel.

In a theological study of Mozart's music, Kung discusses the composer's Catholic background--something that, surprisingly, has hardly been treated by scholars--and reveals, among other things, the possibility of a new creative understanding of Mozart's "Coronation Mass," as interpretated by Mozart's music. A provocative study that may even surpass Karl Barth's famous work.

" S]olidly researched, informative description and evaluation of seven monumental Christian thinkers groupedand related incisively by a brilliant contemporary theological mind. A treat not to be missed." -National Catholic Reporter" A]s insightful as it is penetrating. The essays can indeed serve as introductions in and of themselves, each with a short biigraphy, a delineation of the theological positions held, and a concluding assessment of what lies ahead." -Anglican Theological Review>

Swiss-German theologian Kung planned this massive synthesis of Christian history and systematic theology as a sequel to his On Being Christian (1976) and as a companion to Judaism (Crossroad, 1992). Ever the Catholic Church's "faithful critic," Kung displays a dazzling breadth of scholarship. Professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tubingen, he bases his approach on five historical paradigm shifts: Jewish apocalyptic Christianity, early church ecumenism, the Roman system in the medieval papal church, the Reformation, and modern democracy. He notes dominant influences in each, presenting his convictions on the essence of Christianity and moving toward a polycentrism where Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical traditions are not mutually exclusive. Over 30 diagrams and many stimulating "questions for the future" sidebars are included. Not all readers will accept the views of this Vatican II peritus (nor did the Vatican in 1973). But the work is a remarkable achievement for a church always in need of reform and reformers. Recommended for all theology collections>

This illuminating historical and theological argument is an essential work for anyone wishing to understand the major changes that are inexorably altering the face of modern world religions.

In this extraordinary book, the controversial and profoundly influential Hans Küng chronicles the Roman Catholic Church’s role as a world power throughout history. Along the way, he examines the great schisms—between East and West, and Catholic and Protestant—as well as the evolving role of the papacy, the stories of the great reforming popes, and the expansion of a global church infrastructure. The book concludes with a searching assessment of how the Catholic faith will confront the immense challenges posed in the new millennium by those seeking reform of traditional strictures.

The lectures collected in this volume shed some fascinating light on Hans Kung's career and present a moving picture of one of the greatest theologians of our time.

Kung sketches out a new theology of Women in the Church. This is not stridently feminist but sees the role of women as being vital for the development of the Church as an institution and for preaching the Christian Gospel. For two years Kung guided a research project on Women and Christianity, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. For most of the religions of the world, women are a problem. From time immemorial they have been subordinate to men, second class in the family, politics and business with limited rights and even limited participation in worship. It is not only in Christianity that equal rights for women has been a scandalously neglected issue. By an examination of the history of women in Christianity, Kung points to the scandals of the past. The prohibition of women servers at Mass and of the ordination of women to the diaconate and the priesthood are symptomatic of a male dominated Church, which takes a consistently 'negative' attitude towards contraception, abortion and divorce. Roman Catholic Canon Law is androcentric and male dominated. From his position of intellectual freedom, as an independent Professor at the University of Tubingen, Kung is free to analyse the mistakes of the past and to sketch out a new theology of Women in the Church. This is not stridently feminist but sees the role of women as being vital for the development of the Church as an institution and for preaching the Christian Gospel.

Provides a picture of the Church's theological image as expressed in the historical forms it has taken through the centuries from the present day back to its origins. The book uncovers, for both Protestant and Roman Catholic, some lessons about the community to which he or she belongs.

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.

This book presents the text of the Declaration, which had been drafted after a thorough process of interreligious and international consultation by Hans Kung, with a commentary explaining how it came to take its present form and what it sets out to do. Dr. Karl-Josef Kuschel, Hans Kung's Tubingen colleague, describes the historical background to the Parliament and gives an account of its proceedings.