Helmut ThielickeRecensioni

Helmut Thielicke here records a number sermons to those in supreme danger, which were composed in the extraordinary years 1942-1951.

Given to Matthew Hayes - 05/11/2023

Gifted theologian and university professor preaches in modern language in a compelling way to open the parables of Jesus to modern hearers/readers.

Theological ethics of leading 20th century Lutheran originally written in 1950s and appearing in two volumes (v. 1. Foundations (1966) and v. 2. Politics (1969)) with his "Ethics of Sex" sometimes treated as a third volume. An important Lutheran discussion and critique of conscience in vol 1, pp 298-358 includes "‘The conscience is not serene or troubled according to what we have done or not done. Peace of conscience depends solely upon what we are, i.e., on whether we believe – and the extent to which we believe – in the boundless unconditioned mercy of God … It is theologically wrong to try to pacify a conscience-stricken person by talking away his sins. To do so is to try to cure him by means of the “outer tent.” But there is no healing here, and cannot be. In fact the heart of his problem is that he is still loitering in this forecourt. The only way we can help is to point him to the εφαπαξ that which took place once-and-for-all for him in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ’..." (310)

Não se trata aqui simplesmente de repetir as velhas palavras de cautela sobre o intelectualismo excessivo das aulas de seminarário. O autor faz um questionamento muito mais profundo, do própio relacionamento entre a fé que se aprende e a fé que se vive.

Volome 1 appears to be an extensive effort to grapple with the challenges presented to theology by modern currents of thought.

Imagine the scene. After decades of life as a tradesman, with growing awareness of his true vocation, Jesus goes to the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin. What relief! The heavens open, the Spirit descends, the voice of the Father validates his Son and his Son's ministry.

Immediately, the same Spirit that descended gently like a dove throws the Son into the wilderness where he encounters Satan and wrestles with the depths of temptation. This trial will define his ministry.

Helmut Thielicke, a German theologian, first published this meditative study on the temptation of Jesus in 1938 in order to "strengthen the followers of Jesus Christ in their resistance to ideological tyranny" (v). The book was reissued in 1946 after the collapse of the Nazi regime. The book was most recently reissued in 2010 emphasizing the fact that the tempter works in every era.

If we are going to resist the tempter, we need to look to Jesus, the perfect human, who resisted temptation until the end. Thielicke approaches the temptation of Jesus with a keen understanding of anthropology and human weakness.

Between God and Satan is an excellent devotional book which will open up many avenues for understanding the significance of Jesus' temptation.

This was the first book I read by Thielicke, and I was not sure what to expect. I enjoyed his frank discussions of preaching and other problems within the church. He did not merely point out the problems, but also tried to provide solutions as well. His writing from the perspective of the church in Germany in the mid 20th century made it a bit foreign at times, but the principles of what he wrote remains true. I speed read/skimmed the sections on confirmation, etc.

"Many seek prescriptions rather than diagnosis"

"The most fruitful theological questions always come from outside of theology"

"Life in all it's daily involvements becomes for me a thesaurus in which I keep rummaging, because it is full of relevant material for my messages"

A collection of profound and penetrating sermons on the articles of the Apostles' Creed. They are a far cry from so many modern messages in that they possess theological depth and were in touch with the social and cultural issues of the time.

This is a very short book detailing the dangers of theological study. Many of the thoughts are ones I have already had myself, but they were very good reminders and gave some reasons I had not already thought through. This is a book that will encourage you to pursue theology while always remembering that it is not knowledge in and of itself that you pursue, but rather God himself. It is easy to forget this, and so this is a book that I believe I should read at least twice a year going through seminary. Perhaps my favorite thought that he introduces is the ease with which we move from the second to the third person in our theological pursuits. By this he means that we cease to talk TO God and instead only speak OF God. I have seen this danger in my own life and heart and it is one to combat continually.

Pastors always have difficult situations to address—the death of a child, a natural disaster, or an incurable illness. There are times when the situation is so central to the life of the congregation that the pastor must address it from the pulpit. The difficulty here is perspective. The pastor, often in the middle of the situation, must rise beyond the situation and speak to the messiness of life from a divine perspective. It's not easy to do. It's almost impossible to do well.

Put yourself in the shoes of Helmut Thielicke during the Second World War. In light of the bombings, mass burials, and infiltration of demonic philosophy, he preached. In the preface to these sermons he admits that sermons at this time "have to be expressed before distracted people whose eyes still reflect the glare of the last air-raid and who thus have very accurate scales by which to assess the message" (ix).

Fortunately, you don't have to live through the horrors of war to recognize that Thielicke's words are solid truth. These messages are hard, always avoiding false hope while pointing the listener to the true light.

If you've read Thielicke before, you'll recognize the way he transforms perceptive observations into a pithy phrase:

"If the last hour belongs to us, we do not need to fear the next minute" ("I Am Not Alone with My Anxiety" 9).

"Jesus is the one place in the world where we need not restrain our sorrows because He already knows them all" ("The Great Mercy" 36).

"We cannot sink so low that God is not lower" ("The Message of Redeeming Light" 63).

"Golgotha means pain in God" ("The Final Dereliction" 70).

"The trouble is that we speak far too much about God in the third person" ("The Final Dereliction" 75).

When you take a minute to reflect on Thielicke's pastoral setting, you can't help but thank God that he still speaks to us through his servants in our struggles.

A brilliant academic makes an awkward transition.

When the demands of ministry overwhelm us, how can we rest in God?

Profound little book about the danger of theological knowledge and the importance of thinking humbly upon the things of God. I was affected by it on multiple points. All theologians young and old should give it a read.

Helmut Thielicke is a German theologian of scholastic depth who withstood the years of Nazism with his honor intact. Always in the background of his writing we are given glimpses of lessons learned during that dark period. In this book, Thielicke gives us a fresh way of looking at the parables; he mines much food for thought in sometimes unexpected ways. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most famous of Jesus' parables and here Thielicke gives us a lesson on the prodigal who only wanted to be free and ended up bound. The son declares, 'For me freedom means to be able to do what I want to do," and the father quietly replies, "And for me freedom means that you should become what you ought to be. You should not, for example, become a servant of your desires, a slave to your ambition, to your need for recognition, your love of Mammon, your blase intellectual boredom. That's why I forbid you so many things. Not to limit your freedom but just the opposite, in order that you may remain free of all this, that you may become worthy of your origin and be free for sonship, just because you are a king's son. Don't you understand that it is love that is behind my bidding and forbidding?" A book that is easily read, but inspires much time in reflection.

Comprised of three works:
I.Between God and Satan (on the Temptations of Christ);
II.The Silence of God (Part 1 -- Anxiety and its Cure, Part 2-- Festival Sermons);
III.Out of the Depths (Letters and Sermons)

Great book. The "Waiting Father" exposes the heart of the Father and what is most memorable is the description of the Father running to the prodigal as Jesus.

Very practical pointers on entering into the ministry.

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