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" ( )