Will Herberg (1901–1977)

The author states his purpose in his no-nonsense Preface: To present representative selections from the writings of "four of the most significant religious thinkers of our time"--Jacques Maritain, Nicolas Berdyaev, Martin Buber, and Paul Tillich. Also supplies a robust Introduction which explains that the connection between his subjects -- why they belong together -- is that they profoundly influence each other. He includes Bibliographies.

I was surprised by his bold Preface: "Much of the show more best creative thinking these days is being done in theology and religious philosophy." He hopes to reveal the sources of this thinking and "its relevance to the problems and perplexities of our time." [viii] He writes without irony about the "creative" thinking done by brilliant minds caught in up in the "desire to see God" (Maritain), the necessity of universal salvation under the lens of sex (Berdyaev), the suspension of dialogue and ethics (Buber), and the ontological problems of a biblical religion (Tillich). show less

"The most honored discussion of American religion in mid-twentieth century times is Will Herberg's Protestant-Catholic-Jew. . . . [It] spoke precisely to the mid-century condition and speaks in still applicable ways to the American condition and, at its best, the human condition."—Martin E. Marty, from the Introduction"In Protestant-Catholic-Jew Will Herberg has written the most fascinating essay on the religious sociology of America that has appeared in decades. He has digested all the show more relevant historical, sociological and other analytical studies, but the product is no mere summary of previous findings. He has made these findings the basis of a new and creative approach to the American scene. It throws as much light on American society as a whole as it does on the peculiarly religious aspects of American life. Mr. Herberg. . . illumines many facets of the American reality, and each chapter presents surprising, and yet very compelling, theses about the religious life of this country. Of all these perhaps the most telling is his thesis that America is not so much a melting pot as three fairly separate melting pots."—Reinhold Niebuhr, New Yorks Times Book Review show less

First-rate work on Judaism and modern man.

NO OF PAGES: 313 SUB CAT I: Philosophy SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: This book has changed the spiritual awareness of countless readers. Written by one of the twentieth century's greatest theologians, "Judaism and Modern Man" explores the ways in which the Jewish religion relates to our society, and to us as individuals, and how we can draw this knowledge into our everyday lives. Herberg discusses the distinctive qualities of our relationships with the world today-relationships show more between God, ourselves, and our peers; between the individual and society; between religion and society-and traces our spiritual threads that connect us to this age of modernity. In a time when we sometimes need to look closely to find our ties to spirituality, this classic work, originally published in 1951, helps contemporary readers understand Judaism's place in today's world.NOTES: Purchased at Half Price Books SUBTITLE: An Interpretation of Jewish Religion show less