Emil Brunner

Christianity and Civilisation presents Emil Brunner's engagement with social and political questions in the aftermath of the Second World War. Based upon his Gifford Lectures given at the University of St. Andrew's in 1947 and 1948, it represents a departure from Brunner's more systematic theological work to consider an important question: namely, what is the relationship between Christian faith and Western civilisation? Divided into two series, the First Series treats various fundamental philosophical themes such as being, time and freedom. This treatment forms the basis for the Second Series, where Brunner broadens his scope to consider more social, cultural and political themes such as education, work, science, art and power. Finally, the work ends with a reflection on Christianity beyond civilisation. Equal parts philosophy, cultural theory, religious anthropology, history and theology, Christianity and Civilisation traces a path starting from fundamental philosophical insights through key developments in Western history. In doing so, he provides a Christian answer to the question of civilisation in light of the horrors of the Second World War.

"What ought we to do?" is the guiding question of Emil Brunner's The Divine Imperative. Here this age-old question is taken up by Brunner and is answered in light of his Reformed Christian theology. Dubbed a "Protestant Ethic", The Divine Imperative is a systematic ethical treatise, and for Brunner the first to be centred around the Reformed faith. Here Brunner lays the groundwork for a Christian conception of the moral life in a world where morality itself is often doubted or denied. Animated by the need to respond to an encroaching moral relativism, where many believe that there is no true Right nor Wrong, no true Good nor Evil, Brunner provides an answer to the problem of ethics and morality in the modern age. In doing so, Brunner engages with a wide range of theoretical and practical issues: from philosophy's rationalisation of morality, to the crisis of marriage, to the task of the Christian living under capitalism.

In Emil Brunner's treatise on the nature of mankind he explores what Darwin, Nietzsche, Marx and Freud, despite their differences, all overlooked: the contradiction at the heart of human experience. This contradiction is comprehensible only through a God who illuminates what we should be, who makes communication possible through his Word and our ability to respond. A transcendent, metaphysical exploration of the human condition, in Man In Revolt Brunner centres the Biblical doctrine of humankind to reveal the truth being sought in the endless human search for understanding. Focussing on responsibility as the key to personality, Brunner explores how an understanding of ourselves as created in the image of God offers an insight into our responsibility. With profound penetration and power, he considers the timeless questions of individuality and community, men and women, and our souls and bodies. An incisive and enduring work, Man in Revolt brings Brunner's piercing argument to the question at the centre of our understanding of ourselves - and our relation to the world we live in.

The Letter to the Romans, in Emil Brunner's estimations, is, of all the books of the Bible, the closest to a theological treatise. Throughout centuries of Christian history, much has depended on the understanding and evaluation of Paul's letter to the Romans. Theologians have continued to consider the central questions of interpretation: what did Paul want to say to the Romans, and what does God want to say to us today? In Brunner's meditation on the great Epistle, he elucidates the Pauline arguments and interpretations which have long been foundational to Christian belief.

Emil Brunner's renown as an outstanding preacher is exemplified in his Fraumünster sermons. Brunner's skill at combining the central doctrines of the Christian faith with persuasive spiritual exposition and eloquence can be seen in The Great Invitation, despite his belief that preaching 'can only very imperfectly be crystallised in writing'. In his series of sermons, Brunner encourages fellowship for time and eternity, and focusses on fulfilment through faith. A great teacher of faith, Brunner's unique passion transports from page to soul. As Brunner reflects, preachers are 'only one of many hundred links in the chain which binds our present-day worship of God with that of the apostolic communities,' and The Great Invitation is a valuable link in that chain.

Why should there be an intermediary between god and humanity? Brunner's thorough and provocative analysis establishes Jesus Christ as the Mediator between God and Man, analysing the necessity and challenge of this divine mediator. Central to the Christian faith and Brunner's reputation as a great modern theologian, his vigorous theological discussion considers the Jesus Christ who confronts humanity with the knowledge that they must act. Re-examining the deity and humanity of Christ, the God-Man, and deepening the readers' understanding of the Incarnation and the Atonement, Brunner rescues these essential theological concepts from misunderstanding. Drawing his argument to its conclusion, Brunner contends that only in Jesus Christ can we know ourselves as we really are; only in Jesus Christ can God be known as he really is.

First published in 1945, in the wake of potent suffering, injustice, and the social and international upheaval of World War II, Justice and Social Order is Emil Brunner's impassioned assessment of Protestant Christianity's irresoluteness on various social issues, including the social order, politics, law, and international law. Brunner argues that the totalitarian State was the inevitable result of the slow disintegration and dissolution of the idea of justice in the Western World, which left Western humanity in its own wreckage in the twentieth century. Part one, 'Principles', presents the principles of justice, such as law, equality, and justice, proceeding with a description of the essential nature of these principles and where justice lies with the sphere of ethics. In the second part, 'Practice', Brunner explains the application of the principles described in part one to the practice of justice. In Justice and Social Order, Brunner elucidates his belief that it is the duty of theologians, philosophers, and jurists to comprehend and clarify the idea of justice to reconstruct just institutions and cure humanity's 'chronic disease': the absence of the intention of justice.

'What is the Church?' questions Emil Brunner in his preface. Within Protestantism, it has never been clear how the Church, in the sense of spiritual life and faith, is related to the institutions conventionally called churches. In contrast, Brunner believes, The Roman Catholic Church has a subtly different problem: it has no response to the question of how the phenomenon visible in the New Testament as the Ecclesia is to be related to the papal Church. In The Misunderstanding of the Church, Brunner finds an answer to the ambiguous and nebulous nature of Church and 'churches', interrogating its disharmony by using the conclusions of New Testament research to contextualise the problem of the Church when confronted. With its contribution to the ecumenical discussion, The Misunderstanding of the Church reflects Brunner's desire to uncover why a real solution of the Church has not been found.

Emil Brunner is best known as one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, but I Believe in the Living God is a reminder that he was also an exceptional preacher. With twelve sermons rooted in the Apostles' Creed, Brunner shows how faith in Jesus Christ is inclusive of the facts to which the creed refers and what this means in our lives - both individually and socially. Intended for the layman, Brunner recognises how remote the creed can feel and so interprets it in a way that accounts for the difference between first-century minds and our own. For him the Apostles' Creed is a living proclamation of the Christian faith and a powerful attestation to the reign of Christ. Eloquently written and engagingly presented, I Believe in the Living God inspires faith.

One of the great twentieth-century works of theology, Emil Brunner's Dogmatics series presents a profoundly biblical systematic theology. Finding a path between Barth and Bultmann, Brunner explores key doctrines such as the doctrine of God, creation and redemption, and the doctrine of the church and of faith. These foundational texts from a leading theologian of the 20th century are crucial for scholars and students, illuminating how modern Protestant theology was formed in the last century. The third and final volume focusses on the theology of the Church as a reflection of God's self-revelation through the Holy Spirit, and an eternal consummation of Divine self-communication. Drawing together the understanding gleaned in the previous two volumes, Brunner addresses the nature of the church and faith to bring his systematic biblical theology into the experiences of his readers.

One of the great twentieth-century works of theology, Emil Brunner's Dogmatics series presents a profoundly biblical systematic theology. Finding a path between Barth and Bultmann, Brunner explores key doctrines such as the doctrine of God, creation and redemption, and the doctrine of the church and of faith. These foundational texts from a leading theologian of the 20th century are crucial for scholars and students, illuminating how modern Protestant theology was formed in the last century. The first volume serves as an introduction to Brunner's view of dogmatics, setting out the nature, position, and necessity of dogmatics before exploring the many facets of the doctrine of God. In detailed, vigorous explanation, Brunner considers the nature and will of God, including his name, his holiness, his wisdom, and his glory. Thorough, insightful and extensive, this first volume is an illuminating beginning to this series.

One of the great twentieth-century works of theology, Emil Brunner's Dogmatics series presents a profoundly biblical systematic theology. Finding a path between Barth and Bultmann, Brunner explores key doctrines such as the doctrine of God, creation and redemption, and the doctrine of the church and of faith. These foundational texts from a leading theologian of the 20th century are crucial for scholars and students, illuminating how modern Protestant theology was formed in the last century. The second volume explores the fundamental concepts of the protestant doctrine, from creation and the creator, to man's position within creation, sin and its consequences, and the saving work of Jesus. Brunner explores all of the possibilities of these fundamentals, and his detailed, thoughtful arguments are designed, as he says, to set 'us free to have a faith which is based on nothing save the Love of God revealed in Jesus Christ'.

Describing his objective in writing Eternal Hope, Emil Brunner boldly claimed that 'a church that has nothing to teach concerning the future and the life of the world to come is bankrupt'. Several decades later, such a challenge might still be levied. Against this backdrop, Brunner offers a way forward that remains closely tied scripture, yet is nevertheless pastorally sensitive. Indeed, one of the central tenets of his approach is that the Gospel offers no comfort to the individual that is not at the same time a promise for the future of humanity as a whole. He proceeds systematically through the promises and mysteries that the Christian faith maintains surrounding death, while holding the hope of eternity as a constant goal. A precursor to his more rigorous Dogmatics, and partly in preparation for the second assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1954, Eternal Hope was also written just a year after the tragic death of Brunner's son. It is therefore no surprise that he combines the vulnerability of his personal encounter with death, and a theological outlook that has universal implications.