Can Christian faith continue to meet the challenges of today's world? Is the Christian message an adequate one for 20th-century men and women? In this brilliant study the controversy all Catholic theologian Hans Küng answers with a resounding "yes." Assessing the impact of other world religions, humanism, science, technology, and political revolution; and sifting through the theological controversies within the Christian community itself, Küng affirms the vitality and uniqueness of Christianity by tracing it back to its roots -- the reality of the historical Christ. For Küng's exhaustive scholarship is combined with a passionate belief in Jesus Christ as the center of existence. Beyond its historical and theological dimensions, however, On Being a Christian is a thorough re-examination of what it means to be a Christian today: the role of Christian ethics in a social and political context, the relationship between Christians and Jews, the organization of the community of believers, and practical suggestions for dealing with personal crises of faith. Written for both the scholar and the educated laity, this monumental work is destined to become a landmark of modern Christian thought. - Jacket flap.