Why I Believe in God

Gerhard Lohfink; Translated by Linda M. Maloney

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ISBN: 9780814689974, 8997

Details: 192 pgs, 6 x 9
Publication Date: 04/15/2025

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Renowned Scripture scholar, Gerhard Lohfink’s most personal book.

While many of his other books offer biblical exegesis, this book tells the story of a life. Through personal, biblical, and theological reflections, Gerhard Lohfink (1934-2024) offers readers hope for the future with a compelling glimpse into his own story of faith. In Why I Believe in God, Lohfink also considers how the Christian faith can still exist in a world filled with hatred, war, and destruction.

Interwoven with his life history, Lohfink recounts his childhood during the Nazi era and the Second World War, on his theology studies in Frankfurt and Munich, on his experiences as a priest and pastor, on his further studies in Würzburg, his time as a professor in Tübingen and the years after. He also ponders questions that play a decisive role in every Christian life: about the truth in the Bible, the role of reason in the Christian faith, and engaging with God when it comes to life decisions.

Gerhard Lohfink (1934-2024) was professor of New Testament exegesis at the University of Tübingen. His many award-winning books include All My Springs Are in You, The Most Important Words of Jesus, Between Heaven and Earth, The Forty Parables of Jesus, No Irrelevant Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Is This All There Is?, The Our Father, and Prayer Takes Us Home, all from Liturgical Press.

ISBN: 9780814689974, 8997

Details: 192 pgs, 6 x 9
Publication Date: 04/15/2025

Reviews

"Almost every word, phrase or sentence written by Gerhard Lohfink was worth reading. With his landmark book Jesus of Nazareth, he firmly established himself as one of the most influential and inspiring New Testament scholars of our age. In his final book, he shares the moving story of his coming of age and his coming into an adult faith. By turns surprising, challenging and profound, Lohfink's memoir will renew, restore or revitalize your own Christian faith."

James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and Learning to Pray

"A distinguished professor of New Testament, the late Gerhard Lohfink’s Why I Believe in God is less autobiography than what he calls an 'appropriate theology.' Against the background of growing up in Nazi Germany and the devastation of the war, he tells of discerning his vocation as priest and career as a scholar as he explores important subjects such as God, Trinity, original sin, cannon, community and Church, so often misunderstood or dismissed in our secular age. This creative apologetics is an insightful and engaging read."

Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, Emeritus T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology, Loyola Marymount University

“Gerhard Lohfink has been a significant voice in my ongoing development as a scholar and person of faith. After reading so many of his academic works, what a joy to finally come to know him as a person in this final work. Why I Believe in God is not a systematic argument for the existence of God, but the story of a life lived in relationship with God as found in a community of Christian believers. This book is not a text but a testimony.”

Ann M. Garrido, Associate Professor of Homiletics, Aquinas Institute of Theology

"Part autobiography, part theology, Why I Believe in God is theologian Gerhard Lohfink’s final gift to the world. Whether he is unpacking the notoriously difficult concept of original sin or describing what it was like to grow up Catholic in Nazi Germany, his writing is marked by the wry wisdom, gentle love, and humble courage of a true disciple—one whose life was in every way a mirror of his deep faith. This book moved me to tears."

Paula Huston, author of The Hermits of Big Sur and One Ordinary Sunday: A Meditation on the Mystery of the Mass