QuoteProject
The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all.
Karl Rahner
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that future Christians will need to embrace a deeper, mystical understanding of faith to remain relevant in a changing world.

Karl Rahner's assertion conveys a vision of Christianity evolving into a more mystical experience rather than merely adhering to traditional doctrines. The implication is that in a future marked by rapid change and secularism, a Christian identity that emphasizes personal, experiential spirituality will be essential for survival and meaningful engagement with faith.

Themes

ChristianityMysticismFaithSpiritualityFuture

In practice

Example use cases

During a sermon on modern spirituality, this quote could illustrate the need for a more profound connection with faith.

More from Karl Rahner

When man is with God in awe and love, then he is praying.
Karl RahnerRead
Knowing God is more important than knowing about God.
Karl RahnerRead
Not everybody, however, has a genuine sense of humor. That calls for an altruistic detachment from oneself and a mysterious sympathy with others which is felt even before they open their mouths. Only the person who has also a gift for affection can have a true sense of humor. A good laugh is a sign of love; it may be said to give us a glimpse of, or a first lesson in, the love that God bears for every one of us.
Karl RahnerRead
Love alone allows man to forget himself... it alone can still redeem even the darkest hours of the past since it alone finds the courage to believe in the mercy of the holy God.
Karl RahnerRead
Learning always involves self-transcendence. Learning calls forth what is in us, helping us to move toward authenticity and wholeness.
Karl RahnerRead
Meditating on the nature and dignity of prayer can cause saying at least one thing to God: Lord, teach us to pray!
Karl RahnerRead

Similar quotes

Did Buddha teach that the many was real and the ego unreal, while orthodox Hinduism regards the One as the real, and the many as unreal?" the Swami was asked. "Yes", answered the Swami. "And what Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and I have added to this is, that the Many and the One are the same Reality, perceived by the same mind at different times and in different attitudes.
Swami VivekanandaRead
A tear that trembles for a little while _x000D_ Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world _x000D_ Wavers within its circle like a dream, _x000D_ Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb _x000D_ Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.
Henry Van DykeRead
The trick. . .is to find the balance between the bright colors of humor and the serious issues of identity, self-loathing, and the possibility for intimacy and love when it seems no longer possible or, sadder yet, no longer necessary.
Wendy WassersteinRead
Today, no walls can separate humanitarian or human rights crises in one part of the world from national security crises in another. What begins with the failure to uphold the dignity of one life all too often ends with a calamity for entire nations.
Kofi AnnanRead
You know, what's so dreadful about dying is that you are completely on your own.
Vladimir NabokovRead
To believe in luck, if it were not a solecism so to use the word believe, is skepticism.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.