Wolfhart Pannenberg

  The Transforming Power of Grace: Oden, Wesley, and the Life of the Spirit From Month Four, Day 2 of my book of prayers,  Daily Conversations with God,  I offer this prayer: Lord, you are a merciful God. I confess that holiness is far easier to say than it is to do.  ·        My words are pious, but often mask attitudes of intolerance and judgment.  ·        My concern for others is too often shallow, swallowed up by my own self-interest.  ·        I too often resort to platitudes of compassion and care rather than modify my behavior to embrace those who are different or unlovely.  This is not holiness. I confess my failure to you. I confess that I need your grace to see me truly and the games I play. I need your power to change my attitudes and actions. Ignite within me the passion and audacity to be a holy disciple of Jesus Christ amid a world of sound bites an...

What I propose to do here is to offer a moderate critique of Karl Marx. What I am exploring here is in the context that he raises a valid question regarding the human condition. [1]  Hannah Arendt is the inspiration for this approach to this topic, although I have been reflecting for decades upon the insights of Marx. I would view this essay as on the way toward an understanding of Marx that holds in tension what is valuable with what needs to be discarded. I want to begin with a brief reflection involving some of the insights Karl Marx had. Marx perceived the shift that took place in the rise of modernity. The philosophical tradition placed contemplation ahead of all human activities, for the wonder of the world human beings inhabit stimulated wonderment that led to the contemplation of truth, goodness, and beauty. As Arendt put it, Marx grasped that modernity placed emphasis upon labor, work, and action. Properly understood, labor, the biological life of man as an animal, work, w...