In his two previous books translated into English, Patience with God and Night of the Confessor, best-selling Czech author and theologian Tomáš Halík focused on the relationship between faith and hope. Now, in I Want You to Be, Halík examines the connection between faith and love, meditating on a statement attributed to St. Augustine―amo, volo ut sis, “I love you: I want you to be”―and its importance for contemporary Christian practice. Halík suggests that because God is not an object, love for him must be expressed through love of human beings. He calls for Christians to avoid isolating themselves from secular modernity and recommends instead that they embrace an active and loving engagement with nonbelievers through acts of servitude. At the same time, Halík critiques the drive for mere material success and suggests that love must become more than a private virtue in contemporary society. I Want You to Be considers the future of Western society, with its strong division between Christian and secular traditions, and recommends that Christians think of themselves as partners with nonbelievers. Halik’s distinctive style is to present profound insights on religious themes in an accessible way to a lay audience. As in previous books, this volume links spiritual and theological/philosophical topics with a tentative diagnosis of our times. This is theology written on one’s knees; Halik is as much a spiritual writer as a theologian. I Want You to Be will interest both general and scholarly readers interested in questions of secularism and Christianity in modern life.

I Want You to Be: On the God of Love

Religion & Spirituality

Halík, Tomáš

Christian Books & Bibles

University of Notre Dame Press

In his two previous books translated into English, Patience with God and Night of the Confessor, best-selling Czech author and theologian Tomáš Halík focused on the relationship between faith and hope. Now, in I Want You to Be, Halík examines the connection between faith and love, meditating on a statement attributed to St. Augustine―amo, volo ut sis, “I love you: I want you to be”―and its importance for contemporary Christian practice. Halík suggests that because God is not an object, love for him must be expressed through love of human beings. He calls for Christians to avoid isolating themselves from secular modernity and recommends instead that they embrace an active and loving engagement with nonbelievers through acts of servitude. At the same time, Halík critiques the drive for mere material success and suggests that love must become more than a private virtue in contemporary society. I Want You to Be considers the future of Western society, with its strong division between Christian and secular traditions, and recommends that Christians think of themselves as partners with nonbelievers. Halik’s distinctive style is to present profound insights on religious themes in an accessible way to a lay audience. As in previous books, this volume links spiritual and theological/philosophical topics with a tentative diagnosis of our times. This is theology written on one’s knees; Halik is as much a spiritual writer as a theologian. I Want You to Be will interest both general and scholarly readers interested in questions of secularism and Christianity in modern life.

International best-selling author and theologian Tomáš Halík shares for the first time the dramatic story of his life as a secretly ordained priest in Communist Czechoslovakia. Inspired by Augustine's candid presentation of his own life, Halík writes about his spiritual journey within a framework of philosophical theology; his work has been compared to that of C. S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen. Born in Prague in 1948, Halík spent his childhood under Stalinism. He describes his conversion to Christianity during the time of communist persecution of the church, his secret study of theology, and secret priesthood ordination in East Germany (even his mother was not allowed to know that her son was a priest). Halík speaks candidly of his doubts and crises of faith as well as of his conflicts within the church. He worked as a psychotherapist for over a decade and, at the same time, was active in the underground church and in the dissident movement with the legendary Cardinal Tomášek and Václav Havel, who proposed Halík as his successor to the Czech presidency. Since the fall of the regime, Halík has served as general secretary to the Czech Conference of Bishops and was an advisor to John Paul II and Václav Havel.
Woven throughout Halík’s story is the turbulent history of the church and society in the heart of Europe: the 1968 Prague Spring, the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the self-immolation of his classmate Jan Palach, the “flying university,” the 1989 Velvet Revolution, and the difficult transition from totalitarian communist regime to democracy. Thomas Halík was a direct witness to many of these events, and he provides valuable testimony about the backdrop of political events and personal memories of the key figures of that time. This volume is a must-read for anyone interested in Halík and the church as it was behind the Iron Curtain, as well as in where the church as a whole is headed today.

From the Underground Church to Freedom

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

In this masterfully written book, Tomáš Halík calls upon Christians to touch the wounds of the world and to rediscover their own faith by loving and healing their neighbors. 
One of the most important voices in contemporary Catholicism, Tomáš Halík argues that Christians can discover the clearest vision of God not by turning away from suffering but by confronting it. Halík calls upon us to follow the apostle Thomas’s example: to see the pain, suffering, and poverty of our world and to touch those wounds with faith and action. It is those expressions of love and service, Halík reveals, that restore our hope and the courage to live, allowing true holiness to manifest itself. Only face-to-face with a wounded Christ can we lay down our armor and masks, revealing our own wounds and allowing healing to begin. 
Weaving together deep theological and philosophical reflections with surprising, trenchant, and even humorous commentary on the times in which we live, Halík offers a new prescription for those lost in moments of doubt, abandonment, or suffering. Rather than demanding impossible, flawless faith, we can look through our doubt to see, touch, and confront the wounds in the hearts of our neighbors and―through that wounded humanity, which the Son of God took upon himself―see God.

Touch the Wounds: On Suffering, Trust, and Transformation

The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change

Tomáš Halík is a wise guide for the post-Christian era, and never more so than in his latest work, a thought-provoking and powerful reflection on the relationship between faith, paradox, change, and resurrection. As the challenges of cultural secularization and dwindling congregation size confront religious communities across North America and Europe, and the Catholic Church in particular, Tomáš Halík is a prophetic voice of hope. He has lived through the political oppression and intolerance of religion that defined Communist Czechoslovakia, and he draws from this experience to remind readers that not only does crisis lead to deeper understanding but also that any living religion is a changing religion. The central messages of Christianity have always seemed impossible, from peace and forgiveness in the face of a harsh world to love and self-sacrifice despite human selfishness to the victory of resurrection through the defeat of the cross. Acceptance of paradox therefore is the way forward, Halík explains. It is a difficult way that offers an unclear immediate future, but it is ultimately the only honest way.

Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty

The Crown Publishing Group

Creates space for the tensions and contradictions inherent in the question of God and examines themes of and approaches to contemporary doubts and non-belief. The authors integrate their own distinct biographical and intellectual contexts.

Is God Absent?: Faith, Atheism, and Our Search for Meaning

GRÜN, Anselm

Nonhof, Winfriedf

Paulist Press

Halík reflects an inclusive, accessible spirit that will appeal to general spirituality readers in the Catholic market. His presentation of this ancient devotion will also find interest among more traditional readers. 
Tomáš Halík challenges us with this new Via Crucis, rooted in the Gospel and addressed to believers and nonbelievers alike. He invites readers to a real encounter, one with Jesus in our present world. "Jesus and his cross are not something external to our lives, they are not an event that ended in the past, they must not be the object of our sentimental piety. Jesus does not invite us on the Way of the Cross to regret, but to change our mentality and our actions." 
Endorsements 
"Tomáš Halík is one of the most insightful voices in contemporary Catholicism." 
―Massimo Faggioli, author of The Rising Laity 
"The world needs more Tomáš Halík." 
―Charles Taylor 
Tomáš Halík PhD, DD, is professor of sociology at Charles University, Prague. Pope John Paul II appointed him advisor to the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers, and Pope Benedict XVI granted him the title of Monsignor-Honorary Prelate of His Holiness. He was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2014. 
†

The Way of the Cross: Meditations on Encountering Jesus

Paulist Press(TM)

Geduld mit Gott (German Edition)

Verlag Herder GmbH

Paciencia con Dios: Cerca de los lejanos

Atheism

Herder Editorial

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Halík, Tomáš. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Halík, Tomáš

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Halík, Tomáš. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

I Want You to Be: On the God of Love

I Want You to Be: On the God of Love

From the Underground Church to Freedom

Touch the Wounds: On Suffering, Trust, and Transformation

The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change

Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty

Is God Absent?: Faith, Atheism, and Our Search for Meaning

The Way of the Cross: Meditations on Encountering Jesus

Geduld mit Gott (German Edition)

Paciencia con Dios: Cerca de los lejanos