wont to teach the falsity of religion to an admiring band of disciples. When the day of his death approached, he turned to them and said, "My dear pupils, now that I am at the threshold of death, I repent my past. I should like you to know that God is in Heaven and what Moses and the Sages taught was the truth.""Master," they exclaimed in astonishment, "What has happened? All your life you have emphasized how false the teaching of religion is, and now you recant!""Far from it, my dear friends," the dying man answered, with a smile. "I am simply trying to prove that the Talmud is wrong even in its statement that 'Sinners do not repent, even on the threshold of death.'" Whatever the motivation, such orthodox opponents of religion will find little comfort in these pages.

Finally, there is another group who, far from being hostile to religion, are among its most perfervid advocates. Many of them are men and women who, after years of indifference or hostility to religion, recently found their way back to a passionate faith in God, primarily because of the pressure of the multiple crises of our time. Because of the nature of their spiritual journey, most of them are probably unwilling to embark on another, hazardous intellectual adventure, to which this book is dedicated. For them, not objective truth, but subjective commitment, is all that matters. Now, existentialism has made a signal contribution to the revitalization of religion. It has revealed the dimension of depth in many an insight of Biblical thought. It has stressed the importance of undergoing religious experience rather than merely explicating religious concepts. It has underscored the truth that religion must be felt, not merely analyzed, that God must be sensed as a living presence, who is loved and obeyed, and not deduced as a great Abstraction, "sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought." It has properly insisted that it is impossible to "prove" the existence of God; men cannot be argued into faith. It has reminded us that religion cannot be taught, it must be caught.

These are invaluable contributions to the life of our times, for which all lovers of religion must be grateful. Unfortunately, existentialism suffers from grave drawbacks, which are largely inherent in its virtues. All too often, it has vitiated its truths by exaggerating them. Frequently, its advocates are disillusioned veterans of secular faiths, "tired liberals" or disillusioned radicals. In the face of the complexities of modern life and the bitter frustrations of

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