Describing his objective in writing Eternal Hope, Emil Brunnerboldly claimed that 'a church that has nothing to teach concerning the futureand the life of the world to come is bankrupt'. Several decades later, such achallenge might still be levied. Against this backdrop, Brunner offers a wayforward that remains closely tied scripture, yet is nevertheless pastorallysensitive. Indeed, one of the central tenets of his approach is that the Gospeloffers no comfort to the individual that is not at the same time a promise forthe future of humanity as a whole. He proceeds systematically through thepromises and mysteries that the Christian faith maintains surrounding death,while holding the hope of eternity as a constant goal. A precursor to his more rigorous Dogmatics, and partly inpreparation for the second assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1954, EternalHope was also written just a year after the tragic death of Brunner's son. It is therefore no surprise that he combines the vulnerability of his personal encounterwith death, and a theological outlook that has universal implications.
