Paul Tillich was a Protestant theologian whose primary writings were during the middle of the Twentieth Century. Tillich is perhaps best known for his idea that God is the ground of being. God is being itself (www.patheos.com, 2011). More significantly Tillich deals with the relationship between faith and doubt. He strongly believes that doubt is a part of genuine faith. When people say they have “faith” that something will come to pass they are truly “hoping” that it will come to fruition. They do not know one hundred percent, nor are they sure without the shadow of a doubt. That is what Tillich is referring to when he says that doubt is an active ingredient of faith. Tillich is a starch supporter of the idea that all living beings have a…show more content… Any concern less than this is preliminary concern, for it is conditional and as well finite. It is independent of any conditions of character, desire, and circumstance (kasmirnema.blogspot.com, 2009). We can surmise that Tillich’s concept of faith as ultimate concern refers to the act of faith per individualized personality; that one’s ultimate concern gives life meaning and affects the whole person. Tillich further claims that if a concern claims decisiveness it demands the total surrender of him who accepts this claim and promises total fulfillment even if all other claims have to be subjected to it or rejected (ejournals.bc.edu, 2011). There is a relationship between ultimate concern and how an individual lives his or her life. Ultimate concern places an emphasis on an individual’s desire to believe that there day to day interaction with God has a bearing on whether they are successful or receive pleasure through their faith. After researching Tillich I have found that it appears he has an altered way of examining the state of faith. Tillich feels that it is not possible for one who had faith to lose it for if they did they would not be intertwined with the blueprint of ultimate
