Jesus Christ for Todays World Jurgen Moltmann Review

REVIEW: Jürgen Moltmann in Plain English by Stephen D. Morrison

Stephen D. Morrison'due south new book Jürgen Moltmann in Plain English (2018) is an introduction to Moltmann for today's world past an apprentice writer who writes like a scholar. Morrison'due south book surprised me because I expected it to be an epitome of Moltmann's life and works, similar to Jürgen Moltmann: Collected Readings (2015), but no! it is then much more! I would have titled Morrison'southward book "Moltmann for Today'southward World" (as a reference to Moltmann'southwardJesus Christ for Today'due south World) because Morrison explains Moltmann'south theology in protest confronting the injustices and oppression active in the globe here and now. Of grade, Morrison titled this book like to his previous books in this series such as Karl Barth in Plain English language (2017) that I reviewed last year and Thomas F. Torrance in Patently English (2017).

Method of Morrison's Moltmann

Morrison begins with Moltmann's call for dispute in theology today—for the sake of the truth! Morrison introduces Moltmann's theology in dispute with injustices and oppression in the world today, and each chapter confronts united states of america with truths from Moltmann's theology that demands a response that is frequently unpopular and opposed by many evangelical Christians today. Moltmann's life story is inseparable from his theology, so it is essential to know Moltmann'southward biography to empathize Moltmann's theology, and and so Morrison has a brief biographical introduction before surveying Moltmann's (arguably) ten most important books: Moltmann's early on trilogy (Theology of Hope, The Crucified God, and The Church in the Power of the Spirit) and his systematic contributions (Trinity and the Kingdom of God,God in Creation,The Way of Jesus Christ, The Spirit of Life, The Coming of God, Experiences in Theology, and Ethics of Hope).

Morrison has a dedicated chapter for each of these ten books that conclude with 'sidebars' that brings Moltmann's theology into dispute with issues demanding action from the church today; Morrison engages many of Moltmann'south other books within the context of these ten books. I appreciated that Morrison organized the chapters of his volume systematically rather than past the lodge of publication, and began with Moltmann's Experiences in Theology because Moltmann explains his hermetical method in it, and I wish I had read this volume long earlier I read most of Moltmann's other books. Moltmann is generally resistant to over-systematized theology (Moltmann calls this "fortress theology"), but it helps to take a system to know where to begin to understand Moltmann's many works. Some other helpful feature is Morrison his appendix called "A Brief Reading Guide" (pp. 233-238) that I recommend for getting started with and navigating through Moltmann's theological works. Morrison's x chapters on these 10 works of Moltmann, provides a much ameliorate perspective and overview of Moltmann's complete theological program, considering most other introductions overemphasizeThe Crucified God and the Theology of Promise and neglect Moltmann's other works.

Pericopes from Morrison's Moltmann

I've chosen selections from Morrison'south book that exemplify his commentary on Moltmann, and in particular examples of when Morrison presents Moltmann'southward theology in protest and as a telephone call to action for the Church building today. These selections mostly appear afterward Morrison has summarized i of Moltmann's x works, or in a "sidebar". In that location'south and so many more I could accept quoted and I more often than not quoted only a small part of a compelling choice because I didn't want to give away the volume. Relish!

In his affiliate two on the Moltmann's Theology of Hope, Morrison contrasts Moltmann'southward eschatology of hope with utopian and escapist theologies. Hither's what Morrison says about evangelical escapist eschatology:

"An case of this reduced vision of salvation is the evangelical reaction against various liberation theologies, such every bit Black Liberation Theology in America (James H. Cone). While some evangelicals admit its merit, the majority refuse liberation theology for its emphasis on God'southward liberating action here and now. Because, for evangelicals, the liberation proclaimed in the Gospel is limited to the soul's liberation from hell in the afterlife. Fighting for the liberation of oppressed people here and now is considered to be merely asecondary consequence. This Gospel ignores the many hells that exist here and now on this earth in the class of poverty, racism, torture, rape, violence, and death. They accept neglected Christ's call to proclaim the Kingdomon the earth and, instead, comprehend an escapist vision of a pagan afterlife. This escapist vision of hope distorts the Gospel. If our Gospel bulletin has nothing to say to the 'least of these,' if it is wholly unconcerned with social justice, then information technology is only one-half a Gospel at best." [1]

In the "Peace with God" sidebar to his chapter on the Theology of Promise, Morrison writes that the church must not remain silent when faced with oppression, and I was impressed past this compelling statement:

"The Church of hope is a politically and sociallydestabilizingChurch; it always stands up against the oppressive condition quo. The Church of promise refuses to give up its birthright for a bowl of soup; it refuses to stay silent before the face up of injustice and oppression. Hope in the coming of God'southward Kingdom places us in sharp conflict with every kingdom and rules of the earth. The Church cannot alive peacefully with an oppressive political organization or an unjust social norm." [ii]

Morrison provides an example of injustice in a sidebar on economic inequality that uses statistics to demonstrate that the capitalistic hording of wealth by 1% of humanity, and the backlog spending by the United States on war machine and defense benefits, is so excessive that even a minor reduction in this disparity would provide more than plenty money to end world hunger.

"Christian promise refuses to be 'at peace' with these statistics. A improve world is possible and necessary. The Church building must take a stand for social justice, and rise in defense of the poor and oppressed." [3]

Dorothee Sölle's criticism in Suffering (1973) that Moltmann's The Crucified God is sadistic, is arguably the most famous criticism of Moltmann, and is used to inoculate Moltmann's protest theology. Typically Sölle's criticism is cited, and Moltmann'due south response is ignored. Morrison stands up for Moltmann and dedicates several pages of his 250 page book to address this of import Moltmann-Sölle exchange in a helpful (cartel I say apologetic?) paragraph titled "Sadistic God—or God against God" (pp. 72-77):

I would hope that this quotation [The Church in the Ability of the Spirit, p. 95] puts to balance the notion of "God against God" in Moltmann's theology of the cantankerous. Moltmann understands the cross as a unified motion of God's selfless love for the outcasted and the weak, for those who suffer in loneliness. We observe no trace, contrary to [Doorthee] Sölle's charge, of a sadistic God. [iv]

I followed the tragic execution of Kelly Gissendaner closely, and I am deeply grateful for all those people who were present in protest on the days that she was scheduled to exist executed, and those who protested online, such as #kellyonmymind on twitter. So I was encouraged and compelled to protest Capital punishment and all other forms of vindictive justice anew when I read Morrison's sidebar on "The Capital punishment and Torture". Kelly's day of execution came twice before the state of Georgia executed on the 3rd day, so again I was moved past Morrison's commentary on these events:

God suffered and died at the easily of the Georgia Land executioners together with Kelly Gissendaner; God suffered her psychological torments and was with her in the loneliness of prison—just equally God suffered and died in her hubby'due south death, the death she was in jail for orchestrating. Violence will non put an stop to the roughshod cycles of violence, only suffering dearest will. The cross is a call to resist all forms of violence and counter-violence. The death penalty is cruel, and there is no Christian justification for it. It is a symptom of the cycles of violence nosotros are called to reject in the name of Christ. [5]

Upper-case letter Punishment isn't the just form of state sponsored torture in America today. Morison also reminded me of the horrors of Guantanamo Bay and the torture that has happened in that location, and that Moltmann's theology reminds the Church building to protest all forms of injustice and protest such as this concrete example, and I appreciated that Morrison uses Bob Dylan's A Difficult Rain'southward A-Gonna Fall to brand his point:

Another course of state-sanctioned violence is torture. In America, the best example is the inhumanity of the Guantanamo Bay detention campsite. . . . Torture is cruel, unnecessary, and it should never be considered acceptable. Torture is a crime and a human injustice in every circumstance, but it is especially grievous when sanctioned by the state. When torture is a politically sanctioned act, no one is held accountable. Bob Dylan sang, in i of his many slap-up songs of protest, "The executioner's face is e'er well hidden" ("A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Autumn"). . . . The crucified Christ delegitimizes all such abuses of land power. [6]

Criticism

Every adept volume review includes criticism, then equally much as I loved Stephen D. Morrison'southward Jürgen Moltmann in Plain English language,I have a few points of criticism to share. First, the quotations of Moltmann are also long, and are ofttimes a half-page or longer. Readers familiar with Moltmann are likely to skip them, and readers who aren't are likely to stumble over them. The book would have been improve if Morrison interlaced his commentary with the quotations, and kept the quotes to a sentence or less to avoid the redundancy of reading a text, and then reading a summary of that same text again. (I'thou a chip hypocritical, considering I've shared longer quotes in this review, but I stand past this criticism). As well, I'm not a fan of end notes, and I was confused in one case or twice by the citations quoted every bit "Ibid.", and had to flip through the pages to observe the source attribution. (And yeah, I know, that Moltmann'south books rarely take footnotes and often do not accept subject indexes.) Lastly, Morrison's "In Plain English" series have improved with each new edition, and Morrison's concluding remarks and sidebars are what make this volume then great, and I believe that if Morrison continues to improve his method for introducing theologians more than concisely and without trepidation, making his summary as good as his conclusions, then Morrison will terminate to be anapprentice for amateurs.

Conclusion

Stephen D. Morrison'south Jürgen Moltmann in Plain Englishis my favorite book from him and then far! Fifty-fifty Moltmann himself wrote a letter to Stephen D. Morrison to say that he was anxious to read this new volume! I am an unashamed moltmanniac, just do non exist dissuaded by my fandom when I highly recommend reading this splendid new introduction to Jürgen Moltmann. Morrison has written a assuming introduction to Moltmann, and his book demands a specific and prompt response to injustice and oppression in the world today.

Sources:

1. Stephen D. Morrison, Jürgen Moltmann in Plain English, (Columbus: Beloved Publishing LLC, 2018), p. 37

ii. Ibid. 46.

3. Ibid. 50.

4. Ibid. 75.

v. Ibid. 85.

half dozen. Ibid. 86.

Related: Volume Review, Jürgen Moltmann, Jürgen Moltmann in Plain English, Review, Stephen D. Morrison, Stephen Morrison

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Source: https://postbarthian.com/2018/05/25/review-jurgen-moltmann-in-plain-english-by-stephen-d-morrison/

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