This week, Jürgen Moltmann, one of the most prominent contemporary theologians died at the age of 98. From his early life growing up in Germany during the war, to his latter days penning some of the most insightful theological works of recent decades, Moltmann’s legacy has shaped and will continue to shape the world of church and theology.
There are many more people better placed to write about Moltmann, but having spent the past term leading a class through some of Moltmann’s work and influence, I wanted to write some reflections on his influence upon me. I always remind my students that Moltmann is not an easy writer to engage with properly – there are many appealing headlines, but the arguments underneath the headlines are not for the faint-hearted! For example, in part of the module we look at one small section where Moltmann uses Kant, Hegel, and Schleiermacher to consider the usefulness of doctrine, only to construct an answer using a contested reading of Luther’s approach to the communicatio idiomatum. Each of these require substantial enquiry in their own right, never mind contending with them while all bunched together within a few pages of text! However, despite the complexity, the heart of Moltmann’s work is to continually bring us back to appreciate that God is not far away but close to us.
His detractors point out the more unorthodox approaches to certain issues – the openness of the future; the social approach to the Trinity; and his reconsideration of Christology to navigate the suffering of God. His advocates will point out his contribution to theologies of liberation; his unswerving commitment to a God who comforts us in suffering; and his desire to rescue theology from the dusty recesses of abstract postulating to reinvigorate our understanding of God as central to Christian living. The commendations and critiques are worthy of discussion but it is perhaps the bigger theme of his work that I am drawn to.
For my part, I appreciate Moltmann’s project even if, at times, I am critical of his approach. Moltmann’s desire was to ensure that God was not considered to be distant, aloof, and unapproachable, but rather that God, in Christ, had come towards us to draw us into God’s life and love. It was about God participating in finite creation so that creation might participate in God’s eternal life. Moltmann was an intellectual giant, but more than that, through his writing he proclaimed the reality of God’s love for all creation.
At its heart, I think much, if not all, of Moltmann’s work was an exercise in practical theology stemming from a recognition that after Auschwitz, theology must answer the difficult questions of human experience. No longer could theology be contained (or constrained) to church practice alone, it had to be a living, breathing, transformational experience of God breaking into the suffering and salvation of all creation. Moltmann processed his life, his experiences of war and suffering, and all that came after his conversion to Christianity, through a loving, humble, and genuine approach to God who he passionately believed is a God who is for us. While we can debate his ideas, what is unquestionable is that Moltmann embodied the love of God through personal humility and his clear concern for all creatures, inspiring a generation of Christian thinkers to more ardently consider how God communicates His love to His creation.
Reflection by Graham Meiklejohn (graham.meiklejohn@uws.ac.uk)