Jürgen Moltmann (PhD Edit)

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Jürgen Moltmann (PhD Edit)

Originally published on June 13, 2013, this article was missing the footnotes. To repair, I tried copying and pasting today and with the first few attempts there were no footnotes, but eventually I found a fix. I hope to place this article on academia.edu. This article features PhD Edits citing Jürgen Moltmann from my Doctoral thesis. 

2010 Theodicy and Practical Theology: PhD thesis, the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter  

The Incarnation 

Jürgen Moltmann (1993) admits there is a mystery in regard to Christ and his incarnation.[1]  There is a mysterious incarnation of God into a reality that is ‘temporal, decaying, transitory existence in which men live and die.’[2]  The eternal presence of God somehow in the incarnation exists among persons as God takes on ‘transitory, mortal being’ in order to become and cause humanity to become ‘intransitory’[3] and immortal, never facing death once again.[4]  The New Testament depicts Christ as full deity with full divine power, and at the same time presents him as having the results of human finitude and mortality.[5]  His deity should not be asserted in a way that negates his humanity and vice-versa.[6]  Christ is equal to the Father in essence and nature as God,[7] and yet as human being he submitted to the Father in order to accomplish his earthly mission. Jesus Christ has a determination to be God, our God, and to be the reconciler of the world.[8] According to Moltmann, through the history of the crucified and risen Christ, lies the consummation of the Kingdom of God that sets things free and provides them with meaning.[9] Moltmann (1993) explains that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God[10] and is of one substance with God, not being created.[11]  For Moltmann, Jesus was the eternal presence of God among humanity.[12]

Atheism 

Jürgen Moltmann reasons that metaphysical atheism sees an unjust and absurd world where the problem of evil is triumphant.[13]  The atheist does not view God as showing favour to the world,[14] but views reality as one of nothingness.[15]  Moltmann explains that philosophical arguments for the existence of God will not convince these atheists because the devil is a more plausible cause of this evil world than is God.[16]  Motlmann’s explanation of metaphysical atheism could challenge Feinberg’s claim that God would not annihilate the world because God has good ultimate purposes to fulfill.[17]   These complaints tie in with Griffin’s idea that the Calvinist God would be immoral or amoral if he existed because of the evil within creation.[18]  The atheistic critic may claim there is no evidence that God, contrary to Feinberg’s notion, has eventual good plans for his creation,[19] but Moltmann writes Christ in his work on the cross shows that God’s being is in suffering and suffering is in God’s being.[20]  The idea that God is love is demonstrated through Christ’s work on the cross.[21]  Moltmann makes a fine point as ultimately if Feinberg’s claim concerning God’s future good plans make any sense, God must be shown within his creation to have acted in a positive loving way[22] to rid the creation of the problem of evil and the atoning work of Christ, and the resurrection is reasonable explanation of God’s plans. 

The Resurrection

Jürgen Moltmann writes that as the crucified one, the risen Christ is available for humanity.[23] Moltmann explains to some the resurrection of Christ is a counter to the abandonment of humanity of God while Christ was on the cross.[24]  For certain observers Christ’s resurrection for all turns them from atheism.[25]  This may be because the historical resurrection of Christ would be viewed as God actually participating in the world to remedy the problem of evil.[26]  God would not only be judging the world as he did on the cross,[27] but actually bringing about resolution to the problem of evil through Christ[28] and from a human perspective this makes a belief and trust in the Biblical God reasonable and worthwhile.  Moltmann writes that after the resurrection the risen Christ appeared to his followers in order to guarantee that the glory of God and his creation would occur in the not too distance future.[29] 

Moltmann writes that the resurrection message of the early Christian community was the anticipation of what was to come.[30]  The resurrection of Christ created the hope for the eventual world of a new righteousness.[31]  In the new heaven and new earth, the life of the believer will be transformed in completion.[32]  Believers will share the likeness of God,[33] and this will be a life of moral perfection. 

Symbols

According to Eric Vossen (1993), Jürgen Moltmann, has had major influence in the development of theodicy concepts and symbols.[34]  Moltmann appears to be commenting on this issue when he asks if the fatal problems of modern humanity will be apprehended and solved with critical interaction with the gospel,[35] or will other sources, that are less problematic, be sought.[36]  It seems that Christian ministers and leaders must provide theoretically sound explanations for evil and suffering, and provide practical ways for the God of the Bible to be of comfort.[37]  As sufferers seek the power of the gospel, these persons must have something tangible to rely on for support.[38]  If Christianity and the gospel is seen as theoretically and practically corrupt and useless,[39] then the Church may be rejected as an option for providing the explanation for evil and suffering.[40] 

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[1] Moltmann (1993: 88). Christ has two natures in one person and there is an attempt to correlate the human and divine in Christ, but it remains a mystery. Whale (1958: 105).

[2] Moltmann (1993: 88).

[3] Moltmann (1993: 88).  Lasting forever.

[4] Moltmann (1993: 88).

[5] Franke (2005: 72).

[6] Franke (2005: 72).

[7] Bavinck (1918)(2006 : 276 Volume 2).  Barth (1932-1968: 371). 

[8] Williams (2007: 130).

[9] Moltmann (1993: 338).

[10] Moltmann (1993: 88).

[11] Moltmann (1993: 88).

[12] Moltmann (1993: 88).

[13] Moltmann (1993: 219-220).  Suffering is not undone.  Phillips (2005: 273).

[14] Moltmann (1993: 219-220).  Phillips (2005: 273).

[15] Moltmann (1993: 219-220).

[16] Moltmann (1993: 220-221).  And because these arguments are not empirically based.  Flew (1983)(1996: 92). 

[17] Feinberg (1994: 131).

[18] Griffin (1976: 116-130).

[19] Flew (1983)(1996: 92). 

[20] Moltmann (1993: 227).

[21] Moltmann (1993: 227).

[22] Moltmann (1993: 227).

[23] Moltmann (1993: 195).

[24] Moltmann (1993: 195).

[25] Moltmann (1993: 195).

[26] Others such as Darrow, Phillips, and Flew would be very skeptical of this concept.  Phillips (2005: 247-275).  Darrow (1928)(1973: 266-267).  Flew (1983)(1996: 92).  If one does not believe in the resurrection of Christ, God’s key witness to the world that he wishes to save it from the problem of evil is gone.  The remedy to sin and death would be non-existent and therefore concepts of a perfected world far-fetched.

[27] Moltmann (1993: 195).

[28] Moltmann (1993: 195).

[29] Moltmann (1993: 178).

[30] Moltmann (1993: 177). 

[31] Moltmann (1993: 177).

[32] Mounce (1990: 388). 

[33] Mounce (1990: 388). 

[34] Vossen (1993: 21).

[35] Moltmann (1993: 9).

[36] Moltmann (1993: 9).

[37] Ballard and Pritchard (2001: 5).  Pattison in Woodward and Pattison (2000)(2007: 137).

[38] Browning (1985)(2005: 2).

[39] Moltmann (1993: 9).

[40] Moltmann (1993: 9).

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BARTH, KARL (1932-1968) Church Dogmatics,  The Doctrine of the Word of God: Volume 1, Part One, Translated by J.W. Edwards, Rev. O. Bussey, and Rev. Harold Knight, Edinburgh, T. and T. Clark. 

BARTH, KARL (1932-1968) Church Dogmatics, The Doctrine of Creation: Volumes 1 and 3.  Translated by J.W. Edwards, Rev. O. Bussey, and Rev. Harold Knight, Edinburgh, T. and T. Clark. 

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BAVINCK, HERMAN (1918)(2006) Reformed Dogmatics Volume 2: God and Creation, John Bolt (gen.ed.), Translated by John Vriend, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids. 

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FLEW, ANTONY (1983)(1996) ‘The Falsification Challenge’, in Antony Flew and A. MacIntrye (eds.), New Essays in Philosophical Theology, in Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger (eds.), Philosophy of Religion, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

FLEW, ANTONY, R.M. HARE, AND BASIL MITCHELL (1996) ‘The Debate on the Rationality of Religious Belief’, in L.P. Pojman (ed.),Philosophy, The Quest for Truth, New York, Wadsworth Publishing Company. 

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FRANKE, JOHN R. (2005) The Character of Theology, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids. 

MOLTMANN, JÜRGEN (1993) The Crucified God, Minneapolis, Fortress Press. 

MOLTMANN, JÜRGEN (1999) ‘Perseverance’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd. 

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PHILLIPS, D.Z. (1981) Encountering Evil, Stephen T. Davis (ed.),  Atlanta, John Knox Press. 

PHILLIPS, D.Z. (2005)  The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God, Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 

VOSSEN, H.J.M. ERIC (1993) ‘Images of God and Coping with Suffering’, Translated by S. Ralston, in Journal of Empirical Theology, Volume 6, pp. 19-38. Kampen, The Netherlands, Journal of Empirical Theology.

WHALE, J.S. (1958) Christian Doctrine, Glasgow, Fontana Books.