Ethics of Hope
Overview
Long distinguished as the architect of political theology and father of the theology of hope, Jürgen Moltmann has shown how hope in the future decisively reconfigures the present and shapes our understanding of central Christian convictions, from creation to New Creation.
Now, in an era of unprecedented scientific advances alongside unparalleled global dangers, Moltmann has formulated his long-awaited Ethics of Hope. Building on his conviction that Christian existence and social matters are inextricably tied together in the political sphere, Moltmann unfolds his ethics in light of eschatology, clearly distinguishing it from prior and competing visions of Christian ethics. He then specifies his vision with an ethic of life (against the dominant ethic of death), an ethic of earth (against today’s utilitarian ethic), and an ethic of justice (against today’s social injustice and global conflicts). In the process, he applies this framework to concrete issues of medical ethics, ecological ethics, and just-war ethics.
A creative and programmatic work, Ethics of Hope is a realistic assessment of the human prospect, as well as its imperatives, from one who stakes everything on God’s promise to rescue life from the jaws of death.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Interested in more? Be sure to check out Jürgen Moltmann Collection (22 vols.).
Key Features
- Examines ethics in light of eschatology
- Discusses medical, ecological, and just-war ethics
- Presents ethics in view of life, earth, and justice
Contents
- Apocalyptic Eschatology
- Christological Eschatology
- Separatist Eschatology
- Transformative Eschatology
- A Culture of Life
- Medical Ethics
- In the Space of the Earth, What Is the Earth?
- The Time of the Earth
- Ecology
- Earth Ethics
- Criteria for Forming a Judgment
- Divine and Human Righteousness and Justice
- Dragon Slaying and Peacemaking in Christianity
- Control Is Good—Trust Is Better: Liberty and Security in the “Free World”
- The Righteousness of God and Human and Civil Rights
- Sabbath—The Feast of Creation
- The Jubilation of Christ’s Resurrection
- “And Peace in the Midst of Strife”
Praise for the Print Edition
In Ethics of Hope, Jürgen Moltmann makes a significant contribution to Christian ethics that will be of interest not only to scholars but to students, pastors, and lay people as well. Addressing the central ethical issues facing our time, Moltmann’s distinctively Christian way of doing ethics—from the standpoint of a ‘transformative eschatology’—presents a highly refreshing alternative to existing approaches to Christian ethics.
—Lois Malcolm, professor of systematic theology, Luther Seminary
A summary of a life-time of intellectual labors, personal experiences, and global encounters of a truly great theologian. Full of deeply human wisdom drawn from the well of the Christian faith.
—Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology, Yale University
What does hope in action look like? Moltmann’s Ethics of Hope shows us. In this long-anticipated companion to his groundbreaking 1964 book, Theology of Hope, Moltmann directs our attention to ‘endangered life, the threatened earth, and the lack of justice and righteousness.’
—Kristine A. Culp, associate professor of theology, University of Chicago
Product Details
- Title: Ethics of Hope
- Author: Jürgen Moltmann
- Translator: Margaret Kohl
- Publisher: Fortress Press
- Publication Date: 2012
- Pages: 288
- Christian Group: Reformed
- Resource Type: Systematic Theologies
- Topic: Ethics
About Jürgen Moltmann
Jürgen Moltmann studied Christian theology in England and, after his return to Germany, in Göttingen. He served as a pastor from 1952 to1958 in Bremen. Since 1967 he has been Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen and retired there in 1994. Among his many influential and award-winning books are The Theology of Hope (1967), The Crucified God (1974), The Trinity and the Kingdom (1981), The Spirit of Life (1994), and The Coming of God (1996), winner of the Grawemeyer Award in 2000, all published by Fortress Press.
Top Highlights
“We become active in so far as we hope. We hope in so far as we can see into the sphere of future possibilities. We undertake what we think is possible.” (Page 3)
“Realism teaches us a sense for reality—for what is. Hope awakens our sense for potentiality—for what could be.” (Page 3)
“Waiting: that doesn’t mean a passive waiting-it-out; it means an active expectation.” (Page 7)
“The first question in political decisions is whether they serve social equality in a society or promote the inequality of its citizens politically, socially and economically. The foundation of every democracy is the equality of its citizens. According to the tradition of democratic constitutions, equality comes before liberty, for there is liberty only on the basis of equality—only social equality can ensure a society’s internal peace.” (Page 165)
“Walter Rauschenbusch, the pioneer of the Social Gospel movement in the United States, declared: ‘Ascetic Christianity called the world evil and left it. Humanity is waiting for a revolutionary Christianity which will call the world evil and change it.” (Page 39)
- Title: Ethics of Hope
- Author: Jürgen Moltmann
- Publisher: Fortress Press
- Print Publication Date: 2012
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Era: era:Contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Christian ethics; Hope
- Resource ID: LLS:ETHCHOPEMOLTMANN
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T01:43:52Z
Reviews
1 rating
Sean
7/27/2015
After decades of demand, Moltmann has finally produced his Ethics of Hope. The initial chapters relating ethics to his eschatological theology are quite strong and stimulating. However, the second half of the book, examining specific ethical issues and concerns, is quite a bit weaker as he seems to want to avoid making firm judgments and clear moral guidelines. All that said, it was a very good read, much clearer and easier to digest than his early seminal works. I'm glad I was able to read this as part of the Logos Now subscription for July 2015. It's a nice book but not worth $29.
