"Reading Week"

So, it has been a little while since I have posted anything.  I have been a little busy and not reading Moltmann as much as I would like.  However, I have been riding regularly.  Which is a favorite past time.

This week I writing a couple of papers for class.  As soon as I finish these I will get back to The Way of Jesus Christ.  As well as, some of the other readings and thoughts from my course work.

Moltmann Does It Again!

Moltmann, in The Way of Jesus Christ, to outline a "christology in the eschatological history of God" (70). But first he clarifies what he means by the "eschatological history of God."  He does this by setting the opposition of the history of progress, against eschatological history.

For Moltmann, this opposition (contradictions in his terms) are seen as the modern challenges to Christian theology.  Christian theology is challenged by three questions, using Bonhoeffer's formulation: Who really is Christ for us today? With underlying question of who are we today?  The first aspect of modern life which challenges theology is the development of the Third World.  And the rising inequities and injustices that come from the First and Third World divide.  The first question is then, Who really is Christ for the poor of the Third World? And: Who is the Christ for us, when we make use of their poverty for our own purposes? (65).  This gives way to the rise of nuclear power.  Moltmann points out the desire to be a world power and it connectedness with nuclear weapons.  For developing countries, nuclear weapons becomes the mark of "making it."  This, however, creates the fear of annihilation.  Therefore the second challenges is: Who really is Christ for us today, threatened as we are by the nuclear inferno?  The final aspect is the degradation of the natural world.  We have become more aware of our own immortality in the face of environmental challenges.  Thus, the final challenge: Who really is Christ for dying nature and ourselves today?

Moltmann's christology looks to the history of God, that is in opposition to the challenges faced in contemporary society, as seen in the questions of who Christ is for us today.  Challenging and insightful, once again I see great hope in the churches role in response to these challenges.

Moltmann, "The Way of Jesus Christ"

I started reading Jurgen Moltmann's "The Way of Jesus Christ,"  It has been interesting getting into his idea of a christology that is connected to eschatology.  Of which I am sure I will talk more about as I get deeper into the book.  What really stood out to me was this quote:

The End-time condition of world history today requires us to see the real misery of human beings as one with the growing universal misery of the earth.  The deadly fear men and women are experiencing is fear of nuclear catastrophe in the present, and ecological catastrophe in the future, and the conflicts in social and economic life which are the result of both.  What was once presented as the general and timeless metaphysical wretchedness of human beings is now returning in the special form of the human miseries of the End-time... The antinomies of modern civilization are drawing human beings and nature deeper and deeper into a common destiny.  This forbids any reduction of salvation, whether personal or anthropological.  In the danger of annihilation that is hanging over us, God's salvation is the healing and survival of the whole threatened earth and all individual created beings, in their common peril (45-46).


I was really taken by the insight into the issues today.  By no means has the fear of nuclear annihilation gone away but, the ecological crisis has come to the forefront of social concern for many.  This view of humanity and nature being driven to a "common destiny" is becoming more and more apparent, many times outside of the church.  The impact of thoughts like this has the potential to enliven the church in a fresh new way, as is already at work in many communities.  Another reason why more people should be reading and engaging theologians like Moltmann.  I cannot wait to hear more about his talks at the 2009 Emergent Village Theological Conversation.

Happy Birthday Me!

So, it was my birthday on Friday and to celebrate I spent the weekend helping out the high school group on a Water Ski Weekend.  Now, I love being on the water and skiing is a favorite activity of mine.  That being said I was pretty excited to hang out on the Lake all day and maybe get a run or two in.

Friday night we arrived at the Lake and set up camp.  The leaders surprised me with a cake and singing, which was great.  Saturday morning some of us where up early and decided to go out on the water, most of us would be driving the rest of the day so this would be chance to ski.  I was pretty excited to ski, despite cold water and the early time.  Anyways, I was picked to go first and the run started out great.  As I was skiing I cut across the wake and the ski jumped a little throwing me off balance.  I hit the water pretty hard but felt OK.  I got back up and had a great rest of the run.  When I got back into the boat, they asked what happened?  I said when.  And they responded that my face was swollen.  I had given myself a black eye when I fell.  Needless to say that was the first time I had given myself a black eye.  Happy birthday to myself.  Now I look like I got punched in the face.  Which could be a good thing...