In the End, the Beginning

by Jürgen Moltmann

'In my end is my beginning', wrote T. S. Eliot at the close of his poem East Coker, and that line gave me the title for this book. With it I should like to express the power of the Christian hope, for Christian hope is the power of resurrection from life's failures and defeats. It is the power of the rebirth of life out of the shadows of death. It is the power for the new beginning at the place where guilt has made life impossible. From the Introduction by Jurgen Moltmann In this short doctrine of hope, Jurgen Moltmann examines the personal experiences in life, in which the future is awaited, times when we search for new beginnings and find them. In three parts that correspond to the three beginnings in life: birth, rebirth and resurrection, Moltmann extols the true value of Christian hope that powers new beginnings. Jurgen Moltmann is Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Tubingen, Germany. He is the author of a number of books published by SCM Press, including Theology of Hope, The Crucified God and The Church in the Power of the Spirit.

Genres: Theology

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jürgen Moltmann is a German Reformed theologian. He is the 2000 recipient of the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

Moltmann's Theology of Hope is a theological perspective with an eschatological foundation and focuses on the hope that the resurrection brings. Through faith we are bound to Christ, and as such have the hope of the resurrected Christ ("Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3, NIV)), and knowledge of his return. For Moltmann, the hope of the Christian faith is hope in the resurrection of Christ crucified. Hope and faith depend on each other to remain true and substantial; and only with both may one find "not only a consolation in suffering, but also the protest of the divine promise against suffering."

However, because of this hope we hold, we may never exist harmoniously in a society such as ours which is based on sin. When following the Theology of Hope, a Christian should find hope in the future but also experience much discontentment with the way the world is now, corrupt and full of sin. Sin bases itself in hopelessness, which can take on two forms: presumption and despair. "Presumption is a premature, selfwilled anticipation of the fulfillment of what we hope for from God. Despair is the premature, arbitrary anticipation of the non-fulfillment of what we hope for from God."

In Moltmann's opinion, all should be seen from an eschatological perspective, looking toward the days when Christ will make all things new. "A proper theology would therefore have to be constructed in the light of its future goal. Eschatology should not be its end, but its beginning." This does not, as many fear, 'remove happiness from the present' by focusing all ones attention toward the hope for Christ's return. Moltmann addresses this concern as such: "Does this hope cheat man of the happiness of the present? How could it do so! For it is itself the happiness of the present." The importance of the current times is necessary for the Theology of Hope because it brings the future events to the here and now. This theological perspective of eschatology makes the hope of the future, the hope of today.

Hope strengthens faith and aids a believer into living a life of love, and directing them toward a new creation of all things. It creates in a believer a "passion for the possible" "For our knowledge and comprehension of reality, and our reflections on it, that means at least this: that in the medium of hope our theological concepts become not judgments which nail reality down to what it is, but anticipations which show reality its prospects and its future possibilities." This passion is one that is centered around the hope of the resurrected and the returning Christ, creating a change within a believer and drives the change that a believer seeks make on the world.

For Moltmann, creation and eschatology depend on one another. There exists an ongoing process of creation, continuing creation, alongside creation ex nihilo and the consummation of creation. The consummation of creation will consist of the eschatological transformation of this creation into the new creation. The apocalypse will include the purging of sin from our finite world so that a transformed humanity can participate in the new creation.

Reviews

[Jowan Tanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indrukwekkend boek van een indrukwekkende theoloog. Met name het begin was geweldig om te lezen. Het trok je als het ware steeds weer de bijbel in en de bijbel door. Het laatste deel vond ik wat speculatief en zijn conclusies niet altijd geheel bevredigend. Maar zeker het lezen waard!

[Emmanuel Roldan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moltmann's reflections on hope, life after death, and eternal life in light of Christ and his resurrection are beautiful and profound. For Moltmann, Christians are not "in the dark" about the future due to God's faithfulness in history (in his promises to Israel), Christ's resurrection, and the life of the Spirit in community. Thus for Moltmann, despair and hopelessness is as much a sin of ommission as anything else because it fails to confide "in the humanity which God expects" of his people. Moltmann adds: "God promises the new creation of all things, but human beings behave as if everything remains as it was... It isn't evil which human beings do which condemns them, it is rather the good that they fail to do..."

[Wyatt Houtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last half of this book was my favorite. The chapter on afterlife and eternal life were the best

[Michael Kocz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book as I possess very strong faith and wanted to expand upon my knowledge of Christian learnings. This book, however, read too much like a textbook to me, and covered a lot of topics where I lacked strong interest. Not something that I would recommend unless you are a divinity student or a minister. (A minister gave me this book.)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moltmann masterfully injects hope into every sphere of our thinking, showing that in every end there is a new beginning. He draws our attention to God's horizon of hope. Powerful book, surprising at times, super encouraging and solid theologically! I thank God for Moltmann (98 years old currently).

[Timothy Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful reflection on hope, the resurrection, and both life now with our inevitable death and the life to come.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Moltmann’s book, though it was nothing like I expected it to be. Instead of reading an overly systematic, theological treatise on eschatology, I found myself enamored with beautiful imagery of children, redemption from catastrophe, and hope for the restoration of the heavens and the earth. Not once did I encounter terms like ‘millennialism’ or ‘dispensationalism.’ Moltmann included plenty of scripture references, but some of his most powerful arguments were reinforced by hymns, personal anecdotes, and historical references. This book was not a traditional systematic theology textbook, but for me, that made it more readable and more enjoyable.

That being said, Moltmann’s text leaves his evangelical readers with many questions. Some of these questions are raised by omission (e.g. what does Moltmann believe about the second coming of Christ? The millennium? The rapture?) and others come from his unorthodox views (e.g. is penal substitution truly an inaccurate way of viewing the atonement? Would acknowledgement of a community of ancestors constitute idolatry? Should we consider the Final Judgment to be a corporate phenomenon?) Given these difficulties, I would be extremely cautious to apply Moltmann’s arguments to my own ministry or recommend this text to anyone who does not already have a firm grasp on orthodox eschatological beliefs.

The greatest strength of Moltmann’s text lies in his rooting of his assertions in hope. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, we Christians can find hope in our own future resurrection. Because of the faithfulness of our God, we can confidently look forward to the future restoration of heaven and earth. We can repent and believe knowing that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Unlike many eschatology books, Moltmann’s book left me encouraged to hope in—-not be afraid of—-God’s future plans for heaven and earth. Such an understanding of eschatology has the power to transform the Church from a doomsday-preaching self-preservation club to an active, Kingdom-building agent of reconciliation in the world.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly accessible presentation of Moltmann's theology of hope related in very personal terms. He takes the reader on a journey from the promise of childhood to the promise of new creation. At times I felt that some sections related and connected to the other material better than others, however, this can be expected when the different chapters grew out of various lectures. By far the most fascinating sections are those dealing with life after death and the community of the living and the dead. In the end his critical reflections on the traditional ideas about the final judgement, hell, and the restoration of all things draws is all together in a breathtaking vision of faith, hope, and love.

[Bob Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this little book Jurgen Moltmann tackles the ultimate questions of what happens when we die and what does the future have in store for us. It reads almost completely differently than his other books in that it is smaller, easier to understand, and in a lot of ways more personal than a lot of what he has written.

Moltmann deals with the classic questions and at the same time, he of course approaches them with his normal style.

This represents some of the most accessible of Moltmann's writing, and I won't discuss Moltmann's answers to these questions.

This book will be mainly of interest to pastors and theologians. It might be a worthile read for everybody who is facing the immortal questions.

Grade: B+

[JP Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eschatalogical hope. Beautiful book, on the brink of Universalism. "Behold I make all things new" Revelation.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly eye-opening! Brings a bold challenge to the traditional fundamentalist views on God's justice and eternity.

[Fabienne Bogle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many new ways of looking at things for me in this book.

[Anne Hokenstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! A must read for pastoral leaders seeking to empower congregations to be a community of hope in the midst of society's bleakness.