It has become de rigeur in writing about a theologian's work to provide not only a theological co... more It has become de rigeur in writing about a theologian's work to provide not only a theological context for his or her work, but also to begin with some sort of sociopoliti-cal framework which sheds light on the situation and milieu within which the theologian works. In the case of Jurgen Moltmann, such a sociopolitical prolegomena is absolutely necessary for two reasons: first Moltmann's work is intimately tied in with the social and political upheaval in post-World War II German culture; second, Moltmann' s theology is deliberately and decidedly political in character, demanding that one always look to the political sources and results of his theology. This introductory essay will provide a framework, both sociopolitical and theological, for understanding the various twists and turns that Moltmann' s theology has taken over the last thirty years. It will hopefully provide guideposts for understanding the subsequent articles in the volume which deal with specific aspects of Moltmann' s thought Moltrnann is a member of the first post World War II generation of Protestant theologians in Germany. The challenges that this generation faced were manifold. In the first place, all institutions, political, religious, social, and economic, were either destroyed or severely damaged either by Nazi totalitarianism or by the war itself. Because the churches still maintained some structural integrity, it fell to them to help provide the most basic of human services to the German people: food was distributed , shelter provided, and the rebuilding of the physical infrastructure of the country was begun. A more knotty problem remained, however: what was to be made of the atrocities caused by the Nazi regime over the previous decade, and what direction was the New Germany to take. There was the sense that the latter could not proceed without coming to grips with the former.
It has become de rigeur in writing about a theologian's work to provide not only a theological co... more It has become de rigeur in writing about a theologian's work to provide not only a theological context for his or her work, but also to begin with some sort of sociopoliti-cal framework which sheds light on the situation and milieu within which the theologian works. In the case of Jurgen Moltmann, such a sociopolitical prolegomena is absolutely necessary for two reasons: first Moltmann's work is intimately tied in with the social and political upheaval in post-World War II German culture; second, Moltmann' s theology is deliberately and decidedly political in character, demanding that one always look to the political sources and results of his theology. This introductory essay will provide a framework, both sociopolitical and theological, for understanding the various twists and turns that Moltmann' s theology has taken over the last thirty years. It will hopefully provide guideposts for understanding the subsequent articles in the volume which deal with specific aspects of Moltmann' s thought Moltrnann is a member of the first post World War II generation of Protestant theologians in Germany. The challenges that this generation faced were manifold. In the first place, all institutions, political, religious, social, and economic, were either destroyed or severely damaged either by Nazi totalitarianism or by the war itself. Because the churches still maintained some structural integrity, it fell to them to help provide the most basic of human services to the German people: food was distributed , shelter provided, and the rebuilding of the physical infrastructure of the country was begun. A more knotty problem remained, however: what was to be made of the atrocities caused by the Nazi regime over the previous decade, and what direction was the New Germany to take. There was the sense that the latter could not proceed without coming to grips with the former.
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