Serving the Coming God: The Insights of Jürgen Moltmann's Eschatology for Contemporary Theology of Mission

Abstract

A critical and mutually enriching conversation may be facilitated between Jürgen Moltmann's eschatology and some of the concerns of contemporary theologians of mission. In the service of greater theological clarity, the following essay suggests four distinct lines of inquiry: how Moltmann's understanding of an “eschatologically open future” challenges the modern doctrine of cause and effect; the importance of a Trinitarian depiction of God as a sending God; Moltmann's proposal for a robust, Christian theology of history; and the scope of God's salvation, particularly as it is related to Moltmann's complicated and creative panentheism.