Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today
Moltmann’s Theology of Hope still resonates in theological discourses 60 years after the publication of his epoch-making book containing this concept. At a time of fading hope among South Africans, a revisitation of Moltmann’s pattern of reasoning holds the promise of reward. This article focuses on...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
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AOSIS
2023-09-01
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| Series: | HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/8988 |
| _version_ | 1797668296920662016 |
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| author | Jacobus M. Vorster |
| author_facet | Jacobus M. Vorster |
| author_sort | Jacobus M. Vorster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Moltmann’s Theology of Hope still resonates in theological discourses 60 years after the publication of his epoch-making book containing this concept. At a time of fading hope among South Africans, a revisitation of Moltmann’s pattern of reasoning holds the promise of reward. This article focuses on the quest for raising tangible hope in South Africa and the possible contribution of the Theology of Hope in this regard. The central theoretical argument here will be that the failure of hope in South Africa is caused by the fact that hope continues to be viewed in terms of the event of liberation (1994), and not in terms of a liberating process as the Theology of Hope proposes. To unpack this hypothesis and provide preliminary responses to the matters raised here and others, the study revisits Moltmann’s Theology of Hope as centred on the recurrent interpretations and applications that it has received in political theologies. The aim is to translate the core idea of the Theology of Hope into tangible hope for desponding South Africans today.
Contribution: This research proposes that hope founded in the sign of the reign of the moving God, such as instances of love, goodness, truth-telling, fair jurisprudence and caring for the poor, which are discernible in South Africa today, are valuable and plausible building blocks for the creation of continuous tangible hope. The hope that rests in the actions of the moving God is of greater value than that residing in a single historic event. The 1994 liberation event, lauded by many as the great cause of perennial hope, has faded away in recent years and turned into a pervasive despondency within the South African community. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:27:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3bcfaec56d6e49c4b05a5962f62fa866 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0259-9422 2072-8050 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:27:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bcfaec56d6e49c4b05a5962f62fa8662023-10-02T12:35:13ZafrAOSISHTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies0259-94222072-80502023-09-01791e1e810.4102/hts.v79i1.89885788Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa todayJacobus M. Vorster0Unit of Reformational Theology and the Development of the SA Society, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, PotchefstroomMoltmann’s Theology of Hope still resonates in theological discourses 60 years after the publication of his epoch-making book containing this concept. At a time of fading hope among South Africans, a revisitation of Moltmann’s pattern of reasoning holds the promise of reward. This article focuses on the quest for raising tangible hope in South Africa and the possible contribution of the Theology of Hope in this regard. The central theoretical argument here will be that the failure of hope in South Africa is caused by the fact that hope continues to be viewed in terms of the event of liberation (1994), and not in terms of a liberating process as the Theology of Hope proposes. To unpack this hypothesis and provide preliminary responses to the matters raised here and others, the study revisits Moltmann’s Theology of Hope as centred on the recurrent interpretations and applications that it has received in political theologies. The aim is to translate the core idea of the Theology of Hope into tangible hope for desponding South Africans today. Contribution: This research proposes that hope founded in the sign of the reign of the moving God, such as instances of love, goodness, truth-telling, fair jurisprudence and caring for the poor, which are discernible in South Africa today, are valuable and plausible building blocks for the creation of continuous tangible hope. The hope that rests in the actions of the moving God is of greater value than that residing in a single historic event. The 1994 liberation event, lauded by many as the great cause of perennial hope, has faded away in recent years and turned into a pervasive despondency within the South African community.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/8988moltmann’s theologytheology of hopehope in south africamoving godpolitical theologypolitical ethicsliberating processliberation theology |
| spellingShingle | Jacobus M. Vorster Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies moltmann’s theology theology of hope hope in south africa moving god political theology political ethics liberating process liberation theology |
| title | Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today |
| title_full | Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today |
| title_fullStr | Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today |
| title_full_unstemmed | Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today |
| title_short | Six decades of Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and tangible hope in South Africa today |
| title_sort | six decades of moltmann s theology of hope and tangible hope in south africa today |
| topic | moltmann’s theology theology of hope hope in south africa moving god political theology political ethics liberating process liberation theology |
| url | https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/8988 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jacobusmvorster sixdecadesofmoltmannstheologyofhopeandtangiblehopeinsouthafricatoday |