I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
Save me, for I am yours, I have sought out your precepts.
The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.

(Psalm 119:93-95)

Prof. Jürgen Moltmann was a great theologian of hope. Hope for Moltmann is the creative hope of life beyond the power of death. Moltmann experienced the seriousness of life and the jeopardy in which the modern world is in and he always raised his voice of hope in order to point his listeners and readers to the reality of God’s gift of life. The modern world as we have now come to see it specializes in the new culture of binary worldviews, turning the world to become that world of friend and enemy, us and them, the haves and the have nots, the powerful and the powerless, the winners and the losers etc. The modern world has lost its bearing on togetherness when human beings seek absolute power and the autonomy of their reason and will and use it almost regardless of how others think or feel about it.

This is basically the culture of the scientific age as explained by Jürgen Moltmann, in his book Hope in These Troubled Times. Moltmann wrote this book which for me serves as a continuation of his cautionary thought and admonitions for the 21st century which he has already put forward in his early books Theology of Hope and Ethics of Hope. In these three books, the old German Reformed theologian discerned the signs of our time and was so kind and sensitive enough to write even in his old age in order to warn the Church and the world. The way things are going in the modern world today is quite sad and alarming. We have seen great developments in scientific knowledge but very poor advancement in the wisdom of life together.

The new culture of violence has permeated everywhere in the world. In Africa we witness a lot of perversion of true life and the abuses of the rights and dignity of human beings in different ways and at different times and levels. Wars and rumors of wars have become the order of the day. It is so sad that the wounded and attacked are still left on the streets and in the middle of the road with less or no good Samaritans to help them. This makes their wounds fester and grow into gangrene and cause them not only inexpressible pain but even death. The poor are getting poorer by the days when government officials in African countries fail to hear the cry of hunger on the street that they often ply with their flashy cars to their high offices with heavy security networks. The life of the people in Ukraine is further exposed to the dangers and harshness of bad weather, terrible trauma of the sight of death and the harrowing effects of evil not only on their soil but also on their bodies.

What is more? The ongoing crisis between Israel and Hamas has continually generated series of moral debates and theological hard rocks on the way. These are not easily routes to navigate when violence becomes the means of teaching the enemy a lasting lesson. This is done regardless of the pain and injuries on the bodies of vulnerable others, namely, women, children, old people, those who are sick and disabled. The world of force and violence is that which cares less about what becomes of the other as long as “my safety” can be ensured against all odds.

This is now the oddity of our time which has been deeply contradicted by the instructive spirituality of the Psalmist when he turns his mind away from the terrible evils of his ancient world to the depth and beauty and wisdom of the Word of God (the Torah). In this Torah Psalm (119) the Word of the Lord as Law, precept, statutes, commands, principles, light, new insight and sight has been taken seriously in order that life may be sustained in the midst of the reasons for death and hatred. The Psalmist saw the life preserving power of the Word of the Lord in his life. He was not able to save himself, only the Word of the Lord was able to save and renew his life and mind. In the midst of the brokenness of the world and the agitation of his enemies, the Psalmist knew when “the wicked are waiting to destroy me” (vs. 95a). But instead of scheming in his own way on how to attack them back and possibly even destroy them. He thought rather of meditating upon the Law of the Lord (cf. Ps. 1; 27). He “ponders” the statutes of the Lord (vs. 95b) for it is only the precepts or commands of the Lord that “preserved” his “life” (vs. 93).

Jürgen Moltmann calls the church and the world to an ethic of hope. It is only through hoping for and with one another that we can change the culture of violence that leads to death, to a new culture of solidarity and love that leads to life and joy together. It is up to the Church of Jesus Christ everywhere in the world to learn to be the balm of Gilead to Africa, to Europe, to the Middle East etc. The Psalmist’s life is a serious challenge for the good of the life of the world not only for the sake of today but also, and more importantly, for the sake of tomorrow. It is in this hope and vision that we will continue to remember the life and legacy of Jürgen Moltmann with hope and gratitude.

Dr. Hassan Musa
ECWA Theological Seminary Jos, Nigeria
Stellenbosch University, South Africa

For Further Reading

Moltmann, J. Theology of Hope. London: SCM , 1967.

Moltmann, J. Ethics of Hope. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012.

Moltmann, J. Hope in these Troubled Times. Geneva: WCC, 2019.