Moltmann's new 'life history' - Weiter Raum

While browsing a Tübingen bookshop today I excitedly noticed that Jürgen Moltmann has just published his autobiography or ‘Lebensgeschichte’. Weiter Raum is 400 pages long and as I flicked through, I began salivating in greedy anticipation. As one does. Click here for more information.

Towards the end I read about the interesting story of his meeting with the Pastor of the world largest church, the South Korean Pentecostal, David Yongi Cho. He tells us that Cho, during their meeting, held Moltmann’s hands and prayed for his healing (the great Tübingen based theologian suffers from Asthma). Moltmann tells us that for a number of weeks his Asthma cleared up entirely.

For more on his meeting with Cho, see the Journal of Pentecostal Theology article (JPT 13.2 (2005) 147-161) in which he describes the Korean as a ‘learned and profound theologian and an independent thinker’. The article abstract runs as follows:

From the perspective of the author’s own theology of hope, this article offers an affirmation and a constructive critical engagement of the ‘Full Gospel’ theology of Korean pastor, David Yonggi Cho. After acknowledgement of certain commonalities in the originating contexts of both Cho’s and the author’s respective theological perspectives, particular points of agreement and suggestions for further expansion and development are presented and elaborated with a view toward a ‘Full Gospel of the Advent of Christ’.

By the way, this article also suggests that Moltmann is no longer as confident in his Universalism as he arguably once was. In The Coming of God he wrote: ‘It is only there [i.e. in the depths of Christ’s death on the cross of Golgotha] that we find the certainty of reconciliation without limits ... for universal salvation’ (250). However, in this article he closes with the following words: ‘Will all human beings be redeemed in the end? We do not know, but we can hope that they will and pray that they will’ (161)

I’m hoping that my lovely wife will have picked up the (not so subtle) hints and that I’ll be unpacking this book for my birthday in a few weeks!