The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation

Moltmann, "the foremost Protestant theologian in the world" (Church Times), brings his characteristic audacity to this traditional topic and cuts to the heart of the matter with a simple identification: What we experience every day as the spirit of life is the spirit of God. Such considerations give Moltmann's treatment of the different aspects of life in Spirit a verve and vitality that are concrete and existential.

Veteran readers will find here a rich and subtle extension of Moltmann's trinitarian and christological works, even as he makes bold use of key insights from feminist and ecological theologies, from recent attention to embodiment, and from charismatic movements. Newcomers will find a fascinating entree into the heart of his work: the transformative potential of the future.

Moltmann develops a theology of the Holy Spirit that links the Christian community's experience of the Spirit to the sanctification and liberation of life. He brilliantly displays the ecological and political significance of Christian belief in the Trinity.

Jurgen Moltmann is Professor of Theology Emeritus at the University of Tubingen, Germany

Preface

x

Abbreviations

xiv

Translator's Note

xv

Introduction: Approaches in Pneumatology Today

1

(2)

The Ecumenical and Pentecostal Invitation to the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

3

(2)

Overcoming the False Alternative between Divine Revelation and Human Experience of the Holy Spirit

5

(3)

The Discovery of the Cosmic Breadth of the Divine Spirit

8

(2)

The Question about the Personhood of the Holy Spirit

10

(7)

PART ONE: EXPERIENCES OF THE SPIRIT

Experience of Life - Experience of God

17

(22)

Dimensions of Experience

18

(10)

Experience Subjectified and Methodologized in Modern Times: God in the Determining Subject

28

(3)

Immanent Transcendence: God in All Things

31

(8)

Historical Experience of the Spirit

39

(19)

Spirit - the Divine Energy of Life

40

(3)

God's Presence in the Spirit Among His People

43

(4)

God's Spirit and His Shekinah

47

(4)

Messianic Expectations of the Spirit

51

(7)

The Messiah of the Spirit

53

(1)

The Rebirth of the Messianic People from the Spirit

54

(4)

Trinitarian Experience of the Spirit

58

(25)

The Christ of the Spirit: the Spirituality of Jesus

60

(5)

The Spirit of Christ: the Spirituality of the Community of his People

65

(6)

Trinitarian Mutuality between God's Spirit and His Son

71

(2)

The Expectation of the Spirit in Hoping and Lamenting

73

(10)

The Positive Dimension

74

(1)

The Negative Dimension

75

(8)

PART TWO: LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

The Spirit of Life

83

(16)

Spirituality or Vitality?

83

(3)

The Conflict between the `Spirit' and the `Flesh'

86

(3)

The Gnostic Misunderstanding of the Apocalyptic Conflict

89

(5)

New Vitality: Life against Death

94

(5)

The Liberation for Life

99

(24)

Experience of God as Experience of Liberation: Exodus and Resurrection

99

(6)

The Modern Alternative: God or Freedom?

105

(9)

The Revolutionary Principle of Freedom

106

(3)

Latin American Libration Theology

109

(5)

Spirit that Liberates for Life

114

(6)

Liberating Faith: Freedom as Subjectivity

114

(3)

Liberating Love: Freedom as Sociality

117

(2)

Liberating Hope: Freedom as Future

119

(1)

The Experience of Freedom as Experience of God: The Lord is the Spirit

120

(3)

The Justification of Life

123

(21)

The Justification of Sinners: General or Specific?

124

(5)

The Righteousness and Justice of God which Creates Justice for Victims

129

(3)

The Justifying Righteousness and Justice of God for the Perpetrators

132

(6)

The Rectifying Righteousness and Justice of God for Structures

138

(4)

The Spirit as Judge

142

(2)

The Rebirth to Life

144

(17)

Biblical Interpretations

145

(2)

The Discussion in Systematic Theology

147

(6)

Regeneration Complements Justification

147

(2)

Justification is Regeneration

149

(1)

The Regeneration of Men and Women took place on Golgatha

150

(1)

Those Who Have Been Born Again Live From What Comes to Meet Them

151

(1)

Regeneration makes Christ's Resurrection Present and is the Opening of Eternal Life

152

(1)

Personal Experience in Regeneration: incipit vita nova

153

(4)

The Experience of God in Regeneration: the Spirit as the Mother of Life

157

(4)

The Sanctification of Life

161

(19)

Justification and Sanctification in Luther and Wesley

163

(8)

Sanctification Today

171

(3)

The Sanctifying God

174

(1)

The Holy Life

175

(2)

The Holy Spirit as the Power of Life and the Space for Living

177

(3)

The Charismatic Powers of Life

180

(18)

The Charismatic Vitality of the New Life

181

(4)

Speaking with Tongues

185

(1)

The Awakening of Charismatic Experience

186

(2)

The Healing of the Sick

188

(4)

The Charisma of the Handicapped Life

192

(1)

Everyone according to his Abilities, Everyone according to his Needs

193

(2)

The Holy Spirit as Source of Energy and Field of Force

195

(3)

Theology of Mystical Experience

198

(19)

Action and Meditation

199

(3)

Meditation and Contemplation

202

(3)

Contemplation and Mysticism

205

(3)

Mysticism and Martyrdom

208

(3)

The Vision of the World in God

211

(6)

PART THREE: THE FELLOWSHIP AND PERSON OF THE SPIRIT

The Fellowship of the Spirit

217

(51)

Experience of the Spirit - Experience of Fellowship

217

(12)

The Trinitarian Concept of Fellowship

217

(4)

The Unitarian Concept of Fellowship

221

(4)

Fellowship as Process

225

(3)

The Spirit of Life and the Consciousness

228

(1)

Christianity in the Fellowship of the Spirit

229

(19)

Spirit and Word

230

(6)

The Community of the Generations

236

(3)

Community between Women and Men

239

(2)

Action Groups

241

(2)

Self-Help Groups

243

(2)

Social Forms of the Church

245

(3)

The Theology of the Social Experience of God

248

(20)

Neighbourly Love and Self-Love in the Love of God

248

(3)

Ego-mania and Self-Dispersion in Society

251

(3)

Open Friendship

254

(5)

Experiences of Love

259

(4)

The Body Language of Social Experience of God

263

(5)

The Personhood of the Spirit

268

(44)

Metaphors for the Experience of the Spirit

269

(16)

Personal Metaphors: Lord - Mother - Judge

270

(4)

Formative Metaphors: Energy - Space - Gestalt

274

(4)

Movement Metaphors: Tempest - Fire - Love

278

(3)

Mystical Metaphors: Light - Water - Fertility

281

(4)

The Streaming Personhood of the Divine Spirit

285

(4)

The Trinitarian Personhood of the Holy Spirit

289

(23)

The Monarchical Concept of the Trinity

290

(5)

The Historical Concept of the Trinity

295

(3)

The Eucharistic Concept of the Trinity

298

(3)

The Trinitarian Doxology

301

(5)

Is the Filioque Addition to the Nicene Creed Necessary or Superfluous?

306

(4)

Veni Creator Spiritus

310

(2)

Notes

312

(35)

Index of Names

347

(7)

Index of Confessions, Creeds and other Documents

354

(1)

Index of Biblical References

355

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The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials