Eschatology And Hope

Probes Christian wisdom and contemporary thought to help us give and accounting for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15) in troubled and uncertain times.

Causing a considerable stir when it was first published in Germany in 1965, "Theology of Hope" represents a comprehensive statement of the importance for theology of eschatology - and of an eschatological theology which emphasizes the revolutionary effect of Christian hope upon the thought, institutions and conditions of life in the here and now. Jürgen Moltmann understands Christian faith essentially as hope for the future of humankind and creation as this has been promised by the God of the exodus and the resurrection of the crucified Jesus. God's promise is the compulsory force of history, awakening hope which keeps human beings unreconciled to present experience, sets them in contradistinction to prevailing natural and social powers, and makes the church the source of continual new impulses towards, in Moltmann's own words, "the realization of righteousness, freedom and humanity in the light of the promised future that is to come". This new expanded edition of a theological classic includes his 2020 Charles Gore lecture ‘A Theology of Hope for the 21st Century’, in which he offers a powerful reflection on the nature of hope in our current times.

Is there hope for this world? Do the promises of the gospel hold out a bright future for the families and nations of the earth? In this enlightening work, Keith A. Mathison sets forth a wealth of biblical, historical, and theological evidence for an optimistic eschatology. Unlike end-time forecasts that see modest growth in the church before Christ's return, postmillennialism expects the Spirit-blessed gospel to have overwhelming success in bringing the world to Christ. Mathison explains why, and he calls us to renewed faith and expectation as we serve the reigning King of Kings.

Christ Our Hope is a masterful reflection on Christian eschatology, in a textbook of twelve accessible chapters.

Though we can never, in our time-bound state, know the future in detail, God in his mercy has not left us in complete ignorance of what is to come. His revelation in Holy Scripture has cast a flood of light on what would otherwise remain an impenetrable mystery. Even among those who accept the Bible's authority, however, there has never been complete agreement on what Scripture teaches in this area. This major new examination of biblical teaching on the future of the individual, of the church and of the universe as a whole will be useful both to theological students and to informed non-specialists. Ranging over the whole field, it interacts extensively with recent literature on disputed issues, such as the nature of the intermediate state, the millennium of Revelation 20 and the doctrine of eternal punishment, always seeking to answer the fundamental question: 'What do the Scriptures teach?' The Christ-centered nature of biblical teaching on the future is emphasized, as is the importance of the church's historic confessions for an understanding of eschatology. The chief note sounded is one of hope: 'God's people eagerly await Christ's return because it promises the completion of God's work of redemption. The future is bright because it is full of promise, the promise of God's Word.' - Jacket flap.

In the New Testament texts, there is significant tension between Jesus's nonviolent mission and message and the apparent violence attributed to God and God's agents at the anticipated end. David Neville challenges the ready association between New Testament eschatology and retributive vengeance on christological and canonical grounds. He explores the narrative sections of the New Testament--the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation--with a view to developing a peaceable, as opposed to retributive, understanding of New Testament eschatology. Neville shows that for every narrative text in the New Testament that anticipates a vehement eschatology, another promotes a largely peaceable eschatology. This work furthers the growing discussion of violence and the doctrine of the atonement.

Study of eschatology often gets bogged down in minutiae that rarely seems to affect daily life. Avoiding this trap, John Phelan gets to the heart of the matter by examining how Christian hope and practice of resurrection impact everything.

A Unique Study of Pauline Eschatology that Is Both Exegetical and Theological One of the trajectories coming out of Constantine Campbell's award-winning book Paul and Union with Christ is the significance of eschatology for the apostle. Along with union with Christ, eschatology is a feature of Paul’s thinking that affects virtually everything else. While union with Christ is the "webbing" that joins Paul's thought together, eschatology provides the "shape" of his thought, and thus gives shape to his teaching about justification, resurrection, the cross, ethics, and so forth. There is considerable debate, however, about Paul's eschatology, asking whether he is a "covenant" or an "apocalyptic" theologian. In Paul and the Hope of Glory Campbell conducts a thorough exegetical study of the relevant elements of Paul's eschatological language, metaphors, and images including "parousia," "the last day," "inheritance," "hope," and others. He examines each passage in context, aiming to build inductively an overall sense of Paul's thinking. The results of this exegetical study then feed into a theological study that demonstrates the integration of Paul's eschatological thought into his overall theological framework. The study is comprised of three parts: The first part introduces the key issues--both exegetical and theological--and sets the parameters and methodology of the book. It also offers an historical survey of the scholarly work produced on Paul's eschatology through the twentieth century to the present day. The second part contains the detailed exegetical analysis, with chapters on each important Pauline phrase, metaphor, and image related to eschatology. The third part turns its attention to theological synthesis. It recapitulates relevant conclusions from the evidence adduced in part two and launches into theological discussion engaging current issues and debates. This volume combines high-level scholarship and a concern for practical application of a topic currently debated in the academy and the church. More than a monograph, this book is a helpful reference tool for students, scholars, and pastors to consult its treatment of any particular instance of any phrase or metaphor that relates to eschatology in Paul's thinking.

In Hope and Otherness, Jakob Wirén analyses the place and role of the religious Other in contemporary eschatology. In connection with this theme, he examines and compares different levels of inclusion and exclusion in Christian, Muslim, and Jewish eschatologies. He argues that a distinction should be made in approaches to this issue between soteriological openness and eschatological openness. By going beyond Christian theology and also looking to Muslim and Jewish sources and by combining the question of the religious Other with eschatology, Wirén explores ways of articulating Christian eschatology in light of religious otherness, and provides a new and vital slant to the threefold paradigm of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism that has been prevalent in the theology of religions. “Jakob Wirén’s study pushes forward the frontiers of three disciplines all at the same time: theology of religions; comparative religions and eschatology. (...) This is a challenging and important book.” - Gavin D'Costa, University of Bristol, Professor of Catholic Theology, 2017 “This book explores of the status of religious others in Christian eschatology, and of eschatology itself as a privileged place for reflecting on religious otherness. Wiren mines not only Christian, but also Jewish and Muslim sources to develop an inclusive eschatology. Hope and Otherness thus represents an important contribution to both theology of religions and comparative theology.” - Catherine Cornille, Boston College, Professor of Comparative Theology, 2017