"The Future of Creation"

I've been reading from Moltmann's work The Future of Creation and have been challenged by his understanding of what exactly "future" is and is not. In brief, a transcendent future is that which qualitatively changes the crises of "history." What Moltmann means by this is that if we should look around in our experiences of life and locate the suffering, oppression, and negativity currently happening in the world (literal and non-literal), we are presented with a choice. Either we try and manage these situations through a variety of ways, e.g., politics, appeasement, control, self-abnegation, etc., or we can move toward abolishing these very "sufferings" by working towards changing the essence, the quality of the situation.

Moltmann writes, "In what sense, then, can 'future' become a new pattern of transcendence? Only when it becomes the embodiment of the transcending of present conflict and lack of freedom in something qualitatively new. The magic of true transcendence is inherent in the future if that future promises something qualitatively new, which stimulates people to change the 'system' of the present radically; and if in this future something different can be expected which will lead to the altering of the foundations of the present, antagonistic conditions of immanence."

I think it is our job, all of us, to begin taking change seriously. To look at our communities and take seriously ourselves and others who are under oppression whether it be socially, economically, personally, and spiritually and start coming together and working towards "freedom;" a qualitatively new freedom, i.e., transcendent future.

I am reminded of Christoph Blumhardts assertion which, related to this proposition, might read "It's easy to believe in God but to make things different, to walk in freedom, requires a serious commitment." It is risky. It will require sacrifice. We may not know what this looks like right now but we can put the proposition in the hands of those who are suffering and listen to what this transcendent future might look like from a different perspective.