The Eye of Charity

Abstract

"In recent decades there has been a significant shift toward privileging practical approaches to the theodicy problem. It is frequently argued that the conundrum of God and human suffering by its very nature does not lend itself, existentially speaking, to detached theological reflection. The purported “answers” provided in such discursive fashion are portrayed as irrelevant at best and complicit in justifying radical evil at worst. In this article I will examine the validity of such claims by highlighting some of the key theological impulses entailed in Jürgen Moltmann’s practical theodicy that can be helpfully clustered around the fundamental tropes of hope, solidarity, and life. It will be noted how Moltmann’s approach to this problematic can only be properly elucidated when situated within the wider ecology of his theological convictions. In the concluding remarks of this article I will provide a brief critical overview of his theological contribution to the issue in question"