Top 5 Reasons I Love Moltmann- post-conference

What a fantastic few days! I enjoyed every minute of this year’s Emergent Village Theological Conversation, and a number of blog reflections are rolling in describing why. Though the content was worth every bit of our proper reflection, perhaps the greatest gift he offered us was simply his presence. The most compelling aspect of his theology is that he not only believes it, but lives it. There is no distance between what he says and what you see- he says what he says about God from a place of deep personal faith. It was really wonderful to hear many of my Emergent Village friends (some of whom were familiar with him and others for whom he was virtually unknown) tell me how much they appreciated the grace and love that naturally flowed forth from him. So, with that in mind, I offer you a second top five list of why I love Moltmann.

1. When someone asks him a question, he fully listens to them- and takes the time to think about it before responding. In doing so, he has a way of honoring not only the question but also the person asking it.

2. He has a gift not only for writing poetically, but for speaking poetically as well. (Just check out the list of Moltmann money quotes that came in over Twitter.)

3. He seems completely unaffected by the fact that he’s the theology world’s biggest deal. (One of many examples- my theology professor friend Scott gave Moltmann a copy of his latest book on Moltmann’s work, and Moltmann asked HIM if he could autograph it.)

4. He loves to laugh at himself and at his own jokes. He has a great sense of humor.

5. He is truly an example of what embodied theology looks like- a seamless interweaving of story and thought, intellect and heart, wisdom and humility.

So thank you, Professor, for sharing your theology with us- but more importantly, thanks for sharing your life with us.