The second-to-last chapter of The Crucified God discusses the implications of the cross towards the psychological liberation of man. This was my least favorite chapter of the book due to the fact that reading about Freud is always cumbersome to me (it always makes my eyes glaze over). So I can’t even really give a fair overview of this chapter except to say that Moltmann critiques and then appropriates Freud. I think Moltmann put it something like this: Christian theology can adopt Freud’s criticism of religion in order to detach liberating faith from the religious superstition of the heart. The final chapter then tackles the political liberation of man, asking “What are the economic, social and political consequences of the gospel of the Son of Man who was crucified as a ‘rebel’?” Moltmann summarizes the ways towards liberation in five different areas:

In the economic dimension of life, liberation means the satisfaction of the material needs of men for health, nourishment, clothing and somewhere to live …

In the political dimension of life, liberation from the vicious circle of oppression also means democracy …

In the cultural dimension of life, liberation from the vicious circle of alienation means identity in the recognition of others …

In the relationship of society to nature, liberation from the vicious circle of the industrial pollution of nature means peace with nature …

In the relationship of man, society and nature to the meaning of life, liberation means a significant life filled with the sense of the whole.

This aspect of Moltmann’s theology – the political aspect – becomes more pronounced throughout his later works. It is actually quite integral to the entirety of his theological project.

Summary

Strangely, despite the fact that Moltmann suggests our understanding of God and the crucifixion event is not trinitarian enough, his own view of the cross in The Crucified God came through as overly binitarian rather than trinitarian. The Spirit is depicted as the divine love between the Father and Son which overcomes the suffering of the Son and the Father’s loss of the Son, thus opening up the eschatological future for this world of suffering, but that is all. The focus throughout is predominantly on the Son and Father. Perhaps that is why Moltmann’s next book, The Church in the Power of the Spirit is focused (as the title suggests) upon the Spirit. Regardless of that quibble, if you’re coming from fundamentalism and/or evangelicalism and the first thing that pops into your head when you hear “cross” is imagery of the wrath of God being poured out on Jesus (who has somehow mystically taken upon himself the sins of the world), then this book is for you as it contains a refreshing perspective on the meaning of the cross for Christian theology.

Though, be forewarned, just like Moltmann’s Theology of Hope, this is one of those dense academic theological works; it is definitely no light reading! In summary, I would say that The Crucified God is a compelling case for the adoption of possibility and patripassianism into ‘orthodox’ Christianity.