From Dangerous Memory to Dangerous Hope: Reading the Theology of Johann Baptist Metz

Abstract

From the perspective of theological anthropology, the article aims to explore the possibility of hope in the contemporary world. It draws on the work of the Catholic theologian Johann Baptist Metz and presents the struggle for hope in three areas that were central to Metz and his time. All relate to the question of suffering. Specifically, these are Metz’s conversation with Marxism, in which he develops an eschatological concept of creative hope; the topic of post-Holocaust theology, which must speak out on behalf of the victims of violence and at the same time work with the silence that remains after the victims no more exist; and, finally, a post-idealist approach in theology that will be able to critically view its own Eurocentrism. Contemporary contexts are in some ways different from Metz’s. Still, one can benefit from his honest efforts, at least methodologically. The article concludes by relating Metz’s ideas to some selected contemporary issues, such as the relationship between activism and spirituality. The article notes a certain affinity between Metz’s thought and the pontificate of the current Pope Francis, especially with regard to a commitment to reality.