All Things New: God’s Plan to Renew Our World

For both Maximus the Confessor (c. 580-662) and Jurgen Moltmann (b. 1926), understanding what it means to be human springs from a contemplative vision of God. This comparative study explores surprising parallels between the theological anthropology of the seventh-century Byzantine monk and the contemporary German Protestant. Bingaman argues that Maximus and Moltmann root their understanding of the human calling in their Trinitarian and christological reflection, in contrast to many modern theologies that tend to devise an account of human being first, and then try to find ways in which Christ and the Trinity are somehow relevant to this human being. In this constructive work, Bingaman demonstrates the intrinsic connection between Maximus' and Moltmann's views of human being, Christ and the Trinity, the church, and the human calling in creation. Illustrating the richness of these ancient and postmodern theologies in conversation, All Things New lays out future trajectories in theological anthropology, patristic ressourcement, ecologically attuned theology and spirituality, and Orthodox-Protestant dialogue. Climate change is the most serious issue of our generation, and despite it already hitting the world's poor hard, Christians have been woefully slow to respond, often excusing their inaction with, ""Oh well, the world is ending anyway! With great stories and good humour, Mick Pope adeptly assigns this excuse to the place it belongs - the dustbin of poor theology, replacing it with a theologically insightful, empowering, and hope-giving theology of 'the renewal of all things. Christians still struggling to respond to climate change need to read this book. -Mark Delaney. author of Low Carbon and Loving It God's promise to make all things new comes at the end of the most confusing book of the Bible! But Mick helpfully unpacks what Revelation is all about (how to read it well and what it's really saying) and shows how God's final promise motivates us to live that out now - hopefully and actively. -Ruth Valerio, Director for Tearfund UK and author of L is for Lifestyle Mick Pope has a PhD in Meteorology from Monash University, and is completing a Masters in Theology at the University of Divinity. He is a lecturer in Meteorology, Professor in Environmental Theology at Missional University, and a member of the Centre for Research in Religion and Public Policy (RASP). Mick is the author of A Climate of Justice, and A Climate of Hope with Claire Dawson.