Steffen Lösel
Biographic Data
| ID | 1693829 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Steffen Lösel |
| GIVEN NAMES | Steffen |
| FAMILY NAME | Lösel |
| SIGNATURE | LÖSEL S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Emory University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7953-3517 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Moltmann in America: Impact and Critical Reception
The world of Christian theology mourns the passing of Jürgen Moltmann (1926–2024), one of the most prominent Protestant theologians of the twentieth century. Moltmann's death invites a first, albeit only cursory, review of his impact in the US. Since his first stay at Duke University in 1967–1968, he spent much time here, whether on lecture tours, conferences, or for visiting appointments
The Great Ecological Transformation
This article offers a theological rationale for engaging in a great ecological transformation. The author argues that this transformation cannot be achieved solely with technological means. Rather, we need far more than a great industrial transformation. We also need ecological justice that gives the nature of the earth and the animals their rights; recognition that ecological justice is related to social justice and, especially, to the rights of…
Jürgen Moltmann, “Friendship with Hans Küng”
My Friend Johann Baptist Metz
Johann Baptist Metz died on December 2, 2019. He and Jürgen Moltmann shared a theological and personal friendship marked by affection and respect. It was an honest friendship and it lasted for over fifty years. It started when two texts met: Metz’s essay “God before Us” and Moltmann’s essay “The Category of Novum in Christian Theology.” Both were published in the volume To Honor Ernst Bloch (1965). This article is a personal reminiscence
Reformation Reconsidered: Response to Deanna Thompson and Amy Marga
In my response to Profs. Thompson and Marga, I first highlight the theological challenges that both scholars name for theology today and analyze their retrieval of key notions in Luther’s works to meet these challenges. In the second part of my response, I reflect on the purpose of theological retrieval and raise historical questions with regard to the purportedly liberating social effects of the Reformation. Finally, I register a theological con…
Monostatos: Racism in Die Zauberflöte
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756–1791) Die Zauberflöte (libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, 1751–1812) is one of the most popular operas in the history of the genre. And yet, for contemporary audiences, it is deeply problematic, marred by its stereotypical portrayal of the stage moor Monostatos, whom Georg Nikolaus von Nissen—second husband to Mozart’s widow Constanze—describes in his biography of the composer as a “low, cowardly slave [whose] submis…
Clemency and Conversion: Theological Reflections on Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito
This essay suggests that Mozart's serious opera La clemenza di Tito encapsulates both a political philosophy and a theological anthropology, which reflect the composer's dual commitments to the late Enlightenment and Catholicism. I argue that the opera advocates for the rule of law and specifically for a renewed (Beccarian) understanding of clemency as general lenience in punishing rather than as the absolute ruler's extraordinary use of pardons …
Personal Recollections of James H. Cone
On the occasion of James H. Cone’s death in April 2018, his long-time colleague Jürgen Moltmann reflects on the many decades of their theological and personal friendship, from their initial meeting in 1970 to their last get-together in 2015. With deep personal gratitude, Moltmann speaks about the counseling role, which Cone assumed for him in the United States context for many years, and shares important moments in their common effort to develop …
In Need of God: Mozart, Faith, and Così fan tutte
This article offers readers a theological entrée to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s comic opera, Così fan tutte, written in collaboration with Lorenzo da Ponte in 1789. It engages the opera as a means of social and theological criticism. The opera presents Mozart’s understanding of love through a critical engagement with the late Enlightenment and French materialism. While da Ponte’s libretto may well endorse materialism’s attack on the church and on C…
The unfinished Reformation
In this article Jürgen Moltmann offers a clarion call to the whole church at the eve of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation to be semper reformanda. Moltmann discusses five major points: the theological implications of the contemporary move from a culture of dispute to a culture of dialogue; the unity of the Christian church under what he terms “the papacy of all believers”; the only true “reformation by faith alone” initiated by …
Worship and the Divided Church: Introduction
Public worship is in crisis. To be sure, church attendance in the United States is still high, and the faithful can experience meaningful and diverse liturgies. Yet, a deep sense of disorientation
The Four Gospels on Sunday: The New Testament and the Reform of Christian Worship by Gordon W. Lathrop
Sun of Righteousness, Arise! The Freedom of a Christian—Then and Now—for the Perpetrators and for the Victims of Sin
The following is a lecture, which Prof. Dr. Jürgen Moltmann gave for the Reformation Day Celebration at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. It has an ecumenical direction, beginning with Martin Luther and ending with Charles Wesley’s verse “Sun of Righteousness, Arise!” The lecture moves from Martin Luther in the sixteenth century and his treatise on “The Freedom of a Christian” to Martin Luther King Jr. in the twentieth century, and the inscript…
Fighting for Human Dignity: A Christian Vision for Punishment Reform
This essay provides a theological rationale for punishment reform in America. I argue that amid a contemporary culture of harsh punishment, the church's calling is to advocate for mildness in punishment. I develop my argument in two successive steps. First, I develop the theological norms, which should guide a punishment reform in consonance with Christian principles. Here I revisit one of the earliest Christian advocates of a punishment reform, …
The Kirchenkampf of the Gountercultural Colony: A Critical Response
This article offers a critical response to the contemporary renaissance of Anabaptist ecclesiology among mainline theologians such as Hauerwas, Cavanaugh, and the proponents of the Missional Church. I focus on their claim that through its ecclesial practices the church must become a countercultural colony in society. I contend that the notion of the church as countercultural colony is problematic on three counts: First, it obfuscates the solidari…
May Such Great Effort Not Be in Vain: Mozart on Divine Love, Judgment, and Retribution
Conciliar, Not Conciliatory: Hans Urs Von Balthasar's Ecclesiological Synthesis of Vatican Ii
In this essay, I analyze von Balthasar's ecclesiology against the backdrop of Vatican II and identify its ecumenical challenges. I demonstrate how von Balthasar's ecclesiology reflects the last council particularly in terms of its integration of ecclesiology and mariology, its gendered conceptualization of the church and its hierarchy, and its reaffirmation of papal primacy. From a Protestant perspective, I have, however, a number of critical que…
Prayer, Pain, and Priestly Privilege: Claude Langlois's New Perspective on Thérèse of Lisieux
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling: Balthasar's Negative Theology of Revelation
Say It Is Pentecost: A Guide Through Balthasar's Logic. Aidan Nichols
Unapocalyptic Theology: History and Eschatology in Balthasar's Theo‐Drama
In this essay, I evaluate the claim that Hans Urs von Balthasar's interpretation of trinitarian doctrine undermines the importance of history for the Christian God. Where other critics argue that the very distinction between immanent and economic Trinity robs the economy of salvation of theological significance, I contend that the underlying problem lies in how Balthasar restricts the theo‐drama to an event between heaven and earth on the cross o…
Unapocalyptic Theology: History and Eschatology in Balthasar's Theo‐Drama
In this essay, I evaluate the claim that Hans Urs von Balthasar's interpretation of trinitarian doctrine undermines the importance of history for the Christian God. Where other critics argue that the very distinction between immanent and economic Trinity robs the economy of salvation of theological significance, I contend that the underlying problem lies in how Balthasar restricts the theo‐drama to an event between heaven and earth on the cross o…
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling: Balthasar's Negative Theology of Revelation
Say It Is Pentecost: A Guide Through Balthasar's Logic. Aidan Nichols
Conciliar, Not Conciliatory: Hans Urs Von Balthasar's Ecclesiological Synthesis of Vatican Ii
In this essay, I analyze von Balthasar's ecclesiology against the backdrop of Vatican II and identify its ecumenical challenges. I demonstrate how von Balthasar's ecclesiology reflects the last council particularly in terms of its integration of ecclesiology and mariology, its gendered conceptualization of the church and its hierarchy, and its reaffirmation of papal primacy. From a Protestant perspective, I have, however, a number of critical que…
Prayer, Pain, and Priestly Privilege: Claude Langlois's New Perspective on Thérèse of Lisieux
May Such Great Effort Not Be in Vain: Mozart on Divine Love, Judgment, and Retribution
Fighting for Human Dignity: A Christian Vision for Punishment Reform
This essay provides a theological rationale for punishment reform in America. I argue that amid a contemporary culture of harsh punishment, the church's calling is to advocate for mildness in punishment. I develop my argument in two successive steps. First, I develop the theological norms, which should guide a punishment reform in consonance with Christian principles. Here I revisit one of the earliest Christian advocates of a punishment reform, …
The Kirchenkampf of the Gountercultural Colony: A Critical Response
This article offers a critical response to the contemporary renaissance of Anabaptist ecclesiology among mainline theologians such as Hauerwas, Cavanaugh, and the proponents of the Missional Church. I focus on their claim that through its ecclesial practices the church must become a countercultural colony in society. I contend that the notion of the church as countercultural colony is problematic on three counts: First, it obfuscates the solidari…
Sun of Righteousness, Arise! The Freedom of a Christian—Then and Now—for the Perpetrators and for the Victims of Sin
The following is a lecture, which Prof. Dr. Jürgen Moltmann gave for the Reformation Day Celebration at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. It has an ecumenical direction, beginning with Martin Luther and ending with Charles Wesley’s verse “Sun of Righteousness, Arise!” The lecture moves from Martin Luther in the sixteenth century and his treatise on “The Freedom of a Christian” to Martin Luther King Jr. in the twentieth century, and the inscript…
The Four Gospels on Sunday: The New Testament and the Reform of Christian Worship by Gordon W. Lathrop
Worship and the Divided Church: Introduction
Public worship is in crisis. To be sure, church attendance in the United States is still high, and the faithful can experience meaningful and diverse liturgies. Yet, a deep sense of disorientation
In Need of God: Mozart, Faith, and Così fan tutte
This article offers readers a theological entrée to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s comic opera, Così fan tutte, written in collaboration with Lorenzo da Ponte in 1789. It engages the opera as a means of social and theological criticism. The opera presents Mozart’s understanding of love through a critical engagement with the late Enlightenment and French materialism. While da Ponte’s libretto may well endorse materialism’s attack on the church and on C…
The unfinished Reformation
In this article Jürgen Moltmann offers a clarion call to the whole church at the eve of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation to be semper reformanda. Moltmann discusses five major points: the theological implications of the contemporary move from a culture of dispute to a culture of dialogue; the unity of the Christian church under what he terms “the papacy of all believers”; the only true “reformation by faith alone” initiated by …
Clemency and Conversion: Theological Reflections on Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito
This essay suggests that Mozart's serious opera La clemenza di Tito encapsulates both a political philosophy and a theological anthropology, which reflect the composer's dual commitments to the late Enlightenment and Catholicism. I argue that the opera advocates for the rule of law and specifically for a renewed (Beccarian) understanding of clemency as general lenience in punishing rather than as the absolute ruler's extraordinary use of pardons …
Personal Recollections of James H. Cone
On the occasion of James H. Cone’s death in April 2018, his long-time colleague Jürgen Moltmann reflects on the many decades of their theological and personal friendship, from their initial meeting in 1970 to their last get-together in 2015. With deep personal gratitude, Moltmann speaks about the counseling role, which Cone assumed for him in the United States context for many years, and shares important moments in their common effort to develop …
Reformation Reconsidered: Response to Deanna Thompson and Amy Marga
In my response to Profs. Thompson and Marga, I first highlight the theological challenges that both scholars name for theology today and analyze their retrieval of key notions in Luther’s works to meet these challenges. In the second part of my response, I reflect on the purpose of theological retrieval and raise historical questions with regard to the purportedly liberating social effects of the Reformation. Finally, I register a theological con…
Monostatos: Racism in Die Zauberflöte
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756–1791) Die Zauberflöte (libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, 1751–1812) is one of the most popular operas in the history of the genre. And yet, for contemporary audiences, it is deeply problematic, marred by its stereotypical portrayal of the stage moor Monostatos, whom Georg Nikolaus von Nissen—second husband to Mozart’s widow Constanze—describes in his biography of the composer as a “low, cowardly slave [whose] submis…
My Friend Johann Baptist Metz
Johann Baptist Metz died on December 2, 2019. He and Jürgen Moltmann shared a theological and personal friendship marked by affection and respect. It was an honest friendship and it lasted for over fifty years. It started when two texts met: Metz’s essay “God before Us” and Moltmann’s essay “The Category of Novum in Christian Theology.” Both were published in the volume To Honor Ernst Bloch (1965). This article is a personal reminiscence
Jürgen Moltmann, “Friendship with Hans Küng”
The Great Ecological Transformation
This article offers a theological rationale for engaging in a great ecological transformation. The author argues that this transformation cannot be achieved solely with technological means. Rather, we need far more than a great industrial transformation. We also need ecological justice that gives the nature of the earth and the animals their rights; recognition that ecological justice is related to social justice and, especially, to the rights of…
Moltmann in America: Impact and Critical Reception
The world of Christian theology mourns the passing of Jürgen Moltmann (1926–2024), one of the most prominent Protestant theologians of the twentieth century. Moltmann's death invites a first, albeit only cursory, review of his impact in the US. Since his first stay at Duke University in 1967–1968, he spent much time here, whether on lecture tours, conferences, or for visiting appointments
Philosophy (21 works) · Theology (19 works) · Art (9 works) · Law (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity (7 works) · Christian Theology and Mission (6 works) · Literature (5 works) · Religious studies (5 works)