ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the way in which public theology and theories of civil society engage one another around questions of institutional life, social obligation, and the moral formation of persons in the midst of a pluralistic society. It considers what Moltmann's theology might contribute to such an analysis of the modern way of life. Jurgen Moltmann often speaks of his theology as being experimental, open to adjustment and revision. Theology, he states, is 'an adventure of ideas'. As his theology has developed, Moltmann has attempted to remain responsive to that political function with regard to how the church views its own public responsibility. There are two central features to Moltmann's critique of modernity under the general heading of 'the global marketing of everything'. These are, first, the critique of the autonomous self, and second, the critique of instrumentalism.
