Resources

Obituary in The New York Times. When Metz died in 2019, the Times published an obituary that accurately summarizes his political theology as well as highlighting the major events of his life. Read the New York Times obituary

Obituary in America Magazine. Matthew Ashley’s obituary provides a thorough overview of Metz’s life and issues. Read Matthew Ashley’s obituary in America.

“Facing the World: A Theological and Biographical Inquiry.” Translated by John K. Downey. Theological Studies 75.1 (2014): 23-33. Perhaps the best introduction to the central themes of his new political theology.

Poverty of Spirit. Translated by John Drury. Inclusive language version by Carole Farris. New York: Paulist Press, 1998. The challenging spirituality at the core of his thought.

“Messianic or Bourgeois Religion?” Translated by Francis McDonagh. An essay on the church’s obligations to intercede in human suffering rather than merely act as an observer. See below for his collection Faith and the Future: Essays on Theology, Solidarity and Modernity.

“1492: Through the Eyes of a European Theologian.” Calls into question the spirit of domination and suggests calibrating culture to focus on the suffering of others. Available in his collection Faith and the Future: Essays on Theology, Solidarity and Modernity.

Faith and the Future: Essays on Theology, Solidarity and Modernity. A collection of his pieces (and those of Jürgen Moltmann) from the journal Concilium. Edited with an introduction by Francis Schüssler Fiorenza. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1995.

A Passion for God: The Mystical-Political Dimension of Christianity. Translated and edited by J. Matthew Ashley. New York: Paulist Press, 1998. Many of these essays had not been previously translated. Ashley’s introduction provides useful background and an excellent bibliography of works in English.

Love’s Strategy: The Political Theology of Johann Baptist Metz. Edited by John K. Downey. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press, 1999. These earlier essays display the ground of his theology in our communities of memory and hope. The introduction is helpful.

Remembering and Resisting: The New Political Theology. Edited by John K. Downey. Essays and interviews from the period after his retirement. The central themes of his theology come forth in these later essays and reverberate in the interviews in a more direct and concise form.