Hope can inspire resistance… or excuse delay. What happens when our belief in a better tomorrow keeps us from confronting injustice today?
There’s something incredibly powerful about telling people who are suffering, “This isn’t the end of your story.” Your circumstances can change. The people hurting you don’t get the final word. The world can become something better than it is today. Whether that promise comes from Revelation, a political movement, or our faith in human progress, hope can give people the courage to survive circumstances that might otherwise overwhelm them.
But there’s a troubling flip side to that promise. What happens when “things will get better” becomes a reason to tolerate things that shouldn’t be tolerated? When “justice will come” becomes an excuse for postponing justice? And before those of us who don’t believe in heaven get too smug and comfy, we might want to examine some of our own promises about the future. Because maybe the danger isn’t believing in a better world to come. Maybe the danger is allowing that belief to relieve us of our responsibility for building that better world!
So, let’s dive into that… in this episode of Afterthoughts!
