The Only Hope Of The World

The most popular source of theological hope for American Christians is that of Jurgen Moltmann. Preachers, teachers, and lay people reflect Moltmann's influence, with their hope in a this-worldly eschatology and a suffering God. However, an exclusive reliance on that hope deprives the church of crucial resources in the face of global economic, environmental, and military crises. This book explores Moltmannian hope and considers its costs before looking elsewhere for additional contributions, from Thomas Aquinas's theological virtue of hope to nihilism and beyond, in order to encourage the church to sustain and practice hope in Jesus Christ, our only hope.

Hope is essential to human life. Without hope, humanity plunges into despair, and life can lose all purpose and meaning. Hope energizes people and communities, and also produces forbearance and patience. In this clear and accessible survey, which incorporates Asian perspectives, Roland Chia shows how Christian hope presses beyond the limits of both secular and religious world-views and confronts the reality of pain, suffering and death in the light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is hope for God, and in God.

The Novanian king has gathered an army in the north with the intent to make war upon the magi. He has exiled all three of his brothers. Andrew and Alexander fled to the Southlands, while Thomas escaped into the hostile northern highlands, the land of Novania’s ancient foe, the insectile Corodan. While Alexander prepares to face Colin’s army in the south, Andrew makes the perilous journey through Novania to seek Thomas’ whereabouts and offer what aid he can. Traveling at his side is Rynn, a powerful mage with the ability to manipulate and form ice. When they fail to locate Thomas after days of searching, Andrew is forced to seek the aid of the Corodan. He has a long and bloody history with their people, and was responsible for the death of their previous Hive-queen. Uncertain if the Corodan will cooperate, but faced with no other hope of locating his brother, he ventures into the heart of the Corodan lands. Without Thomas, the brothers have no hope of overthrowing Colin and his tyranny. Without Thomas, Novania will continue to execute innocent citizens simply for bearing the Mark of the Magi. Without Thomas, the kingdom will be lost.

“[A] landmark book . . . Solnit illustrates how the uprisings that begin on the streets can upend the status quo and topple authoritarian regimes” (Vice). A book as powerful and influential as Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, her Hope in the Dark was written to counter the despair of activists at a moment when they were focused on their losses and had turned their back to the victories behind them—and the unimaginable changes soon to come. In it, she makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable. Drawing on her decades of activism and a wide reading of environmental, cultural, and political history, Solnit argues that radicals have a long, neglected history of transformative victories, that the positive consequences of our acts are not always immediately seen, directly knowable, or even measurable, and that pessimism and despair rest on an unwarranted confidence about what is going to happen next. Now, with a moving new introduction explaining how the book came about and a new afterword that helps teach us how to hope and act in our unnerving world, she brings a new illumination to the darkness of our times in an unforgettable new edition of this classic book. “One of the best books of the 21st century.” —The Guardian “No writer has better understood the mix of fear and possibility, peril and exuberance that’s marked this new millennium.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author of Falter “An elegant reminder that activist victories are easily forgotten, and that they often come in extremely unexpected, roundabout ways.” —The New Yorker

"If your soul is dry and your prayers are dead, here is living water to revive and refresh you." — David Murray Jesus's ministry on earth as a human was marked by a devotion to prayer. Through his prayer life, we see what it means to truly depend on God. Examining all of Jesus's prayers recorded in the New Testament, this book reflects on the content and structure of the Son of God's words to his Father— helping us imitate his example as we commune with our heavenly Father as adopted sons and daughters in Christ.

When hope is lost, this author believes that the Cross Lights the Way to eternal life. Romans 15:13. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” It is the goal of this author to project a living hope of the fulfillment of all the promises presented in the gospel. The hope of His calling. (Ephesians 1:18;4:4) In our fallen and corrupted world when COVID-19 has continued to change the dynamics of social, physical, economic, and ecumenical interaction; and when many people are experiencing poverty, evictions, death, disasters, hunger, injustice, wars, and conflicting feelings and issues of uncertainties, we need a new projection of hope. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and save the crushed in spirit. See Psalm 34:17–18. It is the belief of this writer that God will hear your prayers and your cries, as you begin the process of rebuilding your life of overcoming your pain, fears, and disbelief due to the loss of your mother, your father, your child, or a member of your family or some dear friend due to COVID-19. Recovery to a new life is not easy when your dreams are shattered and when not an earthly soul will listen to your cries, but there is hope. Yes, it is the living hope in Jesus Christ when you focus your eyes on the cross. Jesus claims that he is your only link between you and God the father. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). 19

Do we live in a world that makes sense, not just now, but totally and forever? If, as scientists now predict, the universe is going to end in collapse or decay, can it really be a divine creation? Is there a credible hope of a destiny beyond death? In this engaging and intellectually scrupulous book, a leading scientist-theologian draws on ideas from science, scripture, and theology to address these important questions. John Polkinghorne carefully builds a structure of the hope of the life to come that involves both continuity and discontinuity with life in this world—enough continuity so that it is we ourselves who shall live again in that future world and enough discontinuity to ensure that the second story is not just a repetition of the first. Polkinghorne develops his argument in three sections. In the first, he considers the role of contemporary scientific insights and cultural expectations. In the second, he gives a careful account of the various testimonies of hope to be found in the Bible and assesses the credibility of belief in Jesus’ resurrection. In the final section he critically analyzes and defends the Christian hope of the life of the new creation.