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Written by: Anna Jane Joyner, Renewal's co-coordinator. Cross-listed on Sustainlane's Creation Care website.
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)
At a recent meeting of evangelical Christian leaders, my father, a pastor and Christian author, stated “the greatest failing of evangelical Christianity has been to preach the end of the world, while leaving the message of hope to others.” This utterance struck me, and I couldn’t help but smile and feel overcome with the feeling that maybe- just maybe- there was indeed hope for our world, as well as our faith.
As evidenced by this meeting, my father and his contemporaries are beginning to glimpse something important: There is a new generation of Christians who are not satisfied with a version of our faith that preaches saving souls, but does little to save our world.
Oftentimes evangelical youth are given an incomplete picture of the Christian faith that looks something like this:
We were born into a fallen and evil world that will eventually burn. Thus, our only hope is in personal salvation so that we can escape this world and eternal punishment and go to heaven. Therefore, during life here on earth, our only Christian directive is to convert others and stay away from drugs, sex, and rock n’ roll.
Unfortunately, this narrative leaves out crucial elements of our faith. Namely, the hope Christ’s love brings to our world, now.
As a youth, I never could quite stomach the contention that this world was inherently bad and our only hope was in eternal salvation. I enjoyed life too much, and desired to experience the richness and blessings this world has to offer. I also saw a lot of suffering, and was dissatisfied with the common evangelical assumption that, aside from evangelism, Christians aren’t called to participate in working towards a better world. So I turned to other messages that offered hope for this world- and empowered me to be a part of bringing about that vision of hope.
It wasn’t until years later that I realized Christianity does offer a vision of hope for this world. I began to connect with Christians who believe our faith calls us to be agents of positive change in this world, right now. As I watched these passionate people demonstrate Christ’s message of love, healing, and reconciliation to the world in very real and practical ways- from working with refugee children, to spreading awareness about the adverse effects of environmental degradation on the poor, to rebuilding forests and restoring watersheds- I was moved to take a second look at my childhood faith.
What I found was profoundly hopeful, to say the least. Far from disapproving of the material world, God thoughtfully and lovingly created it, calling it “very good.” Throughout the Bible, God consistently delights in creation, declaring His love and admiration for all of His handiwork. As one of my friends likes to say, “our God is the God of beauty and butterflies.” What’s more, Romans 1:20 states that God reveals His character through the world He created. And in Gen 2:15, God clearly commands us to work and care for His garden- the earth. Christ didn’t merely come to save our souls and leave the rest of His creation to burn- He came to “reconcile to himself ALL things, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:20)
These biblical narratives clearly communicate that God does not view this earth as a hopeless wasteland, but rather cares about it deeply and calls Christians to do the same. Yes, we were born into a fallen world- a condition created by our sins. But that does not give us the right to further devalue and degrade God’s creation or disregard the harm we do to our neighbors in the process- the ones we’re commanded to love. Rather, Christ’s message provides us with an incredible vision of hope and renewal for this world- and the people in it. As Christ-followers, we’re called to follow in His footsteps and participate in enacting this vision.
My generation is full of hope. And not just the dreamy, idealistic sort of hope. I’m talking about the kind of hope that actively confronts suffering and injustice and works towards creating a better world. President Obama touched on this when he stated: "Hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead, or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, work for it, and fight for it."
This vision of hope won Barack Obama the presidency of the United States. My generation- including young evangelicals- was one of the primary constituencies that voted him into office. Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not necessarily advocating for Barack Obama’s policies. But I am asserting that he articulated a vision of hope that resonates with my generation, as well as many others. Perhaps this is because the church has yet to really depict and live out a vision that truly reflects our greatest hope- Christ’s life, sacrifice, and message of love, healing, and reconciliation.
For too long evangelical Christianity has failed to present a vision of Christ’s hope to this world. We are called to be agents of Christ’s love. This community should be at the forefront of offering and enacting hope, healing, and reconciliation. However, it has largely been silent and motionless on many of today’s crises- such as social injustice, creation care, the AIDS epidemic, global poverty, childhood hunger in our own country, the energy crisis, and food and water shortages, among many more. As a young person, I implore the evangelical community to amend this needless failure, and to demonstrate Christ’s hope and healing to this world in practical ways.
Pictured above: Anna Jane enjoying God's creation in the beautiful state of Colorado. |
