Edgework

To say that 2018 has been a momentous year is an understatement. Indeed, it has brought out some of the best and the worst in people around the globe. And that leaves most of us with that uncomfortable blend of hope and fear, or you might say optimism and dread, as we begin 2019.

To be honest, I am sometimes caught on the darker side of this blend. As I look around the world I sense a sinister darkness emerging. We seem to be headed for a new dark age that just might eclipse the ugliest times of the 20th century. The new populism emerging world-wide threatens to undo human rights, progressive politics and even democracy itself. A new cold war has world leaders talking about the nuclear option in a way I haven’t heard for half a century. Trade wars and political intrigue promise to upend a world order that we have come to rely on for security

On the environmental front, I witness degradation caused by human action and inaction on a global scale that is mindboggling. I see the charts and hear the stories depicting global warming, glacial melt, accelerating species extinction and extreme weather around the globe. Meanwhile some powerful corporations and politicians are denying that anything unusual is happening to justify staying on their destructive trajectories. Not only that, they try to silence those who take notice. Many of us fear we are leaving a devastated world to our progeny.

And then, of course, this evolving political and environmental nightmare is producing more refugees than the world has ever seen before. Sixty million people are now caught somewhere in the borderlands between here and there with no place to call home. At the same time, many developed nations are working feverishly to thicken their borders to keep them out. Analysts fear refugee numbers will only climb in the decades ahead.

On the religious front, we are witnessing an internal disintegration of traditional Christian religions especially in Europe and North America. Millennials are migrating out of organized religion in droves and churches are being converted into condos or demolished. Yet, at the same time, there is a resurgence of a militant fundamentalism that is aligning itself with alt-right ideologies and eschatological visions cheering on the approach of Armageddon.

Yet amidst of the many “shades of gray” I have witnessed in 2018, I have repeatedly been filled with hope and optimism for a better future. As a matter of fact, that is why I keep writing and posting my essays in which I try to ferret out and highlight those positive dynamics in our world that deserve our attention, support and participation.

On the political front, I see grass-roots movements emerging in various places that are energized by a higher vision of justice, equity and integrity than presently on display. As a senior, I am delighted that many of these movements are driven by the energies and visions of young people. They are dissatisfied with incrementalism and are demanding bold new initiatives to counter the toxic policies kept in place by many of those benefiting from the status quo. Their vision is global, inclusive and positive. Is this an expression of Isaiah’s vision that, “…a little child shall lead them?” Perhaps. This gives me hope.

Speaking of the environment, I regularly hear of technological breakthroughs that raise the possibility of a world that may have moved beyond the use of fossil fuels within my lifetime. And I take note that many people are organizing to demonstrate practices that are environmentally friendly and to advocate for their acceptance in their home communities. I have been part of this movement for more than a decade and even though it sometimes seems only a few are taking note, I am encouraged that some respond positively.

On the refugee file, I find a lot of hope living in a small community that has opened its arms to the desperate of the world. While in some places of the world refugees are not welcome, here in Altona they are. Heading up a task force to manage an organic community garden this past summer, involving both refugees and long-time residents, has been a fulfilling challenge. As I see many local people getting to know “new immigrants,” hearing their stories and working to make them feel welcome I am encouraged and experience hope.

On the religious front, I have been encouraged in recent years to notice that there is a substantial movement within the Christian church advocating for a progressive vision of faith and life. This movement both enlivens faith and demonstrates that there is a way of making God relevant in our troubled times. There are many writers I have been following who stretch me in this direction, including, N.T. Wright, Jim Wallis, Christian Smith, Eugene Peterson, Stuart Murray, Brad Jersak, Gregory Boyd, Scott McKnight, Michael Hardin, Ted Grimsrud, Peter Enns, Shane Claiborne, Mark Baker, Sharon Baker, Brené Brown, René Girarde, Philip Yancey, Richard Rohr, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and a host of others. I am fortunate to be part of a church community here in Altona that embraces this movement.

Perhaps Brian McLaren’s latest book, The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian (2016), best describes the contours of this movement. In section one, he talks about the spiritual migration from a system of beliefs to a way of life. In section two, he states that the theological migration is from a violent God of domination to a nonviolent God of liberation. And in the third section, he describes the missional migration as being from organized religion to organizing religion. All this needs unpacking of course, so I encourage my readers to pick up the book and read it. That way you will begin to understand why I continue to have hope for the church and our world in 2019.