Hope and Despair in Today’s World

Abstract

This chapter describes how hope and activism form an important part of the Christian faith commitment, and as Avery Dulles's work shows, such hope and activism entails a dynamic conversion in one's faith commitment. Looking at Dulles's work, it draws out a message of hope that can speak to the situation today, bringing together Dulles's method and work on faith, Church, and society. In response to the hope and despair of the youth for today's socioeconomic and political realities, the chapter highlights three points from Dulles's work. First, Dulles emphasizes that hope is rooted in the Christian faith commitment in Jesus Christ that entails conversion; second, that such a faith commitment supports and is supported by a vision of hope in the Kingdom of God; and third, that such a faith commitment is developed and strengthened within the context of community — that of the Church. The chapter then applies this in particular to the Philippine setting, where hope and despair are particularly felt by the majority Catholic country amid grinding poverty, extrajudicial killings, and worsening living conditions.