“There is no hope where suspicion is king.” ~ Jacques Ellul
Charles Ringma elaborates a bit more in his reflections found in Resist the Powers with Jacques Ellul (May 28):
“Hope can be born in the seemingly most impossible of situations. But it does not arise in the context of fear and suspicion.”
There’s a deep desire in me for honesty and realism. And yet, the flip side of this quest sometimes is when one is over-exposed to the reality of human sinfulness, weakness and limitations and the chaotic nature of human life on earth, it’s easy to have “hope” for change dampened if not diminished.
When one lives in a world often full of betrayal, mistrust, egoism, and self-serving agendas coached in even “religious”-spiritual lingo, it breeds fear and suspicion and thus paralyses us from “genuine hope”. I don’t think we can escape facing these realities if we are serious about our calling as Christ-followers and fulfilling our role as his Catalyst for change. For me, right now it’s crucial to make sure I’m saturated by “good stuff” in the context of faith and trust – which not not only starts with Christ but also with the church local and global. There has been some taste of that in the past years. May we feast more of it in years to come …
I’m reading through Resist The Powers this year too – very powerful.