{"id":10790,"date":"2020-01-16T13:48:09","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T13:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/?post_type=word_world&p=10790"},"modified":"2020-01-27T11:03:24","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T11:03:24","slug":"pessimistic-theology-and-its-impact-on-the-world-today","status":"publish","type":"word_world","link":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/journal\/pessimistic-theology-and-its-impact-on-the-world-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Pessimistic theology and its impact on the world today"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

During my first years at university I started to read the\nBible and explore Christianity. Back then there were two things \u2013 possibly a\nbit extreme \u2013 that defined my life: my faith and my hope. I started attending a\nchurch and in that context some seeds were inadvertently being planted in my\nmind and invaded my thoughts. Now, looking back, I realise that they were the\nseeds of pessimistic theology. These seeds float around the fields of the\nProtestant evangelical culture and they usually grow when they fall on\nextremely cold and selfish soil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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One of the things that defines pessimistic theology is its lack of hope for this world. Although it does recognise the glory of eternal life, it has nothing to offer today to a wounded creation. This melancholic way of thinking is one of the main reasons for the current lack of environmental and social awareness in evangelical Christian churches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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During World War I some theologians introduced the premillennial theory in churches. Based on that theory they developed ideas that became deeply entrenched, like the view of the current \u201cbad world\u201d that is beyond repair and cannot be improved, and the idea that the world will gradually get worse and worse in terms of ecology, politics, society, economy and moral issues until Jesus returns. So the idea is that if the world continues to deteriorate and only Jesus will restore it when he comes again, what is the point of trying to improve society right now? What is the point of caring for a world that is going to be gradually destroyed until the end comes?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

It is amazing how such an utterly absurd theory that goes\nagainst the Bible and against Jesus’ message of hope can emerge from the church\nand affect Christian believers so much. It is very worrying that the people who\nwere once known as the \u201cpeople of hope\u201d have been filled with pessimism,\ndisillusionment and despair. But it is even worse that we actually find\nourselves coming up with theology that supports this pessimism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

In ABUA (Asociaci\u00f3n B\u00edblica Universitaria Argentina), the IFES movement in Argentina, for some time now we have been working and giving training on the topic of how Christian students should engage with society. A few years ago, former student Ezequiel Deleu (now an architect) took part in the \u201cCaring for Creation\u201d workshop, and this drastically changed the course of his career. Ezequiel has said many times that studying the theology of hope more in depth gave him the final boost he needed to start up his own company, Micromundo<\/a>, a successful startup that aims to \u201cbring nature to the city\u201d. With green roofs, living frames, vertical gardens and natural pools, he aims to reconnect citizens with nature, because God\u2019s invisible qualities \u2013 his eternal power and divine nature \u2013 have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (Romans 1:20). This is simply one example of how continuing to hope that God’s Word has the power to transform lives and the reality of the world can give us ideas to serve God’s kingdom through our careers, and  show us how to resist pessimistic theology. If we stop believing something is possible, we will just stop trying.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Pessimistic theology goes completely against Jesus’ message in the synoptic Gospels, because it contradicts the most important theme in his teachings: the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God. Jesus says, \u201cWhat shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade\u201d (Mark 4:30-32). He tells us God’s kingdom is constantly growing, unstoppable. It is a kingdom that does not start with much but that gradually gets larger until it becomes huge and takes over everything as it expands. That is why he also compares it to yeast \u2013 \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about thirty kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough\u201d (Matthew 13:33).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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So those of us who believe that the kingdom of God is\ngrowing here and now, on earth, instead of preaching pessimism, must live with\nhope and try to make our world cleaner, fight the extinction of species, and\ncreate a society that extracts natural resources sustainably, for everyone’s\nbenefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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When I talk to people who defend pessimistic theology, they\nusually say, \u201cThe Bible says everything will get worse,\u201d but when I ask them to\nshow me where the Bible says this exactly, they do not know how to answer. This\nis very serious and we could almost consider it to be a blasphemy because they\nare claiming that the Bible says something it does not, just to justify a\ncomfortable and passive way of life. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The history of humanity, however, shows us that in the past 2,000 years, societies have been through cycles of destruction and reconstruction, so today’s signs of environmental or moral destruction are not valid prophetic signs. We must not forget how Christians in the past brought about positive change in their societies, like ending slavery, fighting racism and such. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Something else that defenders of pessimistic theology claim,\nis the idea that \u201cChrist is returning soon and the whole creation will be\ndestroyed.\u201d So, why should Christians care for the environment if Jesus is\ncoming soon and will destroy it all? This idea is even more dangerous than the\nfirst one because whoever maintains it is a false prophet. I dare to say this\nbecause Jesus was very clear: \u201cBut about that day or hour no one knows, not\neven the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father\u201d (Matthew 24:36).\nSo if no one knows when he is coming again, how can some Christians claim they\ndo and use this supposed prophetic knowledge to justify their total apathy when\nit comes to caring for creation? We should not listen to these false prophets\nof our time, because as children of God we must be prepared and live as if\nJesus were to return today, and never use this idea to support our defeatism\nand laziness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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If Jesus says that no one knows when the end will come, what shall we do if God has determined that the human race should live in this world another 100,000 years? What shall we do as humans to survive in the meantime? And I wonder, when Jesus asks whether when he comes he will find faith on earth (Luke 18:8), does he mean that when he comes he will find only a handful of people with faith or just no people?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In short, the fact that Jesus is coming again soon must\nencourage us to lead a godly life that is completely dedicated to caring for\nhis creation and expanding his kingdom. We should not use it as an excuse for\nneglecting these issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

We must abandon this pessimistic theology that focuses on\nthe destruction of this world, and instead we should adopt a theology that\nexpects God’s perfect redemption, because \u201cthe creation itself will be\nliberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of\nthe children of God\u201d (Romans 8:21). We must stop looking at the world without\nhope and start seeing it for what it really is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Let’s promote a theology of hope that talks about justice in economy, politics and society, in harmony with ecology and that fights to free all people and creation. A theology of hope will help us to share a more comprehensive gospel message and make a more radical commitment as Christians. The church will no longer be merely a religious institution and will become a true champion of the kingdom of God. The hope that we have as children of God towards creation is stronger than any pessimistic theology and we must make it a reality in our ministries, jobs and during the handful of years we spend as university students. Let’s get rid of pessimistic theologies and fly the flags of hope that citizens of the kingdom of God have flown for so long! God’s people have to be once again the hope that creation as a whole needs!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n \n \n <\/svg><\/span>\n Download Word & World Issue 8 (PDF) <\/span>\n <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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Discussion questions <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
  • In your church or student group, which theology about creation is more widespread? Is it pessimistic or optimistic?
    <\/li>
  • Do you think the Bible is more pessimistic or optimistic regarding creation?
    <\/li>
  • How does one theology or another (pessimistic or optimistic) affect your life as a student, professional, family member or church member?<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n

    Further reading <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n
    • Ian Bradley. God is Green: <\/em>Christianity and the Environment. Darton,Longman & Todd, 1990.
      <\/li>
    • Padilla DeBorst, Ruth; David Zac Niringiye; and C. Ren\u00e9 Padilla. Semillas de nueva creaci\u00f3n: pistas b\u00edblicas para una vida ecol\u00f3gicamente justa. <\/em>Buenos Aires: Kairos, 2010.
      <\/li>
    • Stam, Juan B. Las buenas nuevas de la creaci\u00f3n.<\/em> Buenos Aires: Kair\u00f3s, 2003.
      <\/li>
    • Stott, John. The Contemporary Christian.<\/em> IVP, 1992.
      <\/li>
    • \u2014\u2014\u2014. Issues facing Christians Today.<\/em> Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2006.
      <\/li>
    • Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. <\/em>IVP, 2006.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
      \n

      Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version\u00ae, NIV\u00ae Copyright \u00a91973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.\u00ae<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":10827,"template":"","area":[],"theme":[1275],"class_list":["post-10790","word_world","type-word_world","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","theme-ww8-hope-for-creation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPessimistic theology and its impact on the world today · IFES<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"During my first years at university I started to read the Bible and explore Christianity. 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