In his thoughtful essay, “Why I Am Hopeful,” author Andy Crouch offers his reasons for hope in the midst of the troubled and uncertain environment in which we find ourselves.

(The essay was posted October 20, 2008, on the Books and Culture website.)

Crouch first clarifies that his hope does not lie in any of the following:
• the belief there is an easy way out of the economic mess we’re in;
• his confidence that our next president will be able to solve our problems;
• the assurance that we are well-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead;
• the hope that life will get easier, or even be as easy as it has been, in America.

He is careful to distinguish his view of our current situation from that of others, who tend to see our troubles, in some cases celebratively, as the demise of capitalism and the market-oriented economic system. Crouch in fact gives due praise to the economic principles and practices which, while not perfect, nevertheless have helped to produce, in the U. S. and throughout the world, the most transparent, self-correcting, accessible, innovative, productive, and beneficial economic engine in history.

Nevertheless, his hope doesn’t lie in this economic engine either, as fruitful as it has been. Rather, he invites us to find hope in the possibility that the current crisis will expose some “weeds” in our general culture and in the Christian church that choke out other, crucially important values. Chief among these weeds, in Crouch’s view, is our obsession with ease: the expectation that, with advancing technology, medications for every real or perceived ill, free-flowing and inexpensive energy, and ever-increasing affluence, life should and will be easy, bringing with it little pain or struggle or rigorous self-discipline.

…here is the good news in our very real and sobering predicament: Easy is not going to be easy any longer. Our culture’s addiction to ease is unsustainable. A core Christian conviction – one that informed much of the best of Western civilization – is that the good life is not easy. It requires discipline. It invites us into pain.

Considering the virtues that a previous generation developed through the Great Depression, Crouch anticipates that we in our generation may now have the privilege of learning those same virtues – discipline, thrift, hard work, community, endurance, and long-term perspective. The men and women of that generation – the generation of my own father and mother – bear testimony to their experience that “…life has not been easy, but it has been good. Very, very good.”

While Crouch focuses primarily on our current economic situation, it is no stretch to apply his word of hope in other contexts as well. The prospect of massive social and cultural change looms large: redefinitions of sex, sexuality, and marriage; continuing degradation of the sanctity and dignity of human life; employment laws that inhibit faith-based organizations from hiring personnel in accord with their missions; the application of “hate speech” legislation to religious and moral expression. While there may be disagreement about how soon and how comprehensive such changes will be, there can hardly be doubt that the next fifty years will bring challenges to biblical faith and living unlike any in the previous century. Christians in America may be required to learn to live as the Bible describes — as strangers in a strange land. In such circumstances, our hope is that we will be driven back to the foundations of our faith: our conviction about God’s sovereign reign over his creation and his gracious purposes for his people; our trust in his sufficient provision and protection, in life and in death; our love and care for one another in the church, and the overflow of that love toward all those in need; our obedience to the Lord’s command not to give in to fear and anxiety, but, with rejoicing and thanksgiving, to cast our anxieties on him, knowing that he cares for us better than we can care for ourselves.

I don’t mean to imply that we should give up on social and political engagement. We should work hard at all levels of society, seeking the good of our land and the glory of God through all the political and social and legal processes available. Further, the economic system which has gotten us where we are is still the best available; capitalism is, as Winston Churchill cleverly put it, “the worst economic system – except for all the others!” I believe that the principles of the market economy still work and are worth following.

But in these next years we may well have the opportunity to be reminded once again, in convicting ways, of the larger story of God’s work in the world, through the gospel and his church, and to have our aims and methods reformed and refined according to the Scriptures. We may well join with brothers and sisters throughout history and around the world who have believed and lived the gospel under horrendous conditions – of poverty, prejudice, and persecution. Our faith and hope may well be tested beyond what we could imagine, and we may have the severe blessing of witnessing God at work through the struggles and sufferings of his covenant people.

May God enable us, with discernment and courage, to live as his faithful, gospel people in the less easy years that lie ahead. May God strengthen us at Covenant College to continue to raise up generations of followers of Jesus Christ who know the truth and obey God’s Word, no matter what the circumstance or the cost. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!