Light in the Darkness: Exploring the Path of Christian Hope
Ebook
What does it mean for human society, and for us individually, if we really want heaven on earth? The Christian hope is often thought of simply as a hope for the life to come, but if we are true to Jesus' prayer, then our hope cannot be limited to the life to come, but is also for the life here and now.
Light in the Darkness explores the Christian hope for today. Taking to heart the petition in the Lord's Prayer that the Kingdom shall come on earth as it is in heaven.
The book explores seven basic hopes: for truth, justice, freedom, a new beginning, enlightenment, peace and love. These hopes are beautifully expressed in the Advent Antiphons, the ancient praises of Jesus that mark the seven days before Christmas Eve; Brought together with the I Am sayings from John's Gospel and the Book of Revelation the author shows how, with each of the seven hopes, Christian faith offers a deeper and more insightful understanding than secular approaches. The fulfilment of hope requires a change of heart, a new spirit, and this is explored through some challenging issues, particularly about the way economic ideas, our individualistic culture, and the legacy of the Enlightenment shape hope in the modern world.
A global pandemic and a lockdown radically affecting every aspect of life as we have known it offer considerable challenges to our understanding of the virtue of hope. Peter Sills’ Light in the Darkness: Exploring the Path of Christian Hope could not be more apposite in its exploration of Christian hope as a practice shaping personal and societal living. A demanding yet fulfilling read, it provokes reflection on biblical and liturgical texts and offers powerful perspectives on the ‘new normal’.
This book explores the path of Christian hope, which has become a precious commodity in recent months. It has a clear structure, utilising the Advent antiphons (which are included) and also the ‘I am…’ sayings of Jesus as a framework. The antiphons are familiar to us in a versified form through the hymn ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!’ and they speak of a hope that is both personal and social, reflecting the hopes of people in every age and of every faith. The seven hopes that are explored (one per chapter) are for truth, justice, freedom, a new beginning, light, peace and love. The book is wide-ranging, biblical and spiritual and contains numerous references to modern life, including the coronavirus pandemic. The author’s background in law and economics is evident and this exploration of hope is written out of his conviction ‘that the Christian understanding of both the human person and human society offers the best way forward out of our present confusion.’ One of the strengths of the book lies in its ability to make meaningful connections between biblical material and life in the 21st century. The book makes no claims to be suitable for group study, but for personal reading and reflection during Advent it would be both challenging and worthwhile.
- Title: Light in the Darkness: Exploring the Path of Christian Hope
- Author: Peter Sills
- Publisher: Sacristy Press
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781789591026, 9781789591002, 1789591007, 9781789591019, 1789591015, 1789591023
- Resource ID: LLS:9781789591026
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-26T08:09:09Z