Like caffeine: it picks us up, so we don’t stop to think about its source. But hope isn’t neutral. There are many things we hope in that end in huge disappointment and even painful consequences. They leave people feeling hopeless. Or they’re afraid to hope for fear of being let down. Is cynicism the answer?
Televangelists have made it difficult for people to listen to the Bible’s teachings about money. They flash their expensive cars and jewelry and declare that ‘Poverty is from the devil and God wants all Christians to be prosperous.’ In reality, they’re running a Christian pyramid scheme and getting rich on people who don’t know better. But where do they get their ideas and how should we understand the passages they wrongly cite?