In the early 1960s, the German theologian Jurgen Moltmann wrote a incredible book called “Theology of Hope”. This work takes as its assumption that true Christian faith can only have its transforming effect on the individual, on society and on the world when it is rooted in a vision of hope. “From first to last, and not merely in the epilogue,” wrote Moltmann, “Christianity is hope, forward looking and forward moving, and therefore also revolutionizing and transforming the present.”
In Moltmann’s view, to live in hope does not mean that one lives in a state of disconnectedness from the present because of some expectation of a greater although unrealized future; rather, to live with a vision of hope gives a person — and the church — the inspiration and the motivation never to settle for the status quo, but rather to challenge and perhaps even work towards the transformation of any dimension of life that is not in line with that envisioned hope.