I want to share some reflections on hope, taken from the latest edition of World Wildlife Fund’s quarterly magazine.
First, a word about this publication. In brief: I love it. [You can view the issue here: https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/magazine/]
Everyone who knows me knows how much I love animals, and I have been a supporter of WWF for decades; I both believe in and am inspired by the amazing work that they do all around the globe. So, I love this magazine, because while I am so often discouraged about the state of environmental degradation, habitat loss, and the rising number of animal species that are threatened with extinction, the stories they highlight are stories of hope. They show how local organizations and committed individuals, working in collaboration, can change traditional attitudes about wildlife and wildlife conservation, and create new structures and systems that are mutually beneficial to animal and human populations–both of whom ultimately depend on the same natural resources for life. For example, in this issue, there was a story about the successful reintroduction of wild populations of European bison, the development of battery powered boats in the Sundarbans region in India, and efforts to develop sustainable tourism to support the flourishing of Bonobos in the Congo basin.
But, what really caught my eye in this issue was an article titled “The Science of Hope,” by Rebecca Shaw. She opened the article with this statement: “I’m WWF’s chief scientist, and I want to talk about hope.” Rebecca, you have my attention.
In the article, she doesn’t shy away from the alarming situation facing our planet. She writes: “Since 1970, the average size of monitored wildlife populations has declined by approximately 73%, while freshwater populations have fallen by an even steeper 85%. Habitat loss and degradation remains the leading driver, compounded by unsustainable use of natural resources, climate change, pollution, and invasive species. Together, these pressures are reshaping ecosystems across the globe.”
Faced with these statistics, it is not surprising that many us feel discouraged–even despairing–and are tempted to just give up—losing hope that this trajectory can be reversed.
In such a situation, she writes: “I recognize that the word hope can sound naïve, especially coming from a scientist. Scientists are trained to be skeptical, to follow evidence wherever it leads. But I urge people to think of hope in a different way, not a wishful thinking or unfounded confidence that everything will somehow work out, but as something far more practical. Psychologists describe hope as a cognitive process that helps people tackle difficult challenges. It begins with a meaningful goal, but it also requires a realistic path to achieve that goal, a sense of agency to pursue it and adapt when necessary, and the resilience to keep going when progress is slow or setbacks occur.”
I love that description, and for me, it resonates with where the church is right now, too. Many people despair that the church is shrinking, congregations are closing, and there aren’t enough rostered leaders. Hope can feel hard to come by. But, the church can learn from the lessons we are seeing in conservation efforts.
Again, Shaw writes: “Conservation victories almost never result from a single breakthrough or a lone heroic effort. More often, they emerge gradually through persistence, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt as new challenges arise.”
I think we have seen that in the church as well. Thriving typically occurs through partnerships, innovation, and the willingness to continue to ask questions, experiment, learn and grow. And of course, in the church, we use the language of discerning the movement of the Holy Spirit, and following her lead. (I like to think that she is also vibrant and active in these conservation efforts, too, even if her presence goes unacknowledged!).
Imagine the previous quote in the context of the church: Thriving ministry/congregational life almost never results from a single breakthrough or a lone heroic effort. More often, it emerges gradually through persistence, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt as new challenges arise.
Shaw closes her article with the argument that positive tipping points are catching, and can magnify and grow, creating significant change and a new narrative. When others see what is possible, they can come to believe it for themselves, in their own situations and their own contexts, and hope can be reborn, even in places where it seemed to be lost.
She writes: “We are not Sisyphus, doomed to push endlessly against an unchanging world….The conservation successes I have seen, from the recovery of tigers to the protection of the Amazon, demonstrate what determined people can accomplish together. And positive tipping points…show how, under the right conditions, collective efforts can transform systems as vast and entrenched as energy, food, and finance. When that happens, the boulder doesn’t roll back down the hill. It reaches the crest and keeps on going, as the forces that have driven nature’s decline for decades now drive its recovery.”
As I said, the work of World Wildlife Fund gives me hope that we are not on an irreversible trajectory toward extinction and environmental collapse. And, it inspires me to continue to work to make a difference in my own life, my neighborhood, and my own sphere of influence. Every little bit helps, and the more of us who join hands and work together toward a common vision, the more success we will have, and the more hope will spread.
So for the church as well. I hope that the work we are doing at Wartburg Theological Seminary provides this kind of hope, as we seek to form leaders in new ways, for a changing church. The world still needs the hope the gospel of Jesus Christ brings, and, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we seek to follow her lead and share that hope, so that more people–and animals, and the world itself–can experience the abundant life Christ brings.
