Terminology Tuesday: Hope
One of the primary Christian virtues, along with faith and love. Hope is a positive expectation of some future good that is not yet present and where there is some uncertainty, at least about the time when that good will be realized. Hope seems epistemologically weaker than belief, since one can hope for an event that one does not believe will occur. Some philosophers have proposed that hope might replace belief as a key element in faith, making faith easier to justify as reasonable. Biblically, however, it appears that faith and hope are linked. We hope for the coming of God’s kingdom because of our trust in God, and this trust includes beliefs about God’s reality and goodness as well as beliefs about God’s actions in Jesus.
Evans, C. S. (2002). Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (p. 55). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Richard Porter
Richard Porter is apologetics ministry leader at Calvary Church of West Hartford in Connecticut and a Chapter Director with Ratio Christi. Richard has studied apologetics for over a decade. Prior to his conversion, apologetics was a huge part of what God used to reel him in to the faith. From the popular works of Lee Strobel to the more academic defenses of Christianity by William Lane Craig, apologetics has always caught his eye. He has a passion for equipping Christians to defend the faith and hopes to one day be in full-time ministry. He also has aspirations to pursue an academic career of his own if the Lord permits. In his spare time Richard enjoys exploring New Testament studies and analytic philosophy. In addition to his intellectual pursuits, Richard also enjoys kettlebell and martial arts training – particularly Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. He also has two sons that are being trained as young apologists and martial artists.
