Showing results for "Death, Hope" in Theology

Is a life-threatening illness, a major life change, or just plain old age forcing you to face your own mortality? Probably, like most of us, you'd rather not think or talk about your own death. But ignoring your death won't stop it from happening—the mortality rate is still 100%!

Death is a powerful and sobering reality. While everyone must face death, it is not the end for those united with Christ. Followers of Jesus Christ have resurrection hope―the proclamation that Christ has defeated death and the promise that believers shall share in his victory. The resurrection is essential to the Christian faith and is rooted in the faithfulness of God.

Life expectancy worldwide is twice what it was a hundred years ago. And because of modern medicine, many of us don't often see death up close. That makes it easy to live as if death is someone else's problem. Ignoring the certainty of death doesn't protect us from feeling its effects throughout the lives we're living now—but it does hold us back from experiencing the powerful, everyday relevance of Jesus's promises to us. So long as death remains remote and unreal, Jesus's promises will too. But honesty about death brings hope to life.

Admitted to the ICU with COVID-19, Steve Boyls spent forty-five days on a ventilator and three and a half months in the hospital. As his body struggled to stay alive, his wife, Dr. Kathy Boyls, fought bureaucracy, medical protocols, and demonic attacks and, through warfare, supported by friends and family, received a miracle.

In Embodied Hope, Kelly Kapic invites us to consider the example of our Lord Jesus. Only because Jesus has taken on our embodied existence, suffered alongside us, died, and been raised again can we find any hope from the depths of our own dark valleys of pain. As we look to Jesus, we are invited to participate not only in his sufferings, but also in the church, which calls us out of isolation and into the encouragement and consolation of the communal life of Christ.

Where is Jesus when we need him most? An influential pastor shares how despair can lead us to discover true hope and a deeper relationship with God, helping us emerge stronger and more joyful from times of crisis. “May this careful look at pain in the context of Jesus’s life open up avenues...

There’s no doubt the world is in trouble. We see tragedy in the streets and violence in the news—but what can we do about it? And how can we find peace amid the chaos? We hear increasingly divisive political debates that spotlight the deep and bitter divisions in our society. We feel the...