Hope in the Midst of Chaos

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We are living in chaotic times. The novel coronavirus has upended life around the world and brought on the worst economic conditions in decades. The US government has not only failed to provide leadership in controlling the virus, but seems determined to make it worse.

Additionally, the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others sparked global demonstrations for racial justice and police reforms. Women continue to speak out about the discrimination and harassment they have experienced from organizations such the Washington NFL team. Still looming is a climate crisis that could bring massive species extinction and make the planet unfit for human habitation.

It feels like the world we know is breaking down all around us. And that gives me hope.

Global capitalism based on increasing GDP has failed to provide the widespread prosperity it promised. Instead of a rising tide that lifts all boats, it has allowed 26 billionaires to amass more wealth than the poorest half of humanity, and 1% of the US population to own more than the bottom 90%. (Korten)

Racial and gender injustice and the climate crisis are not separate issues, but are products of the same system. The western colonial movement that allowed capitalism to thrive relied on the genocide and displacement of indigenous people, the enslavement of African Americans, and the subjugation of women.

Neither are ecological problems unrelated, as the present economy is based on ever increasing consumption of material goods with no regard for planetary limits. GDP as a measure of economic health does not take into account the detrimental impact on the environment, communities, and health, and any regulations designed to curtail such impacts are viewed as a hindrance to business.

Donald Trump was swept into office based on his promised to restore America to global dominance. But according to Marian Wright Edelman, Trump represents “the implosion of the American dream.” (Kristof) While he gives lip service to racial and gender equality, his actions demonstrate that he is deeply entrenched in white supremacy and male dominance. His policies are hostile to immigrants, and he has rolled back scores of environmental policies. His singular commitment to American economic prosperity blinded him to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans that could have been prevented by an orchestrated federal plan for containing the coronavirus so we could safely reopen, as other countries have done. Once the most powerful nation in the world, the US is now the object of global pity.

The breakdown of these interconnected systems of inequality creates a space for something new to emerge. This opportunity is being embraced by more and more Americans, and especially young people, offering a beacon of hope in this chaotic time.

Stalwart Trump supporters (who, not surprisingly, skew white, male, and older) share his dream of a bygone era that can somehow be resurrected, but many Americans have realized that the emperor has no clothes. They recognize that such a system is not sustainable. The vast majority of Americans support higher taxes on the wealthy to reduce poverty (89%), and two-thirds think we are not doing enough to address climate change. (Kristof) Despite partisan differences over race, two thirds of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement and are concerned about the longstanding mistreatment of Black people. (Pew Forum)

America is ripe for change, and while social transformation is slow and painful, the intertwined crises we are currently experiencing may hasten the process.

Two years ago, Walter Brueggemann spoke at the Sojourners Summit for Change using biblical models that seem even more relevant today. He described Solomon’s monarchy as an example of empire: an extractive economy that concentrated wealth in the elite and silenced voices of dissent. The biblical prophets imagined an alternative life that God called them to help bring about.

Drawing comparisons to our 21st century world, Brueggemann noted four aspects of what a transformed society would involve:

  • A new ecological model that values the earth and all living creatures.
  • A new ecumenism that de-centers Western white Christians.
  • A new economy based on love of neighbor that guarantees the wellbeing of all.
  • A new multiculturalism that opposes white nationalism.

Brueggemann used three terms derived from the Greek word oikos, which means “household.” This moment offers the opportunity to create an ecology, an economy, and an ecumenism rooted in the good of the entire household, and not just the wealthy elite.

How we emerge from this pandemic will determine the future of our country and our world. Will we continue to embrace a regressive vision that is not sustainable in the face of the impending ecological disaster and changing demographics? Or will we join God in the difficult but transformative work of rejecting the broken systems that brought on this chaos and creating societies where all beings thrive?

God calls us as surely as God called the people in Isaiah’s time:

“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

(Isaiah 43:18-19a)

Such a transformation is driven by hope, and hope, according to Mariame Kaba, is a discipline – something to be practiced. May the vision of a more just and sustainable world inspire in us the hope we need to make it a reality.

The following works are cited in or helped to inspire the thinking reflected in this post:

Walter Brueggemann: “Jesus Acted Out the Alternative to Empire,” June 22, 2018, Sojourners

Walter Brueggemann: “Who Will Lead Us Out of This Wilderness,” July 24, 2020, Church Anew

David Korten: “Wellbeing versus GDP: The Challenge and Opportunity of Human Development in the 21st Century,” International Science Council

Nicholas Kristof: “We Interrupt This Gloom to Offer … Hope,” July 16, 2020, The New York Times

Bill McKibben: “Back to Church, but Not, Let’s Hope, Back to Normal,” July 6, 2020, The New Yorker

“The Pandemic Portal: How this Moment Will Change Everything,” webinar with Zenobia Jeffries Warfield, Nafeez Ahmed, and David Korten, July 16, 2020, Yes! Magazine

A lifelong Methodist, the Rev. Jane Ellen Nickell serves as chaplain at Allegheny College. She is the author of "We Shall Not Be Moved: Methodists Debate Race, Gender, and Homosexuality." This post is republished with the author's permission from her blog, A Nickell for Your Thoughts.