How Then Shall We Live as a People of Faith in a World in Crisis?

Abstract

This article addresses the question of how the community of faith (the church, etc.) should respond to the world in crisis. It provides a spiritual perspective on this crisis rather than a full description of the problems and how to solve them. It draws upon the life and teaching of Jesus to discern how to respond to our troubled world, noting that Jesus too lived in a world in crisis. The article underlines that Jesus fully lived the “more excellent way” described by Paul in First Corinthians. The community of faith responds with a thoughtful faith, hope grounded in salvation history (i.e., the entrance of God into human affairs, from Abraham to the present), and unconditional love, following the example of Jesus. In these ways, the community of faith helps mitigate “a world in crisis” and empowers faithful followers to flourish.