Optimism and Pessimism

Abstract

"A view of the future calls for a perspective on the relationship between the present and the future. Varieties of Christian eschatology have established this relationship in different ways in spite of the fact that all Christians share in the ultimate optimism of God's finished work of redemption and new creation. Among those concerned with the role of science and technology in the shaping of the future, there has arisen a neo-postmillennialism in which growth of scientific understanding is seen as grounds for optimism in the present, leading to the construction of a world suitable to receive its returning Lord. This neo-post-millennialism tends to minimize the ultimate work of God in the future in comparison with the present work of God through men, rests on a false idealism as to the potentialities of science in a sinful world, and creates frustration leading even to violence and despair among Christians who believe that they are God's only instruments for bringing in the Kingdom. Christian realism, on the other hand, avoids both optimism and pessimism based on false premises in the present, and permits a Christian to be free to work constructively for the betterment of a world destined for destruction"