Realism and Optimism

I realize my last post was pretty morbid since it came from Macbeth’s point of view. Fortunately, one of my very good friends and fellow apologetics lovers, Rebecca Yeager, had a great thought to counteract the depressing force of Macbeth’s words. A few months ago she said to me, ‘A Christian is the only person who can be a grim realist and an incurable optimist at the same time.’

For non-Christians, whose worldviews are all flawed in some serious way, it is impossible to see that world as it is and have hope as well. A realistic view of the world through the lens of humanism, postmodernism, deism, etc, leads to hopelessness. One of the most honest, though most lost, philosophers of the nineteenth century was Friedrich Nietzsche. He realistically saw the world’s problems, and he realized that humanism could not give a satisfactory answer. His realism barred him from hope and optimism.

Christians, however, can look at all the sin, misery, guilt, and shame in their own lives and in the whole world, and not be dismayed. They rest in the wisdom and love of a sovereign, good God whose plan for the universe includes a happy ending.

This means that Christianity is not only true, it is comforting. We don’t have to abandon rationality in order to find meaning, as Soren Kierkegaard claimed. We can have our cake and eat it, too.