A good prophet of doom, or at least a good-hearted prophet, always hopes that he is wrong. The same might be said of persecuted prophets, even of weeping prophets, as in the ancient tradition of Jeremiah. For that matter, it might also be said of good-hearted and good-humored prophets, as in the modern tradition of a Mark Steyn or a Pat Buchanan. Whether they would accept the title or not, both men are prophets of sorts; and as such, each seems to be hoping against hope that the future will not bring what they fear that it will bring.
Hoping against hope? Is that the best that we can hope to do? Perhaps not, but it is important to keep in mind that hope is a Christian virtue, and one that is especially (maybe only?) worth practicing at difficult moments. As G.K. Chesterton once put, “hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless or it is no virtue at all.”
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