Faith Among the Faithless

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S FATH AMONG THE FAITHLESS ABOUT?
This is hard to sum up briefly, but I'm going to give it a shot—we live in a compromised age, society is changing, shifting—it's difficult to predict what the next few years are going to look like, but one thing is certain: Western Culture, particularly that of the U. S., isn't going to look anything like it did before. How is the Christian to react?

Many hold up Daniel as the model of how to behave in a culture hostile to the Faith. Cosper thinks he's the wrong model

...there's a problem with looking to Daniel: Most of us aren't a Daniel. In fact, we are far from it. As much as we recognize that our culture is in decline, we also kind of . . . like it. Christians in general consume as much mass media and are as addicted to pornography, as likely to divorce, as consumeristic, and as obsessed with social media as the rest of our world. Again: we're immersed in a secular age, and it's had a profound effect upon us...while [Daniel is] a great model of faithfulness, I'm not sure he's the best reference point for most of us.

...her story is more complicated than [the storybook versions we're used to]. And much darker. It's less VeggieTales and more Game of Thrones, with a lot more sex, murder, and impaling than the usual version of the story would imply. (There's actually quite a bit of impaling.) Mordecai and Esther's motivations are sometimes murky and sometimes blatantly self- serving.

Esther's story reveals a way forward in a culture where people of faith find themselves at the margins of society. She neither clutches for power nor seeks self- protection. Instead, she faces reality, embraces weakness, and finds faith, hope, and help from a world unseen...Her story is also an invitation to those whose faith, convictions, and morality are less than they wish they were.

...the story is a reminder that God doesn't abandon his people, no matter how dark their circumstances, how compromised their hearts are, or how hidden he may seem.

FAITH AMONG THE FAITHLESS

Whatever happens in the years and decades to come, we can be sure that faithfulness looks pretty much like it did three thousand years ago. Sometimes it looks like Daniel: a steady path of spiritual formation and obedience. But sometimes, and perhaps more often than not in the world we occupy today, it looks more like Esther: a path of awakening, risk, vulnerability, and, ultimately, hope.