The Index of Leading Economic Indicators is at an all time high. In the busy holiday shopping season, just past, we spent more money than ever before. Yet we are also more addicted to drugs than ever, and our youth are unleashing violence as never before. It's easy to see why we might be fearful and anxious. Fear and anxiety exist in a polar tension with hope.
Many people turn to religion for hope.
Hope and Faith are first cousins, if not siblings. And hope, joined with faith and love, comprise the traditional themes of Advent, the season leading up to the birth of Christ. The Hebrew Bible doesn't have a lot to say about hope. Its emphasis is much more on obedience to law and covenant. It is less individualistic than Christianity.