Mere Hope: Life in an Age of Cynicism

by Jason G. Duesing

How are Christians to live in such difficult times?

Unique of all people, Christians are called to embrace a hopeful outlook on life. Mere Hope offers the core, Christ-centered perspective that all Christians share, and that Christians alone have to offer a world filled with frustration, pain, and disappointment. For those in darkness, despair, and discouragement, for those in the midst of trials, suffering, and injustice, mere hope lives.

The spirit of the age is cynicism. When our leaders, our families, and our friends let us down at every turn, this isn't surprising. But we need another perspective; we need hope. Rather than reflecting resigned despair or distracted indifference, author Jason Duesing argues, our lives ought to be shaped by the gospel of Jesus—a gospel of hope.

Genres: Christian Living, Faith, Nonfiction, Christian, Spirituality, Christian Non Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2018

About the author

Serving Christ at the end of all things (1 Peter 4:7) for the glory of God (1 Peter 4:11) and the joy of all nations (Psalm 67:4), Jason G. Duesing is the academic Provost and Professor of Historical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary & College. Duesing earned his Ph.D. in Historical Theology and Baptist Studies from Southwestern Seminary in 2008. He also holds a M.Div. from Southeastern Seminary and a B.A. in Speech Communications from Texas A&M University in College Station.

Duesing is married to Kalee, and together they have two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve.

Jason G. Duesing can be reached via email at jduesing [at] mbts [dot] edu, on Twitter at @JGDuesing, on Instagram at @JGDuesing, and on Facebook.

Reviews

[Robert Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

In what do we place our hope? How can we continue to hope amidst our circumstances? Jesus' death and resurrection, his goodness, and his ableness to save and to preserve us is the foundation and the source of our hope. So the answer for hopelessness, or for stoicism, is to understand and know Jesus and his goodness and his promises more.
I've heard this sort of thing before, but lately it is finally clicking for me - there is no other source of hope and of goodness but God, so why continue looking elsewhere?

[Christine Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mere Hope is straight forward, solid truth about what the Christian's hope is and how we can live according to that hope. A quick read and a much-needed reminder for me.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful look into the hope we have in Christ, Mere Hope was an encouragement to me that came exactly when I needed it.

When this book showed up on my dashboard for review, I almost skipped it. I had several other nonfiction books that I wanted to read soon, so I didn't see any sense in requesting another that I may end up dreading having to trudge through. But when I saw the title, I knew I needed this one—Hope has became 'my word' in recent months. (Plus, the cover is lovely, so #win <3)

Through this little book, author Jason Duesing challenged me to dig deep into the truths of God's word, to intricately study the beauty of a 'mere' hope, divided into sections of hope's foundation, flourishing, and focus.

Not following the definition of the word that suggests mere hope is a mere, hardly existent topic, but rather to mean it is real, true, and the core to which modern Christianity should be clinging.

A powerful and applicable book. Definitely recommended. <3

** I received a complimentary copy of this book from B&H/Lifeway in exchange for my honest review. **

[David J. Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the most edifying book I have read in 2018. Many books that attempt to be uplifting or encouraging are often theologically shallow and full of emotional drivel. Mere Hope, despite its brevity, is heavy on gospel clarity (Duesing even devotes space to explain the difference between such words as propitiation and expiation) and is both logically ordered and well reasoned. But its depth does not take away from the fact that it is an immense pleasure to read. The author illustrates using carefully selected scenes from the fantasy-literary trifecta of Lewis, Tolkien, and Rowling, alongside consistently faithful exegesis of the Bible. The whole experience is a rich and satisfying journey that will make the reader love Jesus more, live with greater confidence, and serve others better, all because of a deeper intellectual and experiential appreciation of what is his in Christ.

[Brad Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mere Hope is a book suited for the days it was written in - when our eyes are tuned to the many disasters and catastrophes, both real and (most of the time) imagined, and turned away from the holy hope found in a risen Savior.

I was able to listen to the audio of Duesing’s book while on a long training run, and with it clocking in at just of two and half hours, it is the perfect length for expounding on the mystery of the Christian’s true hope while still drawing the reader to look to scripture for more living water. A great reminder for anyone who is struggling with their own cynicism, especially the believer who struggles to see how why their faith is so often hindered by their flesh.

Mere Hope is the 2018 voice of Hopeful in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, reminding moderns day Christians to “Be of good cheer, my brother; I feel the bottom, and it is good."

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mere Hope is a simple, encouraging book that encourages Christians to find our hope in the gospel of Christ. Jason Duesing defines biblical hope as "a patient, disciplined, confident waiting for and expectation of the Lord as our Savior." This book is a reminder that, although we live in a broken world where it's easy to become cynical, hope in Christ is foundational to the Christian faith. Rather than just positive self-help clichés, Mere Hope offers reminders of who we are in Christ and the difference that those truths should make in our lives.

If you are discouraged or if you see yourself becoming cynical, this book can help. I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review.

[Karl Dumas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope is often what keeps us going. Hope in a brighter future, hope in the hereafter, hope in something. And for Christians hope is a powerful reminder that what we go through in this life, will someday be forgotten as we pass onto eternity with God. Unfortunately our hope is often tempered by our cynical attitudes, and the cynicism of the world around us.
In his book Mere Hope: Life in an Age of Cynicism (B&H Books, 2018), Jason G. Duesing addresses these 2 issues. He draws from the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, and even mention Harry Potter to make his points, or from my perspective, try to make his points.
This is a short book, and I wish I could say that after reading it I felt inspired, or that I was better off for having read it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I finished the book without having a good a good idea of what the author was trying to say. For me something was missing, I never saw the spark.
Although the basic concept—Christians have hope in a world full of darkness and despair—is worth pursuing, it seems that the author’s aim was off and he missed his target.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
3/5

[DeAron Washington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book briefly reminds us why believers should live as though they have a living hope because they do. It is a response to our culture’s cynicism and evangelical stoicism. We need more books like this that remind us of our unchanging hope in Christ.

I did find this book too short. I would have like the last chapter to offer more specific applications. It did offer helpful tips, but I would have like to see more how do you incorporate this into your daily living.

With that being said it is still worth a read.

[Chris Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason G. Duesing has written a gem of a book on "Mere Hope" and much like Lewis's "Mere Christianity" it covers the basic, necessary components of what makes Hope work in the life of a follower of Christ. Based off of four places to look for hope: down, inside, outside, and up the reader is called to remember that we, as the people of God, have the antidote for every scenario in which sin and the world would try to rob us of hope.

My greatest takeaway from this book centered on the foil Mere Hope plays to modern day Christian Stoicism. Coming out of a season of deep growth in understanding my own emotional makeup I am more appreciative of those writers, like Duesing, who invite us to bring our whole emotional selves into the light of the gospel and allow Jesus to heal us. However, this is difficult when the modern day ethos is that emotions are bad and all or most of our problems can be handled more readily if we bury our emotions. Christian hope though offers salvation, hope, and grace in the middle of our emotions, not in the absence of them. To be reborn by grace is to enjoy the opportunity to engage in emotionally healthy patterns of processing pain, sin, disappointment, etc. with Jesus and not ourselves as the focal point and this is where true healing or mere hope can be found.

I've already made plans to send a copy of this to a few personal friends going through rough times who are leaning towards Christian Stoicism. I plan to keep copies readily available to handout as the need for concrete, solid, proven hope becomes more of a necessity than in years past. This holds true for both individuals and for the church, especially as cynicism and despair continue to overtake the social landscape at large. To the degree that we can recover the language of "grace-filled, mere hope" is the degree to which we can speak life and light into our dark world. Cheers to Duesing for a masterful, timely, and necessary work!

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mere Hope
Life in an Age of Cynicism
by Jason G. Duesing
B&H Publishing Group (B&H Books, Holman Bibles, B&H Español, and B&H Kids)

B&H Books
Christian
Pub Date 01 Jun 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Mere Hope through B&H Books and Netgalley:


We live in a time of cynicism, a time of difficulty, a time of struggles and a time of hate but that is not to say we are without hope.

We are reminded too though that for every act of terror in the world today, there are a thousand acts of sacrificial service as well as gospel proclamation.


Mere Hope is a reminder that amidst all. The cynicism, there is hope.


I give Mere Hope five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Jason Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but important book that has the potential to change your outlook on the world. My full review: https://medium.com/@jpark_21/mere-hop...

[Julie D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short little book about the cynicism it's so easy to fall into when we see the difficult things going on around us.

Mr. Duesing brings a lot of my favorite authors into this book like C.S. Lewis, Tolkien and more. I wasn't sure why J.K. Rowling was quoted in this book but I'm not a fan of hers so this is definitely my bias showing through. However, for the most part I enjoyed the different quotes and thoughts behind this book.

This book has six chapters, each focusing on hope. These include hope lives, the foundation of hope, flourishing hope, focusing on hope and living mere hope. Each one digs a bit deeper into how we can live with an attitude of hope rather than cynicism.

Although this book is good over-all, I would have liked to have had more direction on how we can live in an attitude of hope. There is good sections but over-all, the book didn't flow for me nor did I come away with a clear plan of how to make my life more hopeful. I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by B&H/Lifeway Books. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

[Phillip Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an opinion that the bad side must be true, that people always have an ulterior motive. We are suspicious of people who help others for no apparent reason. Jason G. Duesing writes that we need to refocus on hope, hope that comes from Jesus.

In Mere Hope, the word mere is used in the sense of core or essential, not the minimum required. Hope is an important part of following God, as we don't know everything. However, hope is being traded in for self reliance. To combat this Duesing gives 4 places to look to have your hope strengthened: the foundation, the source, the growth, and the focus.

The writing style is easy to read and and can be read by most ages. The book would be a good addition for any Christian, as we are all going to face times where our hope is attacked. We can trust in the fact that our story, through Christ, will end in joy.

Before reading this book, I thought I had a good understanding of what hoping meant, but by the second chapter, I realized that cynicism was more deeply rooted in my life than I thought. Though I won't claim to have a total grasp on hope now, Mere Hope has helped me see areas in my life that need work.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Inspiring, straight forward, quick and easy to read. This book is a much needed reminder for the Christian to turn away from the chaos going on around the world and look to Jesus and the Gospel. This book can best be summarized by these quotes:

"'Right living in this world of opposition begins by remembering the gospel.' Time spent recollecting the good news is not a vain exercise for the Christian. In fact, it is exactly what the Evangelical Stoic needs." (pg 128)

"Until Jesus returns, Christians should look down at their foundational gospel hope, look in at their fountain of living hope, look out at the need for a flourishing global hope, and look up and focus on future hope." (pg 150)

Duesing packs so many good quotes in this book and uses writings from J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis (there's even a Harry Potter mention). I love the aesthetics of this book and the feather on the cover. Clement of Rome described Jesus' resurrection by borrowing an ancient legend— the phoenix. The phoenix is known a symbol of hope, rebirth and new life. Clement said it was "an emblem of our resurrection." 

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first took a look at Mere Hope, I’ll admit, I thought its content would be totally different than what’s inside. What would lead me to think that? Well, it’s a small book (like a gift book or devotional) with a lighthearted illustration amidst a pale blue backdrop. So, I though this would be a light, on-sitting read with encouragement to infuse the soul with hope. Is that what this book is?

Well, no.

But I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss this book just because its content doesn’t match its cover.

What is this book about exactly?

Mere Hope’s whole premise is to give reasons why Christians should have hope. That may sound pretty simple, but Mere Hope is heavy with theological terminology and is a fairly dense read for its 150ish page length. Read more here: http://inkblotsofhope.com/mere-hope/

[David Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

You read a book in a day because you are compelled to soak up every drop of dew that it provides in encouragement. "Mere Hope" is that encouragement and what author Jason Duesing does is point the way to this hope. This hope that never disappoints and always satisfies. I am incredibly grateful for the day, a good day that I should not forget. Perhaps that is the point of the book and will be worth re-reading soon enough.

"As bearers of light of God's Word, gathered in local church fellowships joined and indwelled by God himself, believers traverse the darkness in an age of cynicism sharing the good news of gospel hope-until evil is destroyed and the King returns."

I am reading the manuscript right now but I can't wait for you to read it next.

[Jordan Wilbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outstanding. It's a summary of conversations I've had in my own ministry with developing church leaders, just to remind us that with all that's going on in the world and in the chaos of our lives, we are quick to lose our eternal perspective. But in Christ our hope cannot be moved or shaken. We should remind ourselves as Christians that our hope doesn't depend on us: it depends on the eternal, sovereign, and trustworthy hand of God himself. This is a message we desperately need to overwhelm our people with, and it's something we need to remind ourselves of daily. What a breath of fresh air. Highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely write critical reviews, but I must be honest with you here. I definitely did not love this book. The cover design and description led me to believe this book would be something different–a small book full of practical theology, hopeful devotions, and personal stories. Instead, it read exactly like a dissertation. As much as I love studying, I don’t want to read a heavy academic text when I’m hurting and looking for hope. I could not connect with the author’s professor-like voice, mostly because I was expecting something so different. I’m not sure which audience this book is intended to reach, but it’s not for me.

B&H sent me a preview copy of this book.

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much needed gospel shot in the arm. You will not regret reading this book.

[Kevin Choate · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Mere Hope, Duesing breaks down what hope looks like in the Christian faith. In an age of cynicism, Hope supplies a lens to view life. Despite the trouble, the unrest, the pain or suffering, Hope permeates the life of the Christian.

Developing a full understanding of the propitiation of Christ, this book helps the Christian understand the fullness of the Gospel thus providing a realistic and attainable viewpoint of how to live our life.

[Kyle Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on how to live with hope amidst a cynical culture and suffering. It is accessible to both deep thinkers and those wanting encouragement on hope and how to have it in life. Just the part on propitiation (explained and why it is amazing) is worth the read itself.

[Ryan King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review largely sums up my thoughts: https://www.booksataglance.com/book-r...

[Jessica]

in three words: a necessary panacea.

[Jonathan Brooker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realize you can't judge a book by its cover, but I have seen that I wasn't the only person reviewing this book who found the book's look and the book's content felt very mismatched. The coloring, font choice, and then of course the actual title and subtitle itself lends itself to a more personal, practical, and lighthearted approach to the critical topic of hope in a Christian's life. However, this albeit short book was pretty dense (for a book with a feather on the cover, especially!), professorial in tone, and felt like it just lacked practical handlebars for everyday use.

Now, I'm still rating it with three stars and definitely did still like it, because the content of the book was biblical, somewhat insightful, and was intentionally focused on grounding a Christian's hope in God's faithfulness rather than a prettied up self-help offering that happens to mention Jesus. Since we don't need any of that, I'm grateful that this book offers a hope that comes from the gospel instead!

But I don't know that in its brevity the book ever really dealt with why cynicism is so rampant today. It missed opportunities to delve into the complexity of how hope is counter-cultural and how it operates in daily living. And it felt to me like I ended the book with a more abstract view of Christian hope than a more concentrated one, which I would've personally preferred.

[Renee Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

#readRENEEread

Jason Duesing has penned a helpful book that points the reader to refocus on the actual hope we have as Christ-followers. In a day where tragic circumstances, failing morality, and seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel, Duesing encourages the Christ-follower to remember where (or rather in whom) their anchor of hope lies. “With his victorious resurrection, Jesus made available in his own righteousness to all who believe (Philippians 3:9)” The incarnation, mediation, and propitiation of Jesus Christ is “the foundation of our hope and the reason for our joy.” (Hebrews 2:17)

I enjoyed this book. Duesing refers to classic authors like CS Lewis and Tolkein (as well as biblical sources) which makes seeing the reality of a future hope in a more tangible way.

The book didn’t read as I anticipated. It was short and an incredibly fast read; however, it felt rather disjointed and like various essays were pieced together.

I appreciated the voice in this book nonetheless. As a Christ-follower, it is easy to “anchor one’s daily faith to self-reinforcement tactics” and rest in “evangelical stoicism.” Duesing reiterates that we are not able, but we serve a God who is more than able. “To live a life of mere hope is to live knowing that our story ends in joy.”

[Vincent Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mere Hope is a book in which Jason Duesing sets about addressing the Christian's response to a world in which cynicism has become the rule rather than the exception. The opposite of cynicism is hope and Christians should have plenty of reason to be hopeful.

The book itself is short and leans heavily on writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien's concept of eucatastrophe is key to the Christian concept of hope. "The" eucatastrophe of history is the Incarnation. I think the concepts contained in the book are accurate and clearly stated.

The reason for only giving the book three stars is simply that I didn't find the text very interesting -- there wasn't any deeper explanation of the concepts found in it, the writing isn't what I would call engrossing, and the level of application feels very peripheral. How can Christians avoid being cynical in political and business spheres? What does hope look like for a nurse who is working in an ER or a clerical worker in a chaotic workplace? I have my ideas, but Duesing, other than saying that we shouldn't simply "Keep calm and carry on" has few specifics.

I'm afraid that if someone is struggling with hopelessness, this is not the book to give them to help them break out of that mind set.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it left me wanting more. Jason Duesing has written a short book on the unshakeable hope of the Christian that could easily be the framework for a larger biblical theology of hope. In Mere Hope, Duesing encourages his readers to look DOWN to see the foundation of our hope (the Gospel); look IN to the fountain of hope flowing within us (the Presence of Christ); look OUT to the flourishing of our hope (the Gospel going out to the Nations); and look UP to the focus of our hope (Eternal Life). This was such a refreshment for me, and I recommend it to anyone feeling the weight of the hopeless skepticism and cynicism of the world.

[Alan Rathbun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be good to read a book on hope during the Corona pandemic and thought this might be a good choice. The solid part is that it has strong theology, I enjoyed the literature references, and I picked up some great quotes on hope. Unfortunately, overall it wasn’t what I expected. From my perspective, the author spent more space contrasting biblical hope with stoicism than he did contrasting it with cynicism as the title leads you to expect.

[Dave Hallahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Duesing rightly addresses the need for hope on a cynical age. Not only is it needed, it is what we, followers of Christ are called to. I really appreciated the challenge of, what he called, “Evangelical Stoicism.” The “Keep Calm and Carry On” mentality is admirable and respectable, but it falls short of the hope and joy with which followed of Christ are supposed to live.

[Monica Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book... pointing us to Christ... He is the only true... mere... Hope in this dark and cynical world we live. We must keep our eyes on Jesus... spend time in His word... and with follow Christians...