engage

Dear Engagers,

Greetings!

Trust and Hope have been our staple diet, sustaining and nourishing most of us during this nasty global adversity. Some have held up, others continue to struggle and still, others have sadly succumbed. As we continue to endure, attempt to make meaning, overcome our anxieties, build resilience amidst the grief and yearn for light at the end of this seemingly long dark tunnel, this issue of Engage comes to give us HOPE.

The collection of articles major on grand themes that infuse faith, reinforce trust and validate hope. They are woven artfully by every writer and point in many creative ways to absolutes that are rooted in the Person of God. Raviji’s lead article titled “At All Times” born out of his crucible of deep affliction, written weeks before his passing on, is a solemn reflection on his cancer journey and a passionate reminder that the Bible assures us that at all times God is with us. He is our comforter; He is our healer. He is our physician; He is our provider. He knows better than we do! And helps us to focus on the constancy and trustworthiness of His character and rekindles our trust and hope.

Aniu’s “Foundations That Can Never Be Shaken” is a timely revisit of the book of Lamentations on the unshakeable constancy of God’s character. He writes, “Although it is a book of lament, at the heart and centre of the book is found a seed and kernel of hope. In the midst of the utter darkness shines a ray of light. In the cacophony of despair and distress is heard a whisper of faith.” Another piece that revives our faith, trust and hope. Ivan Boniface, our youngest contributor, has written a creative short story, “Another Fruit, Another Bite” that would strike a chord with both our young and old readers alike.

A promising young lawyer, Pratik Patnaik, who regularly writes in the secular space takes a look at moral absolutes and his piece titled, The Supreme Court of India’s Search for Moral Absolutes” is a very engaging read that asks some very pointed questions and impels deep introspection on the foundations of Morality. The “Hard Questions, Honest Answers” is a regular and sought after feature of Engage and this time, it addresses the question, “Is There Scope for Hope?” a Christian response amidst crisis. As Christians we have in Jesus a Messiah who is counter-cultural to the popular ideas of ‘saving heroes’ – the ones that rescue from a distance and appear invincible. In Jesus Christ, we have a Person – God’s answer to pain and suffering, and not a mere philosophy, that can help live through and overcome the angst of a grieving someone that was left hopeless during this pandemic.

Our prayer as we roll out this issue is that we would be strengthened in our Faith, Trust and Hope in the never-failing Person and work of Jesus Christ and we would be enabled to articulate this Faith. Trust and Hope to those others who may not have a worldview that offers them much existential help in a crisis, as Christ does. May God bless our efforts as we strive to strengthen and encourage each other in Him, during these unusual times.

Keep reading, keep engaging.

Charles P Joseph
Editor

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