Christianity

Jewish and Christian doctrine is replete with hopeful themes. In both the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible, hope is centered on God and God's word. Eliott (2005) explains:

To the writers of the Old Testament the LORD was "the hope of all Israel" (Jeremiah 17:3, King James Version), the hope of individuals was "in the LORD" (Psalms 38:15), and they aimed to "hope in thy [God's] word" (Psalms 119:114). ... Building upon these writings and traditions, and after the coming of Christ, St. Paul said that the Christian God "is a God of hope," through whom the believer can "abound in hope" (Rom 15:13), and "hope in God" (Acts 14:15). Furthermore, this hope has transformative effects on the individual, as "everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2). Hope also constituted one of the three spiritual gifts from God through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 13:13). (p. 5)

In the Christian tradition hope is grounded in the doctrine of atonement, or the notion that Jesus' death was a sacrifice enabling reconciliation between God and humanity. This reconciliation enabled forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Feminist theologian Mary Grey (1990) suggests that the word "atonement" should be viewed in terms of "at-one-ment," or "the fundamental drive to unity and wholeness" (p. 160). With its notion of wiping away the past, forgiveness motivates one to start again. Also important are Jesus' healing stories. Dwight Judy (2003), for example, leads retreats focused on contacting Jesus as an inner light, with the goal of fostering a connection with Christ as a living, transpersonal healer. He argues that the "light" of Christ, or the regenerating power of creative renewal, is present in everyone. Guided imagery, dreams, and meditation can facilitate the manifestation of divine life energy. Evoking scripture stories in a prayerful environment also gives individuals a root metaphor which with to frame their current problem. The meditation tape series "The Healing Oasis," narrated by Sharon Moon (1998), makes use of this notion of finding the Christ within. Forgiveness, reconciliation, and the notion of inner light motivate change through offering hope that one's future will be better than one's past.