Relinquishing Hope in the Eschaton

This paper argues that in the face of intersecting global crises—climate collapse, political instability, and societal uncertainty, Christian theology must not only relinquish hope in an omnipotent, interventionist God but more importantly surrender its traditional eschatological framework in order to avoid despair. While some theologians advocate abandoning hope in the omnipotence of God, this paper contends that the problem is not only hope in God’s omnipotence but one based in eschatological hope. Rather than give up hope entirely, this paper thus proposes a shift toward Indigenous relational and spatial understandings of Creator, as articulated by Vine Deloria Jr., George Tinker, and Randy Woodley. These frameworks prioritize place, relationality, and non‑anthropocentric creation over temporal promises. Relinquishing eschatological hope enables a theologically honest, palliative faith that accepts human finitude and finality without abandoning the reality or presence of Creator.