Too often as action-minded young Christians, who see a problem and want to immediately solve it, we fail to acknowledge Christ's presence. We rush to shut out the cries.

Wise evangelical leaders, including one of my heroes, Scott Bessenecker (who once again has beat me to the point here), have pointed out the profound spiritual power in solidarity, in grieving with those who are in grief.

“This is not how things are supposed to be” is a refrain I’ve heard from students learning to grieve with the grieving, rather than simply taking the reins and getting busy.

There is truth there: things are indeed not the way God wants the world to be. And furthermore, just as Jesus lingered at his friend’s tomb, weeping even as he knew he was about to raise him from the dead—lingering in grief for this dying world is good.

But, as I’ve just been reminded by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice in their new book Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing, grief without hope is only part of the Christian story: Things can and must get better. Or, as Katongole and Rice put it, “things are not the way they have to be.”

Not the way they should be … Not the way they have to be. Two slightly different ways of expressing discontent with the world, but two very different solutions. The first expresses grief alone; the second expresses grief informed by hope in God’s restoration.

We ought to welcome the growing evangelical willingness to once again enter the dark corners of the world. But let’s be clear: Grief without hope is easily perverted into catharsis, navel-gazing, and withdrawal.