The Absurdity of Hope:
“Against all hope, Abraham believed.” — Romans 4:18
Søren Kierkegaard called faith “a leap into the absurd.” Not because it is irrational, but because it dares to believe when every rational reason has vanished. Hope, for Kierkegaard, is not optimism. It’s not wishful thinking or the naive belief that things will work out. Hope is absurd because it stands firm precisely when circumstances declare defeat.
Kierkegaard’s classic Fear and Trembling tells the story of Abraham, who believed God’s promise even as he prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. For Kierkegaard, Abraham’s faith is absurd, believing the impossible and choosing to have trust in God. In a world that says, “There’s no way forward,” faith whispers, “Nevertheless.”
True faith doesn’t rest on outcomes; it rests on the God who transcends them.
In the modern world, we often reduce hope to probability. We say things like, “I hope it works out,” as if hope depends on the odds. Kierkegaard challenges that. Hope rooted in God exists beyond the odds. It’s not a calculation, it’s an act of trust.
To hope in the face of despair is not denial; it is discipleship.
The cross is the ultimate symbol of absurd hope. The Son of God, crucified and yet, through that death, the world is redeemed. This is the pattern of Christian hope: life born from death, light from darkness, resurrection from the tomb.
Kierkegaard wrote, “Without risk, there is no faith.” Hope always risks disappointment. But that very risk is what makes hope holy.
For the chaplain, the caregiver and the believer hope often looks absurd. We stand with the dying and proclaim resurrection. We listen to the hopeless and speak of love. We pray for peace in a violent world. Yet it is in these moments that faith burns brightest.
Hope is not the denial of reality; it is the courage to believe that God’s reality runs deeper.
In closing, Kierkegaard teaches us that the absurdity of hope is not its weakness, it is strength. To hope absurdly is to live as Abraham lived, trusting God when the promise seems impossible.
Joshua Hedgecock 