With poverty and income inequality at historic highs, it is no wonder that Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party have captured our imaginations and our television screens.

And yet, we continue to believe in democracy and hope. Isn’t that the point of these movements?

Emily Dickinson wrote of a fragile hope, a “thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”

However, the Bible teaches us about a more resilient hope that is dynamic, active, directive and life sustaining. Biblical hope affects how we see ourselves, what we value, and what we do with our lives.

How can we actively hope for a better tomorrow?

A good first step is to educate yourself. I recommend The United States of Inequality series by Slate’s Timothy Noah.  For a more concise read, try Washington Post Columnist Ezra Klein’s notes from his speech last week to the Government Accountability Office.

Then get out there and put your time, talent and treasure to use. If not now, when? And if not you, who?