People have always lived in fear, whether of hungry predators or other humans posing a threat to our family-troops and tribes, or the angry gods expressing themselves through natural disasters and plagues, or the horror of oppressive governments, foreign invaders, and warfare. But for the past hundred years we’ve feared the possibility of total annihilation, beginning with nuclear destruction during the Cold War, and, today, Global Warming, Population Explosion, and the depletion of the Earth’s resources. In this sermon we’ll look at some of the positive trends regarding these frightening prospects that may help ease our troubled minds.