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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. I loved his analogy of Wittgenstein's poker with Karl Popper. I'm glad I read this book, as Wright emphasizes our idea of heaven simply is Platonism, disembodied spirit going to heaven. The Christian life, as Wright describes, "Life after Life after death." It is the God's kingdom on earth and we will be *bodily* raised just as Christ was raised. Our present life matters, each act matters. God's kingdom is already here, it started with Christ, as he defeated death and sin. He also says, after we die, we will be Christ in paradise but that's not the end. He really emphasizes that it is not the end. If you are looking on broadening your perspective, definitely do read Wright.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
A thorough but accessible discussion on a lot of difficult topics/questions that have nagged me for years. Will reread again soon
This title will end up on my "Life-Changing Books" list, next to The Challenge of Easter. For some strange reason, in 2009 when I first purchased the book, I got stuck in it for about two years and ended up just browsing through it. This time around, two of my sisters and my mom and I decided to read together and talk together once a week about what we were learning, wondering and feeling about what -- in some regards -- is a pretty radical re-framing of what we'd come to believe about Heaven and what it means to follow the Resurrected Christ in the here and now.
Our conversations started out a bit jittery as we got to know the former Bishop of Durham's voice, which is occasionally a bit off-putting to the newcomer.
It takes a lot of courage to reexamine long-held, passionately-held beliefs. I'm so encouraged by my mom and sisters for their willingness to ask questions whose answers will be mostly wrapped in mystery until the Glorious Day when we are reunited with Christ and living in a new earth where all things have been judged and made right.
Many of our conversations included variations on the question "Since we can't know for sure what it will look like for Jesus to return and what heaven will look like or where our deceased friends and family are right now, does it matter to our everyday lives?" And with a variety of responses we decided that yes, it does matter. Not that we can know for sure, but that we can be diligent in understanding and study so that our lives reflect well the hope found in the real-life resurrection power of Christ. That power that is even now fueling our lives, and through our lives fueling acts of love, hope and justice around us. To be able to hold onto hope in the tension between fact and mystery is an act of worship.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Our conversations started out a bit jittery as we got to know the former Bishop of Durham's voice, which is occasionally a bit off-putting to the newcomer.
It takes a lot of courage to reexamine long-held, passionately-held beliefs. I'm so encouraged by my mom and sisters for their willingness to ask questions whose answers will be mostly wrapped in mystery until the Glorious Day when we are reunited with Christ and living in a new earth where all things have been judged and made right.
Many of our conversations included variations on the question "Since we can't know for sure what it will look like for Jesus to return and what heaven will look like or where our deceased friends and family are right now, does it matter to our everyday lives?" And with a variety of responses we decided that yes, it does matter. Not that we can know for sure, but that we can be diligent in understanding and study so that our lives reflect well the hope found in the real-life resurrection power of Christ. That power that is even now fueling our lives, and through our lives fueling acts of love, hope and justice around us. To be able to hold onto hope in the tension between fact and mystery is an act of worship.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Absolutely wonderful book! So first of all, I rate books around what level they're aimed at, so this book is by far better than most books I've read. Academically he does a great job, although sometimes referencing a bit too much to his other books. His writing style is one of the best around nowadays and it's always a pleasure to read him. 4 stars because he sometimes skipped over certain critiques rather quickly, so parts left me unconvinced, other times he was a bit stubborn/ rather specific about how to do politics combined with religion, although I agree with him on this, there are others who might not and methods and what should be done should be more discussed, also outside of this book.
But to conclude: wonderful! Tearing down the old structures of ways of thinking and giving a framework to reconstruct a new one. Good stuff.
But to conclude: wonderful! Tearing down the old structures of ways of thinking and giving a framework to reconstruct a new one. Good stuff.
With each book of [ai:N.T. Wright|38932|N.T. Wright|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1294175870p2/38932.jpg][a:N.T. Wright|38932|N.T. Wright|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1294175870p2/38932.jpg]'s that I read, the more my faith in Christ grows. This is one of the best books you will find about the meaning of Christ's resurrection and on the Christian's belief (read hope) in the bodily resurrection at the End of Days when Heaven and Earth will be joined together and perfected. Mr. Wright does a fine job of dispelling the dualistic belief in separate spheres for heaven and earth that has infiltrated the Church and popular conceptions of Christian theology and brings us back to the original belief in the bodily resurrection. But more than that he ties belief in Christ's resurrection and the bodily resurrection of believers to the way Christians and the Church are to live and pursue it's mission as God's redeemed people and messengers in such a way that should quite nearly blow your mind! As I delved deeper into what Mr. Wright was saying and read the passages of the Bible that he cited, the more my faith, love, and hope seemed to increase. However, as much as I want to give this book five stars, there is something that holds me back. One of the problems Mr. Wright has in all of his works is that his rhetoric and passion are so great that his main argument can get consumed in it. For the first half of the book I wasn't totally sure what he was arguing other than that our popular conceptions of heaven and the resurrection were wrong. And I still don't fully understand what he was saying about the ascension of Christ at the end of the Gospel accounts and the beginning of Acts. Thus, even though this book is meant for a popular and not a scholarly audience, you may want to read slowly and carefully through each chapter before moving on. Still, like his book on basic Christian belief, [bc:Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense|69094|Simply Christian Why Christianity Makes Sense|N.T. Wright|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1170703202s/69094.jpg|66955][b:Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense|69094|Simply Christian Why Christianity Makes Sense|N.T. Wright|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1170703202s/69094.jpg|66955], this should be required reading for all Christians regardless of denomination.
If you think eschatology isn't important, this book is for you. There are a few conclusions that Wright draws that I don't agree with, but overall a fantastic look at why postmillennialism matters.
Reminds me of a sort of contemporary Lewis. I’m not sure I agree with all of his conclusions but it’s quite a fascinating work and I think he makes some great points.