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159 reviews for:
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
N.T. Wright
4.33 AVERAGE
159 reviews for:
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
N.T. Wright
4.33 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
medium-paced
This is a powerful exposition of Wright's deeply embodied eschatology. He attacks the common idea that the Christian hope is to "go to heaven," arguing instead that the Bible holds out the hope of a renewed bodily existence in a transformed heaven and earth. He's particularly good on the practical implications of this. We do not build the kingdom, but we are building for the kingdom. Efforts for social justice point toward God's final kingdom and contribute to it, although the Kingdom itself will only come through a sovereign act of God.
Some of the polemic weakens the book. I think he's too hard on the Christian Platonist tradition, and his claim that American dispensationalist eschatology is too spiritualizing actually runs counter to the facts in some respects. I think he's prone to overly simple dichotomies. But the book remains one of the best books on eschatology ever written.
Some of the polemic weakens the book. I think he's too hard on the Christian Platonist tradition, and his claim that American dispensationalist eschatology is too spiritualizing actually runs counter to the facts in some respects. I think he's prone to overly simple dichotomies. But the book remains one of the best books on eschatology ever written.
Re-read Nov/Dec 2014 -- The first read (a few years ago) completely changed my views about heaven. Re-reading, I was struck more by the second part of the book, where he talks about how a proper view of the resurrection should affect the way we live our lives here on earth. And how the point of the resurrection is NOT simply to "go to heaven when we die" but that God's kingdom has begun and we can be a part of it; our job is to proclaim the good news of his reign, and help bring God's kingdom from heaven to earth. With this in mind, everything we do matters. This view of the resurrection changes everything. I'll probably re-read (again) in a couple years.
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Completely changed my thinking about heaven. I'll have to read it again to retain it all.
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Completely changed my thinking about heaven. I'll have to read it again to retain it all.
5 stars for content—we are headed for resurrection and I want everyone to know it! (Great Advent read.) 3.5 stars for delivery.
I’d recommend this book to pretty much any Christian (or non Christian, now that I think about it). This is an amazing discussion on real, Biblical Christian beliefs about life after death. Is our faith about going to heaven after we die? No, it isn’t. N.T. Wright shows that the Christian Faith is ultimately about our promised earthly resurrection and the restoration of the earth upon Jesus’ return, and he does this in a way that everyday lay readers will be able to easily grasp. N.T. Wright is a great writer, and his style is witty and enjoyable. Could not recommend enough.
UPDATE—I think this book should be required reading for the church. Re-reading it for the first time since it came out in 2008, I'm struck both by how much of my life and ministry work is shaped by these arguments and by how a 3-star review of this back sat on my goodreads all this time without anybody arguing with me over it.... =)
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Original review from younger me afraid of being accused of being too liberal for reading Tom Wright:
Most Christians, if asked “What happens when you die?” would state emphatically that they will go to heaven to be with God, thanks to the sacrifice of Christ. N.T. Wright challenges that notion and proposes instead a return to the New Testament idea of bodily resurrection as a part of God’s restoration of all creation at the end of the age.
Wright contends that many Christians cling to “going to heaven when you die” as an escape from the world instead of embracing a theology of resurrection that sees Jesus’ resurrection as the first fruit of God’s ultimate redemption and the church’s mission as proclaiming Christ’s dominion over all. In short, he firmly believes that we are “saved to” service for the glory of God as much as we are “saved from” sin.
The book is divided into three parts. The first discusses the muddle of beliefs about life after death in the world and explains that Christ’s resurrection is the breaking forth of God’s kingdom on earth.
The second section delves into our future hope, specifically, how Christ’s resurrection paves the way for our life in His kingdom.
In the final third of the book, Wright spells out his vision for the mission of the church. He is at his finest as he attempts to ground the church’s efforts in the present day (from evangelism to social justice, art, and conservation) solidly in resurrection theology and liberate them both from modernist progressivism (which places the emphasis on the work instead of God) and traditional evangelicalism (which sees such work only as an addendum to saving souls for heaven).
Most readers will find Wright’s work engaging and, at times, controversial. His willingness to turn traditional understanding on its ear is as troubling as his reliance on the Scriptures is reassuring. What he succeeds quite admirably in doing, however, is to drive readers back to the Word of God to see for themselves how Christ’s resurrection demands so much more from believers than passive longing for heaven
——————————————————
Original review from younger me afraid of being accused of being too liberal for reading Tom Wright:
Most Christians, if asked “What happens when you die?” would state emphatically that they will go to heaven to be with God, thanks to the sacrifice of Christ. N.T. Wright challenges that notion and proposes instead a return to the New Testament idea of bodily resurrection as a part of God’s restoration of all creation at the end of the age.
Wright contends that many Christians cling to “going to heaven when you die” as an escape from the world instead of embracing a theology of resurrection that sees Jesus’ resurrection as the first fruit of God’s ultimate redemption and the church’s mission as proclaiming Christ’s dominion over all. In short, he firmly believes that we are “saved to” service for the glory of God as much as we are “saved from” sin.
The book is divided into three parts. The first discusses the muddle of beliefs about life after death in the world and explains that Christ’s resurrection is the breaking forth of God’s kingdom on earth.
The second section delves into our future hope, specifically, how Christ’s resurrection paves the way for our life in His kingdom.
In the final third of the book, Wright spells out his vision for the mission of the church. He is at his finest as he attempts to ground the church’s efforts in the present day (from evangelism to social justice, art, and conservation) solidly in resurrection theology and liberate them both from modernist progressivism (which places the emphasis on the work instead of God) and traditional evangelicalism (which sees such work only as an addendum to saving souls for heaven).
Most readers will find Wright’s work engaging and, at times, controversial. His willingness to turn traditional understanding on its ear is as troubling as his reliance on the Scriptures is reassuring. What he succeeds quite admirably in doing, however, is to drive readers back to the Word of God to see for themselves how Christ’s resurrection demands so much more from believers than passive longing for heaven