Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
by N. T. Wright

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
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Book Summary Information

Author: N. T. Wright
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-01
ISBN: 0061551821
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: HarperOne
Product features:

Book Reviews of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Book Review: Life after life after death
Summary: 4 Stars

I have heard a lot of positive things about N.T. Wright and decided to read one of his books. He is a devout scholar that is willing to look into early Christian beliefs and compare them with what current beliefs are. In the process he has highlighted some doctrines that have drifted from early Christianity. This book covers one of those areas.

I have found in my discussions with Christians varying concepts of what the afterlife and resurrection really are. I have found many that believe that the resurrection is spiritual and not physical. There also seems to be confusion about the state of the soul between death and the resurrection. Wright does a good job articulating this confusion and then he shows what the early Christians believed and how it is consistent with scripture.

His explanations fit much better with my beliefs than what I've heard from many other people. I agree with him that it is important to realize that the resurrection is physical and that the final heaven will be a renewed and glorified earth. It helps us focus on what is most important. We should be working on doing our part to usher in the Kingdom of God by making the world a better place.

Despite the fact that my belief system is not the same as his (I'm LDS), I still feel that I learned some important concepts from this book and I appreciated his perspective. Highly recommended. I plan on reading more of his books.

Summary of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

For years Christians have been asking, "If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?" It turns out that many believers have been giving the wrong answer. It is not heaven.

Award-winning author N. T. Wright outlines the present confusion about a Christian's future hope and shows how it is deeply intertwined with how we live today. Wright, who is one of today's premier Bible scholars, asserts that Christianity's most distinctive idea is bodily resurrection. He provides a magisterial defense for a literal resurrection of Jesus and shows how this became the cornerstone for the Christian community's hope in the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of the age. Wright then explores our expectation of "new heavens and a new earth," revealing what happens to the dead until then and what will happen with the "second coming" of Jesus. For many, including many Christians, all this will come as a great surprise.

Wright convincingly argues that what we believe about life after death directly affects what we believe about life before death. For if God intends to renew the whole creation-and if this has already begun in Jesus's resurrection-the church cannot stop at "saving souls" but must anticipate the eventual renewal by working for God's kingdom in the wider world, bringing healing and hope in the present life.

Lively and accessible, this book will surprise and excite all who are interested in the meaning of life, not only after death but before it.

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