Surprised by Hope (eBook, EPUB)

What do Christians hope for? To leave this wicked world and go to 'heaven' For the 'kingdom of God' to grow gradually on earth? What do we mean by the 'resurrection of the body', and how does that fit with the popular image of sitting on clouds playing harps? And how does all this affect the way we live in the here and now? Tom Wright, one of our leading theologians, addresses these questions in this provocative and wide-ranging new book. He outlines the present confusion about future hope in both church and world. Then, having explained why Christians believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus himself, he explores the biblical hope for 'new heavens and new earth', and shows how the 'second coming' of Jesus, and the eventual resurrection, belong within that larger picture, together with the intermediate hope for 'heaven'. 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' 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.

Preface xi

Part 1

SETTING THE SCENE

1 All dressed up and no place to go? 3

1. Introduction 3

2. Confusion about hope: the wider world 7

3. Varieties of belief 15

2 Puzzled about paradise? 20

1. Christian confusion about hope 20

2. Exploring the options 23

3. The effects of confusion 27

4. Wider implications of confusion 37

5. The key questions 38

3 Early Christian hope in its historical setting 42

1. Introduction 42

2. Resurrection and life after death in ancient paganism and Judaism 46

3. The surprising character of early Christian hope 52

4 The strange story of Easter 64

1. Stories without precedent 64

2. Easter and history 69

3. Conclusion 86

Part 2

GOD'S FUTURE PLAN

5 Cosmic future: progress or despair? 91

1. Introduction 91

2. Option 1: evolutionary optimism 93

3. Option 2: souls in transit 100

6 What the whole world's waiting for 104

1. Introduction 104

2. Fundamental structures of hope 104

3. Seedtime and harvest 109

4. The victorious battle 110

5. Citizens of heaven - colonizing the earth 111

6. God will be all in all 112

7. New birth 114

8. The marriage of heaven and earth 115

9. Conclusion 117

7 Jesus, heaven and new creation 120

1. The ascension 120

2. What about the 'second coming'? 129

8 When he appears 135

1. Introduction 135

2. Coming, appearing, revealing, royal presence 136

9 Jesus the coming judge 150

1. Introduction 150

2. Second coming and judgment 155

10 The redemption of our bodies 159

1. Introduction 159

2. Resurrection: life after 'life after death' 160

3. Resurrection in Corinth 165

4. Resurrection: later debates 169

5. Rethinking resurrection today: who, where,

what, why, when and how 171

11 Purgatory, paradise, hell 177

1. Introduction 177

2. Purgatory 178

3. Paradise 183

4. Beyond hope, beyond pity 187

5. Conclusion: human goals and new creation 196

Part 3

HOPE IN PRACTICE: RESURRECTION

AND THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

12 Rethinking salvation: heaven, earth and the

kingdom of God 201

1. Introduction 201

2. The meaning of 'salvation' 206

3. The kingdom of God 213

13 Building for the kingdom 218

1. Introduction 218

2. Justice 224

3. Beauty 233

4. Evangelism 236

5. Conclusion 242

14 Reshaping the church for mission (1):biblical roots 245

1. Introduction 245

2. The gospels and Acts 246

3. Paul 258

15 Reshaping the church for mission (2):living the future 267

1. Introduction: celebrating Easter 267

2. Space, time and matter: creation redeemed 269

3. Resurrection and mission 277

4. Resurrection and spirituality 283

a. New birth and baptism 283

b. Eucharist 285

c. Prayer 288

d. Scripture 293

e. Holiness 296

f. Love 298

Tailpiece: two Easter sermons 303

Notes 308

Index of biblical references 329

Index of names 332

Index of topics 336