I just finished reading, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by NT Wright. Wright is a New Testament theologian and currently serves as the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England.
What I appreciate about his writing is his ability to “get into the shoes” of first century Christians to gain fresh perspectives concerning the Christian faith. He apprehends complex theological issues, makes them understandable for the reader, then shows its relevance and application for Christians today. Often times this “new perspective” results in a paradigm shift that opens new opportunities and ways of thinking.
I used to think it really doesn’t matter what you believe concerning heaven. Whatever heaven may be like, I’m sure its good, but the important thing is how you live your life now so that you can “get to heaven.” After reading NT Wright’s book I understand more concretely how our view of heaven and the resurrection has direct consequences on how we live our lives and make choices today.
Reading this book revolutionized my view on two levels:
Firstly, the fact that Jesus has entered into our world, died, and was resurrected means that God’s new creation has already begun in this world. What we do on earth really matters for eternity, not to “get to heaven,” but to co-labor with God to bring about God’s new Kingdom. Whenever I promote forgiveness, pray for my enemies, or reach out to a stranger I participate in bringing God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” The world isn’t going to be “burned up” but it is going to be completely and gloriously renewed and I am invited to participate in this renewal process.
“Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord’s prayer means.”
The second point is similar in the idea that ALL of Gods creation is good. There is no “bad” part of creation. Bad comes when I worship the created instead of the creator. The fact that I am created or human does not make me evil, bad or sinful. But when I decide to worship elements of this world instead of the creator, this is evil, bad and sinful; I only participate in my own dehumanization and contribute to the corruption of the world as it is. But when I honor God as creator, I affirm my own humanity and God’s good creation. I am free to be wonderfully and fully human and to enjoy God as he has created me. These thoughts have helped me to become less judgmental and more accepting of others.
“How will God’s new creation come? and then, How will we humans contribute to the renewal of creation and to the fresh projects that the creator God will launch in his new world? The choice before humans would then be framed differently: are you going to worship the creator God and discover thereby what it means to become fully and gloriously human, reflecting his powerful, healing, transformative love into the world? Or are you going to worship the world as it is, boosting your corruptible humanness by gaining power or pleasure from forces within the world but merely contributing thereby to your own dehumanization and the further corruption of the world itself?”
This book is rich with new perspectives concerning heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the Church. It has given me fresh hope, understanding and excitement concerning how I live my life today as a Christian in the 21st century.