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  
published February 1st 2008 by HarperOne
binding Hardcover
isbn 0061551821   (isbn13: 9780061551826)
pages 352
description

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...more

date added
12-13-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 144)



Phil
Phil rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/06/08

Read in April, 2008
This is a great book, and a valuable book, in many ways. NT Wright packages together neatly some of his most important points about Christianity that he has a unique ability to understand and articulate. I also think it is one of his best written books so far.
The book can be thought of as centering around the basic question: what is the Christian hope? For Wright, this is a question that is vastly misunderstood within Christianity these days, and consequently misunderstood outside of Christi...more
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Collin
Collin rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/22/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in June, 2008
It's an interesting thing, to read a book from someone of a different tradition of faith (Wright is an Anglican, while I am Mormon, more or less). There are passages here that may be radical to an Anglican, but are "Yeah, and?" moments for me. Likewise occasionally he'll casually throw out things that are probably obvious to other Anglicans but for which I'd like a stronger explanation. Fortunately there are 2 points which have eased my mind about his frame of reference. One, Wrigh...more
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Jeremy
Jeremy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/06/08

Read in May, 2008
Bishop Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham in England, writes a masterful book on the resurrection, afterlife and the future of our world. He spends the first few chapters analyzing the Western church's understanding that our goal is to "get to heaven" and explains how this is an incorrect view in light of the Bible. What the Bible tells us is at the end, there will be a renewed heaven and a renewed earth and they will become one. In other words, heaven is great, but it isn't the end of the...more
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Rob
Rob rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
01/20/08

Read in January, 2008
What is the Christian's hope? To go to heaven? To be forgiven of their sins? To live again after death?

N.T. Wright says that the Christian hope is in the resurrection of the body--the very body we now inhabit. Jesus' disciples found his tomb empty, not because he had gone on to a disembodied existence, but because the same body that had been crucified was raised.

This fact, which Wright attempts to show was historically plausible, should make a difference in how we live this life. Jesus...more
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Jasonlylescampbell
Jasonlylescampbell rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/20/08

bookshelves: read-recently
Read in April, 2008
Very good work. I think my favorite chapter was on Building for the Kingdom. The idea that all our work for Jesus will not be in vain from Paul's letter to the Corinthians is really powerful. I also really like having some strong biblical backing for something that I feel implicitly to be true ... that we are called, first and foremost, to the work of new creation right here and now ... and that talk of humbly waiting for God to come is a pious duck of responsibility.

And I like how much app...more
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Isaac
Isaac rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/05/08

Read in May, 2008
recommends it for: those who haven't been surprised lately.
This book took me awhile to read for two reasons:

1. It's long and N.T. Wright doesn't spend a lot of time telling stories.

2. It was probably one of the best books I have read so far and I didn't want to rush the impact that the content was having on me.

I highly recommend this book. I hope you will be "surprised" to find the book contains a picture of a Christianity worth believing in.

Lastly, I think that if I understand following Jesus as a journey with many "mile...more
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George
George rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/12/08

bookshelves: 200-religion
Best quote of the book:

“At no point in the Gospels or Acts does anyone say anything remotely like, ‘Jesus has gone into heaven, so let’s be sure we can follow him.’ They say, rather, ‘Jesus is in heaven, ruling the whole world, and he will one day return to make that rule complete’” (117).

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Rob
Rob rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/24/08

Read in June, 2008
recommends it for: Everyone.
Excellent book about the resurrection, life after life after death, and the mission of the Church. Having already read Simply Christian, I was not disappointed at all. A must read for those serious about building for God's kingdom here on Earth.
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Billy Jack  Blankenship
Billy Jack rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/18/08

This book is absolutely unreal! I love NT! This book opened me to new thoughts and ideas, and inspired! A must read for anyone interested in our mission as people and followers of Jesus! I cannot recommend this book enough...
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Joe
Joe rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/21/08

Read in March, 2008
NT does it again! Great book...will get you thinking about what you believe, perhaps evening questioning some of those beliefs.

Great Book!
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Cameron
Cameron rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/10/08

Read in May, 2008
I'm giving this book four stars because of the ideas it contains. The prose, however, leaves much to be desired.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.56 (39 ratings)
number of reviews: 11






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