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

N. T. Wright

May 2009 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

In Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, top-selling author and Anglican bishop, N.T. Wright tackles the biblical foundations of Christian hope and shows how most Christians get it wrong. We do not “go to” heaven; we are resurrected and heaven comes down to earth—a difference that makes all of the difference to how we live on earth as part of the mission of the Church.

Following N.T. Wright’s resonant exploration of a life of faith in Simply Christian, the award-winning author whom Newsweek calls “the world’s leading New Testament scholar” takes on one of the most central topics in biblical theology, a matter of life, death, spirituality, and survival for everyone living in the world today. 

In this paradigm-shifting book, Wright reveals:

• The Biblical View of Heaven: Why the popular idea of “going to heaven” is a profound misunderstanding of Christian eschatology.
• Resurrection of the Dead: How the promise of a new, physical body in a renewed creation—not an escaped soul—is the Bible’s central hope.
• The Second Coming of Jesus: A clear-eyed look at what the New Testament actually says about Christ’s return and the final judgment.
• Hope for the Present World: How a correct understanding of our future hope energizes the mission of the Church to work for justice and renewal today.

About the author

N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. He is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Senior Editor at Saint Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and NPR’s Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of many books, including Paul: A Biography, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Simply Jesus, After You Believe, and Scripture and the Authority of God.