Has anyone read Wright's "Surprised by Hope?"

[Montanablue]

A friend gave it to me last week, and I'm planning on reading it in a few weeks once things quiet down for me a bit. Has anyone here read it? Opinions? I know there's been some controversy over Wright, but I'm not entirely sure of the issues with him. At any rate, it should be an interesting read.

 

[OPC'n]

I thought Obama wrote a book called that!

 

[Montanablue]

I think that's "The Audacity of Hope." When my friend told me that she thought I should read "Surprised by Hope," I thought she was also talking about the president's book, and I was really surprised - she's a gun-toting libertarian!

 

[Ex Nihilo]

I haven't read this one, so this is just a quick opinion. His main point, as I understand it, is this: our hope is not freedom from the physical world and freedom from the body, but renewal of creation and resurrection of the body. Certainly not a controversial (nor an original) point, as far as I know. I would definitely avoid Wright on justification, but when he has an orthodox point, he does have a nice way of phrasing it. Even though you could certainly get the same information in a better and more Reformed formulation elsewhere, it might be worthwhile to read this one. If your non-Reformed friends are reading it already, you can always engage them on these points and show them that the Reformed confessions have always taught that our hope is bodily resurrection, not disembodied bliss.

 

[shackleton]

It basically talks about what people generally believe as it concerns where and how we will all spend eternal life. He lays out what the popular belief is, that we will all live on clouds or in mansions and do what ever we want, or it will be a constant praise session.

He then tells what it will be, a renewal of creation. Getting back to what was intended in the Garden of Eden. With jobs and real bodies. Not jobs in the sense of what we do now but we will have something to do.

It talks some about the resurrection and why it is important. Why Jesus rose from the dead and what that means.

It is a very good book. Something everyone should read.

 

[Marrow Man]

Erick, does Wright talk about "final justification" in the book?

 

[shackleton]

Erick, does Wright talk about "final justification" in the book?

No. I don't believe he mentions anything about salvation just what happens after the resurrection. He talks a lot about the resurrection and the final state. He is sort of partial-preterist, Amil in his end times beliefs.

In his books on Paul is where he mentions his beliefs on justification.

It seems like his views of "final justification" sort of blends sanctification, (doing good for others) with justification, (being a part of the family of God). The one is a part of the other. So a final justification would be a culmination of all that one has done in this life to help with the renewal of creation.

 

[Marrow Man]

Thanks, Erick. I actually have the book, but I never read that far into it. And I was just too sleepy last night to get up and take the book off the shelf and see for myself.

I will say that (in my unfinished reading) that the book's biggest advantage is that Wright summarizes what he writes in the (several hundred page book) The Resurrection of the Son of God into a nice and tidy 20 or so pages in Surprised by Hope. That is worth a read by itself, in that Wright defends the unique nature of Jesus' resurrection and its implications. Good stuff.

And, on a humorous note, I believe I heard someone say a few months ago that Surprised by Hope should be the title of Hillary Clinton's book chronicling her failed Democratic primary campaign against Barack Obama...