Surprised by Hope

Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

By: N. T. Wright

Narrated by: James Langton

In this groundbreaking book—available in audio for the first time—renowned Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and bestselling author N. T. Wright argues that Christians have not distorted the Bible’s message about heaven and what happens after we die.

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 giving the wrong answer. It is not heaven.

Wright outlines the present confusion about a Christian’s future hope and shows how it is deeply intertwined with how we live today. Wright asserts that Christianity’s most distinctive idea is bodily resurrection, and provides a magisterial defense for a literal resurrection of Jesus. Wright then explores our expectation of ""new heavens and a new earth,"" revealing what happens to the dead until then and what will happen with the ""second coming"" of Jesus. For many, including many Christians, it will come as a great surprise to learn that heaven comes to earth instead of us going to heaven.

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’s 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.

Fantastic, encouraging

I had heard about this book for years, it was finally compelled to read it after hearing Tim Keller re-read it when he received his cancer diagnosis.

Wright does a great job pointing out where we have gone astray in contemporary times, and how getting back to early/historic Christian hope in the resurrection gives us true hope for the future

good insight into truth

more realistic biblical and sensical presentation of what jesus really did and what awaits us

Love N.T. Wright

I have yet to encounter a N.T.Wright book that disappointed me and this was no exception. Especially challenging were the passages about the. refugee camps and the third world debt problem.

Brilliant work by N.T. Wright!

I love N.T. Wright’s clear explanation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how it should compel Christians to truly live in the light of the new creation.

Fantastic description of the message of Christianity

This book is a fantastic description of the message of Christianity. Bishop Wright goes into profound depth in the fuller meaning of the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection, and what this entails for us. The book is very readable and very invigorating.