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Surprised by Hope: #6

by chrisaltrock
November 3, 2009

surprisedbyhope In Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, N. T. Wright challenges us to rethink our notions of heaven and the implications of the doctrine of heaven for the entire Christian faith.

In Chapter Six Wright lays out the biblical answer to “What is God’s purpose for creation?” in contrast to the popular options explored in chapter five: evolutionary optimism (EO) and souls in transit (SIT). In summary, Wright argues that the early Christians did not believe the world was getting better and better on its own steam (EO) or that it was getting worse and worse and their task was to escape it (SIT). Instead, early Christians believed “that God was going to do for the whole cosmos was he had done for Jesus at Easter.”

Surprised by Hope: #4

by chrisaltrock
October 27, 2009

In Chapter Four Wright explores “the strange story of Easter.” He begins by drawing attention to four “strange” features of the Gospels’ resurrection stories which compel us to take them as very early accounts rather than later inventions.

The Offering: What Happened When God Offered All (Rom. 12:1-2)

by chrisaltrock
February 3, 2009

Steve Prothero is a Boston University professor and author of the book Religious Literacy.[i] When Prothero began teaching twenty years ago he found that few students could name the authors of the Christian Gospels. Fewer could name a single Hindu Scripture. Almost none could name the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. This concerned Prothero. He believes that many political conflicts in world history have had religious roots. Thus he feels it imperative for students to know something about the religions of the world. Most of his Boston University students, however, knew nothing. Thus, this non-Christian professor proposes in his book that students should be required take a course in Bible and World Religions before graduating from high school.

The Offering: What Happened When God Offered All (Rom. 12:1-2)

by chrisaltrock
January 22, 2009

Steve Prothero is a Boston University professor and author of the book Religious Literacy.[1] When Prothero began teaching twenty years ago he found that few students could name the authors of the Christian Gospels. Fewer could name a single Hindu Scripture. Almost none could name the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. This concerned Prothero. He believes that many political conflicts in world history have had religious roots. Thus he feels it imperative for students to know something about the religions of the world. Most of his Boston University students, however, knew nothing. Thus, this non-Christian professor proposes in his book that students should be required take a course in Bible and World Religions before graduating from high school.