jbc30's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

4.25

utalan's review against another edition

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5.0

I wish so badly that I had read this when I was younger. What does the bible say happens after we die? More than that, how does the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus affect me now? Not a promise of eternity "in heaven," but eternal life now, life with Christ after I die, and life after life after death - in a new and glorified body. This should probably be on the list of books every Christian should read.

anhug2's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

juliasilge's review against another edition

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4.0

This is my first book by Anglican theologian [a:N.T. Wright|38932|N.T. Wright|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1262134375p2/38932.jpg] and I enjoyed it tremendously; his tone falls somewhere that combines scholarly and devotional but is not dry or overly academic or drippy. I found his main theme here really great and challenging in a good way: we as Christians don't take the resurrection of Jesus seriously enough, especially in what it means for the ultimate future of everybody and everything and what we should we occupied with in the present (including global poverty, third world debt, environmental issues, & so forth). I really appreciate Wright's extended case against Gnostic/Platonic dualism, because I think that colors a lot of my thinking without me realizing it.

Some other aspects of Wright's arguments were challenging to me in a different way-- Do we evangelicals really get our eschatology so wrong (i.e. the rapture and tribulation and so forth)? Is the evangelical understanding of baptism and communion as symbols only really so off target? Not that Wright's main point in this book is evangelical-bashing, by any means; he argues equally strongly against the errors of modernist liberal theology when it comes to denying the resurrection or whatever. Anyway, these smaller issues did not keep me from thinking more deeply and in new ways about his larger points. Really good.

Oh, and look! Wright was on The Colbert Report doing publicity for this very book.

abbsentminded's review against another edition

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5.0

A great Easter read. Renew your wonder at the resurrection

kalagrace's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a great exploration of what happens after you die and what it means for you (and the church as a whole) right now. It's a dense read, but I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about life after life after death, Christ's resurrection, our future, and how this great hope should affect your every moment.

chrisbaker1981's review against another edition

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5.0

What a great book to read leading up to Easter! It explores the idea that the empty tomb means that the hope of the Christian is as much this-worldly and now as well as later.

bkoser's review against another edition

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5.0

For a while I've been dissatisfied with the view that "going to heaven when you die" is the focus of Christianity. This book was written as a counterpoint to that view and resonated with me. I have to think through the author's points some more to decide what exactly I believe on the discussed topics.

I especially liked the application chapters.

N. T. Wright has been called "the modern C. S. Lewis", and I think that's a great description. His writing is clear and well-thought-out.

sonofstdavid's review against another edition

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5.0

One of the best popular theology books I have ever read. A stirring call to the Church to reclaim living forth in biblical hope.
Not only does Wright effectively combat the astonishingly prevalent unbiblical teachings about the intermediate state and the lack of emphasis on the coming resurrection, but he also casts a vision for what it means to be a resurrection people.

adamrshields's review against another edition

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5.0

I thought this was a very important book. As with some other articles of his that I have read, he tends to over play his argument a bit, but in summary he thinks that we spend too much time thinking about heaven and not enough time living on earth. He posits (and I think there is a good bit of support for) the fact that there will be a new Heaven and Earth and that the resurrection will have us on the new Earth living and working for Christ without sin, as God originally intended. He suggests that the work we do now is actually practice for the future work and that we in a real and spiritual way will impact the new Earth by our work in this earth. This isn't a "works" issue, it is a following Christ's commandments because we love him issue. From what I have seen people often really like the theology at the beginning or the practical examples at the end, but often not both.

I liked it enough that have I bought three other copies to give to friends.