Surprised By Hope Analysis

N.T Wright's, Surprised By Hope effectively exposes fundamental underlying issues within Christianity and relates both logical reason and biblical support in his arguments for the issues at hand. The issues, or questions, being, "What is the ultimate Christian hope?" and, "What hope is there for change, rescue, transformation¸ new possibilities within the world in the present?" Elaborating on these questions, and adequately answering them as well, Wright proposes several extensive key arguments to support his thought process. Seeking to understand the central themes hidden in this book, one must summarize the major arguments, understand the organizing of the material, and understand Wright's purpose in writing.

Initially, Wright introduces common misconceptions regarding 'The ultimate Christian hope'. He wastes no time in answering the first question by implying that the ultimate Christian hope is the new heavens and the new earth. Wright adamantly refuses to accept the
Wright then proposes that life after death is, in actuality, a physical one as much as a spiritual one. When emphasizing his point, the author dives into the meaning of the word resurrection as the ancients understood it, as well as how we as Christians should understand it today. Rather than being satisfied with a strict spiritual sense of the word, Wright urges his readers to consider resurrection as a physical destiny and historical event. To further expound upon his thoughts, Wright demonstrates 7 mutations or changes from Jewish thought on resurrection, which Christianity has adopted. To further his point, the scholar then leads us to Easter Sunday. He touches on four ideas within the Easter story that is developed through the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Initially, in basic terms, he implies that there isn't any old testament quotation in the