I heard N.T. Wright (Anglican Bishop of Durham) speak this evening, and wow, the Anglicans, Episcopalians and United Methodists turned out in full force for it. Even Matthew Paul Turner and some of the progressive Bible church people showed up and lent their ears and support. I felt like I knew half the people there.
What a fantastic speech. After all, who knew that in our sound-bite age, people still spoke in complete sentences, and even complete paragraphs? N.T. Wright is one of the more brilliant people alive, and it's always awe-inspiring to be in the same room with him (this was my second time hearing him speak).
Wright spoke about heaven and why our notion of heaven is so inaccurate and incomplete. It would be hard, if not impossible, to sum up his argument briefly here (still, let me try), but Wright contends that "paradise" is where we go when we die, which is a wonderful resting place to prepare us for our new life. That new life will happen when Jesus pulls back the curtain that separates heaven from earth. In this place, this redeemed world, we'll get our bodies---yes, physical bodies, not spiritual bodies---which are like our old bodies, but better. The sort of body that Jesus had when we spoke to the travelers on the road to Emmaus; a body that was healed and whole, but still bore the marks of love (the nail marks in his hands).
According to Wright, we are not shadows of our former selves. Rather, we are shadows of our future selves. Heaven is not our home after all. This world is. A world that is better than anything we can imagine.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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4 comments:
We will be restored as will the world, back to the way God created it to be before the fall, God is all about rescuing us, we are His interest, what a wonderful life it will be, forever.
As beautiful as the mountains and oceans are now i can't imagine the majesty they will have when the Earth is revealed to it's original glory!
bob
i'm so sad i didn't get to come! you'll have to tell me all about it later.
His book Simply Christian is riveting. I need to read it again.
Your blog is a blessing from God.
I'll be less of a stranger here. Thank you, and keep writing!! I'm a huge fan as you know. God is using you Cameron! I'm going to start praying for you. I pray He not overwhelm you, and I pray that as you touch the hearts of others through your words that the people that need to read them will read them. He is so good!
N.T. Wright is simply a BAMF. He was in NYC Monday, the day before you saw him, and I was about to go and then realized I'm in my last week of school ever, and needed to get some work done.
But I have heard him speak before, and I was blown away. What a man. He doesn't dumb theology down, and yet still finds a away to communicate it effectively.
Hope you are well bud.
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