God's Homecoming

In Surprised by Hope Tom Wright argued that the authentic Christian hope is not ‘going to heaven’ to enjoy a blissful disembodied immortality, but ‘life after life after death’ in the bodily resurrection which, scripture promises, will be set within the whole new creation.In this new book Wright takes this a big step further, exploring passages in Paul’s letters and in the Hebrew prophets where ‘hope’ refers to the reconciliation and renewal of all creation, and where hope is focused on the belief that Israel’s God, the creator, has promised to fill the whole creation with his glorious and healing presence.Putting things this way round reminds us that the gospel is essentially about grace. As long as we are asking ‘how can I get to heaven’ or ‘how can I become fit to be in God’s presence’ there is always the danger that, however much we stress that God must take the initiative, we end up seeing it as precisely ‘How can I . . . ‘ But if the main movement of the story is God’s desire and intention to come to dwell with us and in us and through us then grace suffuses all that follows.Provisional contents1 Introduction2 Filling the earth with glory3 From Eden to Babylon – and then?4 The story of Jesus5 Incarnation6 The cross and sacrifice7 The spirit8 The vision of God in knowing Jesus9 The sacraments10 The second coming11 Church unity as the anticipation of new creation12 Conclusion