Review by Karel Reus
Book | The Day the Revolution Began | TOM Wright
Wright seeks to answer these questions, or at least throw light on them, in the context of a continuing theological debate. He argues that neither conservatives nor liberals have “seen the bodily resurrection as the launching of God’s new creation within the present world order”.
God’s Kingdom is not some paradise-like reward for saved sinners, but is a new and liberated realm in the here and now where we become free to be true images of God. It is a realm where forgiveness of sins provides opportunity to worship (our true vocation), to witness to God’s love and grace, and to hope and work for justice in this world rather than the next.
This substantial book asserts that Jesus’ death on the Cross was not defeat but victory. At 6pm on that Passover Friday the world changed; the revolution had begun. Jesus’ suffering and death defeated sin, and made it possible for our worship, our witness, our hope, indeed our total mission to take effect.
This does not mean that we will not suffer, that we will not struggle, that there is nothing for us to do. But the Cross stands as assurance that the major war with the forces of evil has been won. Our sufferings and struggles are to be understood in that perspective. The Cross, argues Wright, makes it possible for us to live a radical new life, to break with the idolatrous attachment to false gods, and to be compassionate. The Cross puts us on the winning side in the war.
Wright is speaking theologically to theologians but he writes for a wider audience as well. If you get to read it, allow time, and be prepared for a bit of work. You won’t be disappointed.
Available from: koorong.com.
RRP $39.99
Comments are closed.