N.T. Wright | The Point of Resurrection

For an episode released during Holy Week, it seemed appropriate to have a conversation with the theologian who has written what many consider to be the seminal work on Jesus’ resurrection, The Resurrection of the Son of God . N.T. Wright is a New Testament scholar of high regard and we talk to him about the resurrection: this miraculous, earth shattering event which changed the course of history. We also hear a bit about how he came to be a theologian and writer who has split his time between academia and ministry.

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There is also a new free ebook from NT Wright Online:

“If we can’t preach the cross at a time like this, when can we?’” This is the question Prof. N.T. Wright poses in his new free ebook, Preaching the Cross in Dark Times. It will prepare teachers to preach the good news of Jesus‘ death and resurrection in today’s world.

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I don’t always agree with everything Prof. Wright says, but he always makes me think and I always learn something from engaging with his work. There is also no doubting his credentials, he’s an incredible scholar. Looking forward to listening to this podcast.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this interview between @jstump and N. T. Wright.
Here are a few things that jumped out at me:

  1. But to be honest, if you look at the difference between the gospel narratives, and what Paul says is the received common tradition in 1st Corinthians 15, Paul’s tradition has already airbrushed the women out.

Quote 1 is by no means the main point of the interview, but it certainly caught my attention. As a woman in the church, I wrestle with related issues all the time: primarily, “What is the/a right reading of Scripture?” While I have no interest in deconstructing anything (in a formal way, using tools of critical theory), I still have questions.
(Honestly, have you noticed how few women are here, participating in this forum? There are a number of reasons I can think of, just related to quote #1.)

  1. [T]he whole rapture theology is all about people being taken away from this world, to another world entirely. Whereas the whole point of the second coming in the New Testament is that Jesus is coming back to rule and to reign, to transform, to heal, to fill this present world with justice and joy and peace and love. And we are to practice justice and joy and peace and love in the present because it’s the language we’re going to be speaking when Jesus comes back.

Aaah, Professor Wright, this is huge. I have lived nearly my whole life in this theology. It’s so easy to focus on (and finance) saving individual souls, and even justify that work as of first importance, over keeping bodies and souls together, practicing love and justice, because that is important in God’s Kingdom. It’s very easy to act as if “the world” is a disposable, single-use package, rather than the site where the Kingdom of God is playing out right now, when we focus on the by and by.

  1. if you believe in the resurrection, that includes being prepared to say no to the old creation, when it comes in whispers in your ear, and yes to the new creation, there is a new way of being human. It’s very interesting that the early Christians discovered quickly that there are four virtues, which the ancient world didn’t count at all, but which really mattered. And they are patience, humility, chastity, and charity, in the sense of outward looking love to and help to anybody and everybody. And so to believe in the resurrection involves saying, there is this new way of being human, and we are committed to it.

So many of us have completely divorced ourselves these virtues, rather, have never even encountered them as foundational to the thinking of the early church, that we have no idea what to do with them on a grand scale. We look to short-term “achievable” goals that benefit our short-term, extremely limited goals here, in our short-term, limited “kingdom”. This is not a new way of being human.
I need to focus my attention on the resurrection and that new way of being human.

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Thanks @Kendel. Good insights.

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I think NT Wright is at his absolute best when he is talking about the New Creation. I think your points #2 & #3 capture that.

#1 and your reflections got me thinking, might follow up on some thoughts there is I get a mo.

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I still haven’t listened to it and I thought I would prefer that to reading the transcript this time. But if I don’t get an opportunity to listen soon I will settle for reading. Thanks for the interesting selections.

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