Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright

There are few Christian books these days that can make me sit up and take notice... this is one of them. Up to this point I had purposely shied away from in-depth study about heaven/life after death, because of the divisions this kind of debate can and has caused in the church (Armageddon, the rapture, pre/post-millenialism, doomsday prophecies, etc. - bleh). This book, however, was wonderfully refreshing. N.T. Wright looks at the overall Biblical view of this topic - in other words, he doesn't just try to dissect or explain Revelation. He looks at the big picture: What does Jesus' resurrection mean for us and for the Kingdom of God? How does this inform how we live in the present and what we can hope for in the future? If you are looking for a theologically challenging book that will change (or perhaps enhance) your perception of the hope we have in Christ, this book is for you. I cannot recommend it highly enough.