Christians are wrong about heaven

[Ben2747]

PS - couple of references you might find interesting:




Basically, a ton of unknowns. Clearly there is a physical reality. Clearly its nature and operations are transformed and elevated into something beyond our (or at least my) comprehension.

[postodave]

[Ben2747]

[postodave]

[Karen]

[Ben2747]

[postodave]

[Ben2747]

[postodave]

Thanks Ben for a very gracious response. I don't know where to go with this but Wright endorses the views found in David Lawrence's book on heaven that I referred to earlier. As I said I found it somehow lacking. Heaven is such a tricky idea as you say and Lawrence made it all seem a bit pat. I'm told the place to go after Lawrence is Heaven: A History by Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang. At least that might begin to clarify whether there has been a tendency to downplay the earthly aspects of heaven in the way that Wright is concerned about.

[MERTONS'GHOST]

Has anyone ever read Ezekiel 37...... we see a prohetic look at the resurection........ where the resurected body (the HEAVENLY dwelling- 2 Cor. 5:4) is shown having all physical attributes from bone to tendon, intertwined with the indwelling Spirit as well.

[Ben2747]

[Karen]

Heh. Get back to us when you're ready.

[Ben2747]

[postodave]

Sorry Ben. Actually I don't think the other book on heaven is by an Anglican; I don't think the authors are even Christians although the names sound Irish; probably renegade Catholics. Actually there are some really good books on religious ideas by renegade Catholics who are now not exactly Christians but not entirely hostile to religion in a secular kind of way. The names Karen Armstrong and Peter Stanford come to mind. Though Stanford's done a book called Why I am still a Catholic so perhaps he's not as secular as I thought.

Getting the point I found out today that last year Wright published a book called Surprised by Hope. This is a full on version of what the Time article said. His argument seems to be that a focus on the intermediate state in late medieval times, and in particular the association of this with purgatory led to a downplaying of the final renewal of the earth at the resurrection. He also touches on modern Catholic views, in particular those of Rahner and the current Pope, noting that they tend to disociate purgatory from the intermediate state.

[Karen]

I've just received Suprised by Hope and will start reading it this weekend. I think it's the layman's version of his The Resurrection of the Son of God.