Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright
Week 6: Part II, Chapter 5 — Cosmic Future: Progress or Despair?
Read Part II, Chapter 5 of Surprised by Hope. Key passages: Romans 8:18–25; Isaiah 65:17–25; 2 Peter 3:10–13.
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Before describing the Christian hope for creation's future, Wright maps the landscape of modern alternatives — from secular optimism to nihilistic despair — to show why the biblical vision is genuinely different.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Wright surveys two broad secular alternatives for thinking about the future: the Enlightenment idea of inevitable progress and the postmodern collapse into despair. How does he describe each, and what are their respective weaknesses?
2.Wright argues that much popular Christianity has actually absorbed a version of the 'progress' narrative, expecting things to get better and better until Jesus returns — or alternatively, has embraced a 'despair' narrative, expecting the world to get worse and worse until Jesus swoops in to rescue us from it. Which tendency do you recognize more in your own church background?
3.How does Wright's reading of Romans 8:18–25 (creation groaning, waiting for the redemption of God's children) offer a third way between optimism and despair? What is distinct about the Christian account of the present and the future?
a.What is 'the redemption of our bodies' in this passage, and how does it connect to the renewal of creation?
b.What does it mean to say that Christians 'groan' along with creation? Is this your experience?
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