From the Publisher
With this work, N.T. Wright topples the simplistic, personalized view of the cross and the bloodthirsty God that once wrecked my own faith. Instead, we find the cross illuminated by a God that invites us to bring goodness into this world instead of trying to escape it.” — Mike McHargue, author of Finding God in the Waves and host of The Liturgists Podcast and Ask Science Mike
“The question ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’ has haunted the human race for two thousand years. Wright locates the crucifixion in the sweep of Israel’s story (and ours) with power, depth, and freshness of thought.” — John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church and author of All The Places To Go
“Many have wondered where N.T. Wright stood in the atonement debate. He applies his story of Israel and the church to the cross, setting it into a historical and narrative matrix that sheds light on the heart of the gospel that comes from the heart of God’s love.” — Scot McKnight, author of The King Jesus Gospel
“Wright’s unwavering faith in the resurrection is quite evident as he defends the Easter narratives on historical and theological grounds.” — America Magazine
“From the day Christ was crucified his followers have sought to understand the meaning of the cross. Wright has written one of the most important books on this subject ever written. Something deeper, more revolutionary, happened on the cross. This book will help you discover the meaning of the cross.” — Adam Hamilton, author of Making Sense of the Bible
“Relevant Recommends: Wright invites us to explore the crucifixion within the broader story of what God is doing in creation” — Relevant
“N. T. Wright’s The Challenge of Jesus revolutionized my theology. As I read The Day the Revolution Began, I kept thinking that it will similarly revolutionize the understanding of a new generation of readers. It is lucid, engaging, thorough, compelling, and profoundly important.” — Brian D. McLaren, author of We Make the Road By Walking
“In his new book, Wright explains that Jesus’ death does more than just get us into heaven.” — Christianity Today
“Wright’s bracing and thought-provoking exegesis should inform and encourage everyone concerned with Christianity’s continuing vitality.” — Booklist (Starred Review)
“Offers a comprehensive interpretation of Jesus’s sacrifice and its significance for the Christian Faith” — Publishers Weekly
“A thought-provoking book…both simple and world-shaking. Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Wonderfully rich and provocative . . . this book could be entitled Your Cross Is Too Small. Our individualistic views of the atonement and, for that matter, the gospel, don’t begin to do justice to the full implications of the New Testament understanding of the implications of Jesus’s death and resurrection.” — The Covenant Companion
Scot McKnight
Many have wondered where N.T. Wright stood in the atonement debate. He applies his story of Israel and the church to the cross, setting it into a historical and narrative matrix that sheds light on the heart of the gospel that comes from the heart of God’s love.
Adam Hamilton
From the day Christ was crucified his followers have sought to understand the meaning of the cross. Wright has written one of the most important books on this subject ever written. Something deeper, more revolutionary, happened on the cross. This book will help you discover the meaning of the cross.
America Magazine
Wright’s unwavering faith in the resurrection is quite evident as he defends the Easter narratives on historical and theological grounds.
Christianity Today
In his new book, Wright explains that Jesus’ death does more than just get us into heaven.
John Ortberg
The question ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’ has haunted the human race for two thousand years. Wright locates the crucifixion in the sweep of Israel’s story (and ours) with power, depth, and freshness of thought.
Mike McHargue
With this work, N.T. Wright topples the simplistic, personalized view of the cross and the bloodthirsty God that once wrecked my own faith. Instead, we find the cross illuminated by a God that invites us to bring goodness into this world instead of trying to escape it.
Booklist (Starred Review)
Wright’s bracing and thought-provoking exegesis should inform and encourage everyone concerned with Christianity’s continuing vitality.
Brian D. McLaren
N. T. Wright’s The Challenge of Jesus revolutionized my theology. As I read The Day the Revolution Began, I kept thinking that it will similarly revolutionize the understanding of a new generation of readers. It is lucid, engaging, thorough, compelling, and profoundly important.
Relevant
Relevant Recommends: Wright invites us to explore the crucifixion within the broader story of what God is doing in creation
The Covenant Companion
Wonderfully rich and provocative . . . this book could be entitled Your Cross Is Too Small. Our individualistic views of the atonement and, for that matter, the gospel, don’t begin to do justice to the full implications of the New Testament understanding of the implications of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Booklist
Wright delves into the Crucifixion and, surprising himself, he says, finds it the mainspring of the faith and the church. Wright’s exegesis should inform and encourage everyone concerned with Christianity’s continuing vitality.
John Ortberg is senior pastor of Menlo Church
The question ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’ has haunted the human race for two thousand years. Wright locates the crucifixion in the sweep of Israel’s story (and ours) with power, depth, and freshness of thought.
Rob Bell
Praise for Surprised by Hope: “This book is N.T. Wright at his finest.
Library Journal
★ 11/15/2016
Scholar and prolific author Wright (New Testament & early Christianity; Sch. of Divinity, Univ. of St. Andrews; How God Became King) pens a thought-provoking book to "help ordinary Christians grasp, and be grasped by, the multifaceted glory of Jesus's cross." He investigates questions such as: "When the early Christians summarized their 'good news' by saying that 'the Messiah died for our sins in accordance with the Bible,' what precisely did they mean?" In answering such queries, Wright desires to help avoid "domesticating or distorting the cross" and controversially asserts that the goal of Christ's death was not to help us escape hell or go to heaven. Instead, he sees an overarching theme of exile and Passover restoration by the forgiveness of the sins that caused the exile. The cross thus established "the kingdom of God through the agency of Jesus" so that both Jewish and Gentile Christians may "share in the royal and priestly human work within both the present world and the world…to be." VERDICT This book is highly recommended for all libraries and will appeal to general readers interested in current theological thought.—Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI
