Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, And The Mission Of The Church

Wright is a theologian, biblical scholar, and former bishop in the Church of England. He was born in Morpeth, Northumberland, England, on December 1, 1948, and studied classics and theology at Oxford University, fulfilling a doctorate in the theology of St. Paul in 1981. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1975 and served as a chaplain or professor of New Testament studies at several colleges, including Oxford, Cambridge, and McGill. He served as Bishop of Durham from 2003 to 2010 and then took up a position as a research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews.

Wright has penned over 70 books about Christianity and the New Testament, including Simply Christian, Simply Jesus, Paul: A Biography, and The Resurrection of the Son of God. He has also produced commentaries for the internet and appeared as a guest on television talk shows in Britain and America. Wright’s books have been translated into numerous Western and Asian languages.

One of his most popular books, Surprised by Hope typifies Wright’s strong emphasis on Jesus’ resurrection as being central to Christianity. Like Wright’s works in general, it is equally concerned with defending traditional elements of Christian belief and with correcting erroneous patterns of thought among contemporary Christians; Wright uses a historical and biblical template to enunciate what he understands to be the church’s original message.