Ep 38: NT Wright & the Future of God

The Christian Transhumanist Podcast

NT Wright explains why we don't want to go to Heaven, points us toward medical technology as a sign of the Kingdom, and clears up our biggest misconceptions about the apostle Paul.

Books & Links:

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
• Paul: A Biography
• NT Wright's online courses

Topics:

• Why should the church care about history?
• “Going to Heaven” vs “The Kingdom of Heaven”
  • Eschatology, the story we find ourselves in, and why God wants to renew the physical world
  • CS Lewis, The Great Divorce, and an afterlife that's more physical, not less
  • Why people ignore Romans 8:19-21
• “Signs of the kingdom”
  • The Resurrection spreads outward from Christ, through humanity, to all creation.
  • Signs of Christ's impact: Health Care, Education, Concern for the Poor
  • The centrality of medical technology to the work of Christianity
• What does the word “God” mean?
  • A Skeptic's introduction to the New Testament
  • Christology from below?
  • Epicureanism, Stoicism, Judaism
  • The Mistakes of the Church Fathers
  • The Eastern Orthodox doctrine of Theosis (Divinization)
• Doctor Who?
• The biggest misunderstanding about Paul
  • Paul wasn't expecting the end of the world (see Gifford Lectures)
  • Phoebe, Junia, and why Paul wasn't a misogynist

Quotes:

“If we were to scour the first century for people who were hoping that their souls would leave the present material world behind and go to heaven, we would discover Platonists like Plutarch, not Christians like Paul.” <-- (click to tweet)

“The rise of medical technology over the last two or three hundred years is one of the great success stories of science.” <-- (click to tweet)