Suprised by Hope://chapter 2

NT Wright asks the question “How do you see death?”

There has been, in fact, an oscillation between two polls… Some envision death as a horrid enemy, stalking it’s pray. This is often combined with the firm proclamation that, though an enemy, death will finally be defeated…
The other pole of belief is represented by St. Francis’s hymn, “All creatures of our God and King”, with its remarkable invocation of “And thou, most dear and kindly death, waiting to hush our latest breath.” Many hymns, prayers, and sermons have tired to soften the blow by presenting death as a friend coming to take us to a better place… (pg16)

What we say about death and resurrection gives shape and color to everything else. If we are not careful, we will offer merely a “hope” that is no longer a surprise, no longer able to transform lives and communities in the present, no longer generated by the resurrection of Jesus himself and looking forward to the promised new heavens and new earth. (pg 25)

So, how do you see death? What is it? And the other half of the question is what then is resurrection?