Resurrection and the Renewal of Creation

The notion of resurrection has been strangely absent from much popular, as well as academic, Christian thinking in the west. For most, ‘going to heaven’ is the ultimate aim, rather than the biblical ‘new heavens and new earth’, promises rooted in the vision of God as good creator and wise judge. Paul and John expound a vision of new creation, starting with Jesus’ own resurrection. The church’s mission is to model and implement this new creation in the present, not least in working for justice and beauty, ahead of the final renewal which remains God’s own work.