It has been through the writings of N.T. Wright that I have come to see the central importance of the doctrine of resurrection. The whole scheme of Christianity rises and falls on the belief that God will raise the dead while renewing all creation. This week’s quote from Wright is found in this line of thought which is essentially commentary on Rom. 8.18-23:

If the present world is to be abandoned, why work to improve it, to rid it of oppression and dehumanization? The point of the resurrection, for Paul, is that entropy does not have the last word, for humans or for the world as a whole. God has the last word, and it will be lifegiving. Present Christian existence, therefore, with all its pains and struggles, is infinitely worthwhile.

N.T. Wright and Marcus J. Borg, The Meaning of Jesus, 121