I reflected HERE on some of the most impactful books in my theological thinking. I wanted to look at books that will probably stand the test of time. Maybe they won’t, but there are some that have truly become spiritual markers for a generation and not just me personally.

The book that is THE book for me is The Divine Conspiracy. The work Dallas Willard did in calling out the Church to the journey of spiritual formation and renewal is life changing for me. It transformed my thinking on the Sermon on the Mount and opened my spiritual eyes to the vastness of the Kingdom of God.

If there is a book that is a close “second” it is Surprised by Hope by Wright. The subtitle captures precisely what this book did for me: rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the Church.

By the time I read this book I had known for years I wasn’t theologically in the same space as I was growing up with the “rapture” theologies of my church. I had grown up in the generation of The Late Great Planet Earth and the Thief in the Night films that always had me in fear of missing the rapture. I had jettisoned all of that by the time I finished college, but it was hard for me to build a new framework. This book was a major help in my life.

We don’t “do” evangelism to get people saved so they can go to heaven. That is NOT the fullness of the gospel. Wright opened that up to me. This book helped me reframe the meaning of resurrection. It helped me reframe mission. It broadened my vision for the greatness of the Kingdom of God working here and now (though it may not seem like it to our weak eyes) much like Dallas Willard’s book did.

The concept of heaven and earth being two different dimensions of the Kingdom of God and NOT two different “locations” (like we’re always looking up to heaven…) has infused my thinking and actions. The work of the Church, no matter how “small” it may seem, matters greatly in the vision of the Kingdom of God. God is busy working through us, even in all our weaknesses, to create the living witness of the Kingdom that is truly here and at work.

It is a joy to revisit this impactful work in my life.