Final Thoughts on Wright's 'Surprised by Hope'

My previous post on Wright seems to have sufficiently irked many people. As a result, I've gotten to have quite a few good conversations, so I think it worth it. In light of those conversations, and now the latter two thirds of the book, I'll offer a few more thoughts.

First, I'd like to respond to Jonathan's comment on my last post. I'll start by saying that I, too, do not believe that the reality of entropy in our world necessitates that we imagine the afterlife to consist of harps, clouds, or the obscene use of gold and pearl in construction. When I envision any sort of afterlife, I do envision it as a reality quite like the one I currently reside in minus the crappier aspects which I won't take the time to name. How else could I, or anyone, imagine it? The only categories for joy and fulfillment that humans have, are ones that are connected to our life experience. We have no option but to envisage our greatest hopes as perfected extensions of the world we already inhabit.

Therefore, I have no problem casting our hoped for reality as a transfigured version of the one we are already in. The hope for a transformed world, is my hope too. My problem is the way in which Wright speaks of this: as though decay/entropy is the enemy to be overcome. Science shows that entropy may be seen as the enemy, but that it is also one of the driving forces of creation itself. This, by the way, is not mere theory. This is a law every bit as real as gravity or inertia.

This connects to what I said earlier about the myth of Progress. I agree with Wright that we live in a world that has given up on Utopias. We no longer assume that political science or technological advances will bring about a perfect world. Yet, we still yearn deeply with the hope that technology will bring a cure for cancer. We still pray that scientists and doctors may find cures for M.S. or Lupus. We may not place our faith in Utopian Progress, but we still believe in progress with a little 'p'. If anyone denies this, they should consider how many times in their life they or their loved ones would have died without the advances of medicine, not to mention other technologies. And these progressive innovations, were made by people who have more than a demonizing interpretation of entropy among other concepts.

I think to view death, decay or entropy as our enemies is in fact to view the order of reality as an antagonist. This is where the worldview of the first century and our own will not line up. Yet, I agree that our hope is that this is somehow transcended, that in spite of what we do know, we don't know everything. That in the end we are remembered.

In the end I don't think we can know what awaits us after death, but even still, we all know that what we expect and hope for does, in actuality, say everything about us here and now. For this reason, as I continued to read Wright's book, I was shocked by the beauty of his depiction of Christian hope. He, in some sense, restored my appreciation of the unity of the Christian narrative, and re-focused my attention on the sincerity of faith that it can instill. His expertise in this regard proved to be enough to assuage my skepticism, albeit partially.

This brings me back to what I opened with previously, the antagonism between Crossan and Wright. After finishing Surprised by Hope, I find that, as with all fierce oppositions, the truth is that Crossan and Wright need each other. Neither author is a fool. They are both arguing from opposing platforms that I doubt will ever be totally reconciled, since the language each on couches his arguments in requires rules that the other won't play by. Thus, I think a better option to the mud-slinging that seems to mark their relationship right now, is to seek a better understanding of the other. Both seem to have similar outcomes in mind as a result of their theologies: an increase in human dignity among the poor and disenfranchised. The antipathy between them, and their followers seems horribly unnecessary and even more unfruitful. Personally, I still side mostly with Crossan, but that shouldn't detract from the good things Wright has to say. To borrow from Bryce's use of Ezra Pound, I hope there will be commerce between us.