Book Review: Raised Forever Jesus’ Resurrection and Ours
Rory Shiner
Matthias Media, 2014.
As one would expect from the author of One Forever – this is a good book. The introduction is grabbing and gripping. The first chapter on Acts 17 is a touch wordy, but gets you out of today’s mindset of ‘of course 1st century simpletons believed in the resurrection, they hadn’t invented test tubes yet’. Chapter 2 brings the resurrection back into the Old Testament and the hope of Israel, carefully balancing on the one hand the lack of direct resurrection prophecies and on the other hand the meta-story of Israel being one of a resurrected people. To combat the resurrection-sceptic, chapter 3 gives the evidence for an empty tomb a fresh coat of paint that is a model for how to handle this topic in an apologetics series. There is a surprising omission of Lazarus, and the need for personal belief in Jesus as the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-27). I wonder if the book would have a sharper evangelistic edge if personal judgment and need for repentance was clearer in the first half of the book (p36-38).
The second half of the book is where Shiner starts to shine. He is strong on the centrality of the image of first-fruits for understanding Jesus’ and our resurrection, doing a good job of unpacking 1 Corinthians 15. My favourite quote of the book: ‘Investing a life in sin is like investing money in VHS video shops’ (p.100). It’s here, where Shiner links theology, humour and real-life-insight, that this book repays reading. There is also some now-and-not-yet stuff thrown in for good measure.
An interlude provides a gentle rebuke and reminder that we’re not really going to heaven forever. This is NT Wright for dummies, seen in the multiple references to his work. It helpfully tells you not just what not to believe about heaven, but what to believe instead. And this is done in such a way so as to not crush the hopes of the average church member, but re-educate them on what the Bible is really on about. Do not read this book if you want to keep your false notions of the afterlife intact. Mine are now shattered on the floor where I read it.
Creeds, Calvin and the Christian life are in view as the book closes. Especially balanced is the treatment of ‘labour in the Lord’. Raised Forever gives us resurrection-motivation for gospel centred work in all we do, in or out of a pulpit. The implications for ministry are spelled out helpfully in Conversion as Resurrection (142-6).
I have two questions from reading this book, and then a comment on who it is great for.
Question 1: There’s that intriguing verse in Romans 4:25, that Jesus was raised for our justification. Here’s my question: can we have a bit more on that? Can there be more on 1 Cor. 15:17 and the relationship between the cross and the tomb? Because while there are many books on the cross that don’t do enough to the resurrection, I was hoping this would be a book on the resurrection that didn’t short-change the cross.
Question 2: why is Shiner so sure that we’ll be ‘building cities, making music, enriching communities’ for eternity (p139)? Revelation is pretty clear that the city is already there (Rev. 21-22), the song sheet is already printed (Rev. 19) and the community is going to be rich already (21:18)! While the book rejects unbiblical claims we have about the afterlife, it’s possible that it gets replaced with an equally non-biblical (but not necessarily unbiblical) one.
These were two distractions for me from an otherwise excellent book. It was on our high school camp bookstall this summer. It should be on your church bookstall too for the newcomer and senior leader. And it should be on our bookshelves as well, to ensure that we are teaching rightly the great hope we have in the risen Jesus, because the ‘same power that raised Christ from the grave is with you all the way’ (p.151).
Ed Surrey , Shenton Park, WA.