Christianity Quote by N. T. Wright
““Most Western Christians—and most Western non-Christians, for that matter—in fact suppose that Christianity was committed to at least a soft version of Plato’s position. A good many Christian hymns and poems wander off unthinkingly in the direction of Gnosticism. The “just passing through” spirituality (as in the spiritual “This world is not my home, / I’m just a’passin’ through”), though it has some affinities with classical Christianity, encourages precisely a Gnostic attitude: the created world is at best irrelevant, at worst a dark, evil, gloomy place, and we immortal souls, who existed originally in a different sphere, are looking forward to returning to it as soon as we’re allowed to. A massive assumption has been made in Western Christianity that the purpose of being a Christian is simply, or at least mainly, to “go to heaven when you die,” and texts that don’t say that but that mention heaven are read as if they did say it, and texts that say the opposite, like Romans 8:18–25 and Revelation 21–22, are simply screened out as if they didn’t exist.13””
About This Quote
Source Book: Surprised by Hope, N. T. Wright, 2008
The quote critiques the tendency in Western Christianity to adopt a Gnostic worldview that devalues the material world and focuses solely on an afterlife, overlooking biblical passages that affirm creation and present hope.
In simple terms: Western Christianity often treats earth as irrelevant and heaven as the only goal.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the biblical balance between present life and future hope.
Themes
theology
interpretation
worldview
hope
materialism
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
theological
interpretive
When to use this quote
- preaching
- Bible study
- personal reflection
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
Gnosticism
dualism
eschatology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your faith view the material world?
- What biblical texts challenge a purely afterlife focus?
A Different Perspective
The critique may overgeneralize diverse Christian traditions and ignore those emphasizing incarnation.
![“Many [Western Christians] habitually think and act as if there is no eternity. . . . We major in the momentary and minor in the momentous.” quote by Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e8a/randy-alcorn-1180_christian_many-western-christians-habitually-think_856348.jpg)
