From NT Wright's Surprised by Hope:
"God builds God's kingdom. But God ordered his world in such a way that his own work within that world takes place not least through one of his creatures in particular, namely, the human beings who reflect his image. That, I believe, is central to the notion of being made in God's image. God intends his wise, creative, loving presence and power to be reflected-- imaged, if you like-- into his world through his human creatures. He has enlisted us to act as his stewards in the project of creation. And, following the disaster of rebellion and corruption, he has built into the gospel message the fact that through the work of Jesus and the power of the Spirit, he equips humans to help in the work of getting the project back on track. So the objection about us trying to build the kingdom by our own efforts, though it seems humble and pious, can actually be a way of hiding from responsibility, of keeping one's head down when the boss is looking for volunteers."
N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church 207 (HarperOne 2008).
This is money.
Wright's last sentence is gold.
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