I Have a Future by Reinder Bruinsma. [Photo Courtesy of Adventist Record]
Australia | Nathan Brown

I Have a Future: Christ’s Resurrection and Mine

By Reinder Bruinsma

As uncomfortable as it is, death is a topic that challenges all of our lives and faith. And, in our cultures and communities, there are many folksy and strange ideas about death, but a funeral or another intense experience of mortality or grief is often not the ideal circumstance for an in-depth Bible study. Therefore, it is a topic worth our faithful attention when the questions don’t feel quite so urgent or tragic.

In I Have a Future, Dr. Reinder Bruinsma admits the mystery of death and surveys some of the variety of human responses across history, cultures, and faiths. However, he soon turns to the Bible to explore human mortality, death, and what happens afterward, including the topics of heaven, hell, and hope. The personal approach of I Have a Future—as someone who recognizes “most of my life is over and that my end will come relatively soon”—offers the invitation to explore these questions together, making this a great book to share with a friend or family member who is asking these questions for oneself.

Dr. Bruinsma’s study inevitably comes to the resurrection of Jesus as the central claim of the Christian faith. Without this, all the other great ideas return to dust or, as Paul put it, “all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1 Corinthians 15:14). It makes sense that this story and the historical evidence that supports it form the core of I Have a Future and its foundation for hope. All of this is worth revisiting and considering in the thoughtful ways in which Dr. Bruinsma guides us, both intellectually and reflectively.

Of course, what we believe about death informs how we live and what matters most, and this is the most urgent reason why we need the affirmation offered in the title. While admitting mystery remains, I Have a Future is a statement of confidence and expectation that our lives and choices matter beyond the certainties and uncertainties of life and death—loss and hope.

This article was originally published on the website of Adventist Record

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