I absolutely loved N.T. Wright's Surprised By Hope. One thought I have is: for all of us who share a Ladd-ian view of the Kingdom of God Wright's work supplements this nicely.
Here's an interview with Wright on Easter and his book at christianitytoday.com. Note: this interview will be available for free until it recedes into CT's archives where you have to pay to get it.
Here's a piece of the interview. Wright says:
"So many people think preaching the Resurrection means doing a little bit of apologetics in the pulpit to prove it really is true. Others simply say, "Jesus is raised; therefore, there is a life after death." This isn't the point! Those types of sermons may be necessary, but there's more to it than that. To preach the Resurrection is to announce the fact that the world is a different place, and that we have to live in that "different-ness." The Resurrection is not just God doing a wacky miracle at one time. We have to preach it in a way that says this was the turning point in world history.
To take preaching seriously, you need a high theology of the Word of God. When your preaching announces that Jesus is the crucified and risen Lord of the world, things happen. The principalities and powers are called into account. Human beings who once thought the message of someone rising from the dead is ridiculous actually find that the message of resurrection can transform their lives."
