Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense Reviews

• Mere Christianity...

  
  By A595T15OO91DC on 2006-03-18
  I come from a background of nominal Presbyterian Christianity followed by many years in my adult life of fundamental, Pentecostal Christianity. My early years provided me with a dull version of Christianity; my later years the other extreme. Burned out from the emotionalism, the overemphasis on the sensational and what I see as the move toward the gospel of materialism cloaked in Christianese, I had just about given up on Christianity as a whole, settling instead for my own version.
  
  I stumbled across this book in my local bookstore today and was drawn to it as I really enjoy N.T. Wright's ability to take on modern criticism without ever wavering in his faith nor compromising its essentials. He has a way of stating the essentials simply without bogging them down in highbrow theological language. I started the book and could not put it down.
  
  Within a few pages a wave of peace and comfort washed over me. Rather than critiquing Christianity as expressed today, he opted instead to focus on its essence, to keep the story focused on what is right with Christianity and how it makes sense, even - or especially - today.
  
  He never sets out to prove that it is right; he sets out to prove how it is salvific. And he does so in a calm, reasoned voice, unafraid to bring awareness to modern day critical scholarship yet remaining true to the fundamentals of the Gospel message. The book is brief and is an easy read with Wright's concise and powerful prose.
  
  His descriptions of salvation, the kingdom of God, the mission of Jesus and, especially relevant to me coming from a Oneness Pentecostal background, the power and the mystery of the Trinity, resonated more deeply than I was prepared to experience. I almost cried. It literally recharged my wavering faith with a new sense of vigor. Not only is Christianity relevant in today's world, it is essential.
  
  If you are looking for a refresher in why it is you remain a Christian or if you are, like me, tired of the excesses passing for Christianity today or are just looking for a soothing discussion to remind you of what you already know, I cannot recommend this book enough. I haven't been so moved by a book in a long time.
  
  

• N.T. Wright is the man! The Wright stuff.

  
  By AIBXDX83T04XV on 2006-03-21
  Simply Christian is SIMPLY AMAZING. This book is a great gem for both the Christian and non- Christian.
  
  Why do people long for justice?
  Why do we thirst for spirituality?
  Why do we long for relationships?
  Why does beauty not satisfy us fully?
  
  It is because we are humans that are made for and by God.
  We are children that groan for our Father.
  These are few of the questions the Bishop begins to address.
  These are the questions that strike a chord within all humanity. Questions that we can't explain or escape outside of God.
  N.T. Wright takes the reader on a journey through the story of the bible.
  Along the journey the reader will encounter God, Jesus, the Spirit, and Israel.
  
  At the end, Tom looks at what a life under the Lordship of Jesus could look like if somebody is willing to join in on the story, to be Jesus for a world that has no hope in sight.
  
  No other scholar has the gift to communicate so beautifully and clearly the truth about Christianty. He captured me with his introduction and I hope the same happens to you.
  
  

• Why "Simply Christian" is a "must read"

  
  By A3DM2I6RSXEU0Y on 2006-04-01
  It presents a compelling case for Christianity without attempting to bully the reader (as C. S. Lewis often does in his essays) and without relying on all those "code words" that long-time Christians find familiar but others do not. This is the Gospel in plan English. Bravo!
  
  It firmly insists that Christianity makes claims about history - that Jesus lived, died, and rose again, and that this resurrection is the central event in the story of God's re-creation of our fallen world.
  
  It insists that Christians be active participants in the future unfolding of God's plan. We are each called to play a unique role in it.
  
  It insists that there is a transcendent realm, another world, that can and does intersect or overlap with our own world, especially in sacraments, in worship, in Bible reading, and in prayer. Moreover, just as the temple was, for Jews in Jesus time, a place where heaven and earth overlapped, now we, as individual Christians, are called to be such places of overlap, where the light of Jesus shines through us.
  
  It highlights the crucial importance of forgiveness. Just as God has forgiven us our sins, so are we to forgive others. The Lord's prayer is explicit on this point.
  
  Becoming a Christian, Wright asserts, is not a matter or accepting certain improbable factual assertions, but rather a matter of trusting in God and accepting our role in unfolding his plan for the world.
  
  Rather than being dissected, as in a laboratory, or treated merely as an instrument of historical or linguistic research, the Bible is in fact one of the principal ways in which God addresses us, to prepare us for our role in fulfilling his ultimate plans. It is another place where this world and God's world overlap. Current debates over "literal" versus "metaphorical" ways of reading scripture are, in Wright's view, counterproductive. The Bible eludes these simplistic categories, which should be abandoned.
  
  At its core, then, the "faith" to which the Bible calls us is essentially trusting in a God who has revealed himself in history, who has begun, through Jesus' death and resurrection, to redeem the world and transform it into his kingdom, who invites us into to an intimate relationship with him, who demands that we become all that we were created and meant to be, who forgives us when we fall short of that mark, and who invites us to play a significant role in moving forward his plan for the world. For Wright, Christian faith is not just a matter of spiritual feelings that are quite independent of what we say and do. It makes demands upon us that can only be met in the realm of thought and behavior.
  
  As C. S. Lewis did in his fiction, "Simply Christian" persuasively invites its readers to recognize that there is a transcendent reality that impinges on our ordinary world, that the God who rules this realm has made himself known in history and continues to do so, that we are part of his plan to renew his creation, and, consequently, that what we think and do has cosmic significance.
  
  
  

• Simply christism, doesn't make sense of the Bible

  
  By A469J96WUVC53 on 2006-07-15
  When a quester delves too deeply into man-made materials like rabbinic scholarship, intertestamental literature and non-canonical theology, this is the result: christism. This is the religious land where Jesus is not Supreme Being in his essence; where the Trinity is redefined according to Jewish sensibility; Scripture is not the infallible God-spoken absolute authority; non satis Scriptura (the Bible is not enough, but must be supplemented/culled) replaces sola Scriptura (Scripture alone as is is sufficient); one need not believe in Justification by Faith Alone to be saved - just profess Jesus is Lord in the way you understand and can live with; where Jesus was not punished by the Father as blood sacrifice in our place appeasing God's wrath against sinners, but merely a noble martyr absorbing the world's evil by turning the other cheek and turning injustice into justice, good wins out over evil; our standing before God on Judgment Day will be based on our works; the Lord does not impute/account/ reckon/credit Christ's sinless righteous law-fulfillment to us by faith outside of and separate from works; the Gospel is not forgiveness of sins and release from a personal devil's kingdom being spared God's holy wrath, but primarily ethnic reconciliation between Jew & Gentile and awarded badge card carrying membership in the Covenant, return from exile, etc.
  
  As an antidote to wayward overboard scholasticism and hyper-reliance on extra-Biblical exegetical methodology (really the same old eisegesis that inserts unscriptural stuff into one's interpretating) read Peter's and Paul's sermons in Acts to see how they compare to the christism of this book. If you simply want authentic original apostolic Christianity inspired by the Holy Spirit, Acts is ultimate Primary Source for the real thing.
  
  

• Reveals much that has been neglected

  
  By A38VU28D20X6XV on 2006-03-31
  N. T. Wright is both a brilliant thinker and excellent writer; the latter gift enables him to communicate his deep and broad thinking on Jesus to just about anybody. As the subtitle of the book suggests, here he writes primarily to explain for people who are either non-Christian or perhaps anti-Christian why Christianity makes sense. Wright also writes with an eye toward helping Christians understand more clearly the one whom they follow. Thus, his audience and purposes are pretty much identical to those of C. S. Lewis's modern classic Mere Christianity, making the many comparisons of Wright's book to Lewis's pretty much inevitable.
  
  Others have already ably summarized the contents of this book here, so I will not just recapitulate what has already been said. Instead I will do a bit of compare and contrast with Mere Christianity, and then give a final assessment, in the hope that that will help readers decide whether they would want to read or purchase Simply Christian.
  
  First, while Mere Christianity is more philosophically oriented and more systematically organized (though hardly systematic), Simply Christian is more oriented to history/narrative, particularly the basic historical narrative of the Bible itself. Thus, Wright engages the actual biblical texts more often than Lewis did; that difference is welcome.
  
  Second, Wright's book is more culturally contextualized than Lewis's. Thus, Wright refers to current events and issues far more frequently than Lewis did--which is especially remarkable given the fact that Lewis wrote what became Mere Christianity for a series of BBC broadcasts aired during World War II. While Wright doesn't get bogged down in the current events and (thankfully) refrains from editorializing on them, I do think that he has dated his book much more than Lewis did. So while the present generation will find Wright's book more "relevant" than Lewis's, I do not know if it will age as well.
  
  Third, Wright writes as an "expert" in historical Jesus research and a bishop, in contrast to Lewis, who wrote as a layman. The consequent differences in the two men's books are readily apparent. Wright is far more confident in setting forth his own historical and theological opinions and writes in a more authoritative voice, while Lewis was content to recount what others thought. And when Lewis did state his own opinion on a matter, he did so cautiously, more like a student comparing notes with fellow classmates than a teacher. Moreover, while Wright (as Lewis did) self-consciously sets forth Christianity in a way that cuts across some denominational lines, his account of Christianity is more idiosyncratic than Lewis's. Lewis was the insightful student setting forth his best understanding of that core of truths upon which the experts throughout Christian history would have agreed; Wright is the expert setting forth his own view of the gospel and the Christian life (whether it is in line with historic orthodoxy and practice is for the reader to judge).
  
  So how well does Wright accomplish his objectives in writing here? As a Christian, I cannot evaluate how compelling this offering would be to non-Christians, but I can take a shot at answering how well Wright helps us Christians rethink some things about our doctrines and lives that have become bent out of shape over the years.
  
  On the positive side, Wright stresses the importance of understanding Jesus in his historical context. This is a point that Wright has emphasized for many years, and it is indeed crucial.
  
  Related is the importance of understanding the narrative flow of scripture-that the Bible is first and foremost a narrative account of things God has accomplished in history, not primarily a collection of inspiring platitudes or categorical dos and don'ts (though the dos and don'ts are unquestionably there).
  
  Also helpful is the recurring theme of the relation of God to creation, of heaven to earth. Against the pantheist, who identifies God with creation and creation with God, and the deist, who removes God far from creation, Wright offers his belief that the true and biblical view is that heaven, the realm of God's direct rule, and earth, which we inhabit, are interlocking and overlapping realms-not the same, but in close relationship. In Jewish thought, heaven and earth met, and God inhabited his creation, in several places, e.g., in the Torah and in the Temple. The early Christians, most of whom were themselves Jews, appropriated this belief and applied it to Jesus himself. That is, Jesus was now the place where heaven and earth met once and for all.
  
  Also refreshing is the theme of new creation that runs through this work. This is something that has gone neglected by at least some Christian traditions: that integral to the good news is that God has declared his purpose to renew his creation, rather than to offer people an escape from it into his heaven, or to scrap the present created order and begin again ex nihilo. God decisively began this new creation in the resurrection of Jesus.
  
  Finally, Wright says many good things on Christian living, even when (or especially when) his declarations counter wider cultural currents. Two examples: against pervasive individualism he emphasizes the importance of the church, and he calmly yet powerfully confronts the idolatry of sexual immorality.
  
  My only significant concern about the book is that it understates the great truth that Jesus's death in fact reconciles us to God himself, and that this is a huge part of the good news. Jesus's death is presented as absorbing and exhausting evil on our behalf, but not as absorbing the just wrath of God against sin on our behalf. Since Wright has elsewhere defended the notion that Jesus's death was indeed a propitiation for sin (that is, a sacrifice to satisfy the just anger of God against sin), perhaps Wright's under-emphasis of that here was intended as a counterbalance to widespread Christian neglect of the "new creation" aspect of the good news. Or maybe he thought that emphasizing propitiation would turn off the non-Christians in his audience, who have heard the whole "Jesus died for your sins" sales pitch before. Nevertheless, given its importance in scripture, I do not think the extent of Wright's neglect of this subject in this book is justified. Wright is articulate enough to state the propitiation theme in a way that wouldn't just sound like the same old blather to non-Christians, and he is intelligent enough to point out aspects of propitiation that would enlarge the Christian's understanding of it and appreciation for it.
  
  Despite that significant reservation, I recommend Simply Christian highly. It is a worthy defense of the Christian faith for this generation, and it reveals many facets of the good news of Jesus that have often been obscured.
  
  
  
• Cross-Blood Atoning Satisfaction of God's Wrath On Sinners Gospel Abandoned and Replaced with NeoCovenantism
  By A113L1R0TNBOIZ on 2006-08-05
  Sadly this gentleman has largely abandoned the Original Gospel and substituted his own version of NeoCovenantism in its place.
  
  He shifts definitions of common Biblical terms like 'Righteousness of God', 'Justification', 'Salvation', 'Faith', 'Jesus is Lord', 'Gospel' as frequently as a chameleon shifts colors in camouflage.
  
  Several key Bible concepts are excluded from his rhetoric and dogmatic assertion:Paul's first recorded sermon excerpt sets the stage for what he writes in Romans, Galatians-(Acts 13:38-9)
  
  "Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Jesus everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by Moses' law."
  
  When claiming to be the foremost living expert on what Paul really said, it is always wise to factor in everything important Paul actually proclaimed. This omission is huge. Just meditating on what is said here tells us in plain language what the heart of Paul's theology is - forgiveness of sins, personal justification by faith, belief as the instrument of being justified, and that we are justified FROM something, that is 'everything' (immediate context indicates the 'everything' = 'sins forgiven'), Moses' law cannot be limited to only ethnic table fellowship issues or circumcision, etc.
  
  Speaking of Book of Acts, it emphasizes repeatedly that Jesus is the Righteous One. So does 1John. The Old Testament has Jehovah called: The LORD Our Righteousness. Do the math and connect the dots. There's lots going on here that Mr. Wright seems to miss in his reductionistic selective system. Not just is the LORD ours, but His Righteousness is OURS. How? Some may not like the concept of imputation (assigning, regarding, declaring, attributing sinners/ungodly humans as now acceptable in God's sight), but it's here like it or not. Jesus was the only man (God-man) who was Righteousness Incarnate declared sinless and 100% righteous 0% unrighteous. The wonder of the Gospel is that God, for Jesus' sake thru the bloody cross and resurrection, counts and regards us who are 100% unrighteous and 0% righteous of ourselves to be expunged of our unrighteousness and reckoned not just pardoned (our sin-meter reset to breakeven or neutral or zero) but reconciled and fully beloved and acceptable for fellowship with Righteous God as 100% righteous for Righteous Jesus' sake. How? By repenting of our sins, trusting Christ alone for forgiveness and following Jesus as Risen Lord and Coming-again Savior.
  Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees' you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Covenant faithfulness? Vindication? Being put right or justiced? Not.
  
  Mr. Wright filters out concepts like Jesus saying, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword that divides and separates between those with Me and those against Me." What is Jesus' sword? The offense of His Cross. In disregarding this unpleasantry, Wright has come on the scene not to bring a sword (divisive offense of the Cross/Justification by Faith Imputed Blood Sacrifice Atonement as Sole Soul Salvation from Wrath and Hell), but peace. What this does is pave the way for a return to Rome and designating any who sincerely profess "Jesus is Lord", whether Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Liberal Mainline Protestant, Fundamentalist, any professing Christ as one covenant family regardless of belief about what happened on the Cross and what the Gospel really means and accomplishes.
  
  Another problem is whether God's Righteousness is properly defined as 'Covenant Faithfulness', and a person's being justified is actually 'Vindicated' or declared put right or given justice. Is faith simply a badge of admission/card-carrying membership in the covenant family? I think you will agree when looking at how Jesus used the terminology in the Gospels or how it is used in Acts, the conventional historic settled generally accepted established definitions are the more natural meanings.
  
  When you want to test the purity/quality of precious metal, there is a Gold Standard. When it comes to spiritual muster and acceptability pleasing to heaven, there is a God Standard: Righteousness. If God is Holy and we can share in that by faith; if God is Good and we can be also by trusting Christ; then if God is Righteous, why can't we like Abraham and David receive God's reckoning/crediting/accounting of us as Righteousness by faith outside anything at all of ourselves?
  
  "That I may gain Christ and be found in Jesus, not having a righteousness of my own (arising)from the law, but on account of faith in Christ - that righteousness (arising)from God (based entirely) upon faith." (Phil.3:9)
  
  The Lord Himself commissioned Paul to say to the world: "Open their eyes, turn them from darkness to light, from Satan's power over to God's, to receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:18)
  
  Mr. Wright's hypernuanced philosophistication screens out Holy Spirit Illumination and what even uneducated persons can see in the Bible as plain as day.He overcomplicates the utterly simple.
  We are like Barabbas. We deserve to be executed under the death penalty's capital punishment. Jesus the Righteous innocent One is condemned in our place. We are set free,acquitted, pardoned, released and declared righteous all charges dropped/expunged with all rights and privileges restored. Jesus hung on our cross and was charged with our crimes against Deity and Humanity, an infinite offense against an Infinite Personage requiring infinite punishment to settle justice. We paid nothing, Jesus paid everything. He goes to the grave, we go free, off the hook. Our offenses go on His permanent record, we are treated as an adopted dearly beloved well-pleasing son in the Kingdom family. Jesus did the work and shed the blood and sacrificed supremely, we did only evil work and had a hand in shedding innocent blood and sacrificed nil. He was cursed so we are blessed. He became poor so we become rich. By repenting of our sin, by faith receiving Jesus as our Passover Lamb and resurrected King and following Him as a loyal subject living by faith, God reckons it as donated Righteousness and deleted unrighteousness: God the Donor, we the Donee, Jesus the Donation. The Donation doesn't inherently change or transform the Donee into the Donor's category or essence any more than a Christmas present transmits/transfers, transfuses or permeates into the gift-opener. But the Holy Spirit purifies hearts by faith, sanctifies us into grateful free recipients who are considered righteously acceptable and God-pleasing by faith in a reconciled Father-child relationship of mutual affection and delight by resurrection power.
  
  In attempting to get at the heart of Jesus and Paul and the Gospel of FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND TRANSFERENCE FROM SATAN'S KINGDOM TO JESUS' MONARCHY, Mr. Wright gives us the gall bladder with barely a hint of heaven, hell, deliverance from God's wrath, rescue from the devil, mandatory repentance from our sins' personal outrage to Holy God, the Father taking out His justice on His innocent Son, justification by faith outside/exclusive of ANYTHING at all.
  
  Mr. Wright's version of what he thinks being Christian is simply amounts to nonsense if the Bible text as is 'quod scripsi scripsi', 'ho gegrapta gegrapta', sic esse, untampered, uncontexted, uncritiqued, undeconstructed, unperspectived, unretranslated, unscreened, unSandered, unDunned, unWrighted is allowed to speak for itself without a foreign interpreter.
  
  "Are you not sadly badly mistaken because you do not really know the Scripture's own voice or the power of God?
  
  
• Rich and insightful, but silent on personal sin and God's judgment
  By A3IZA44MZFJXDP on 2006-05-27
  I found Tom Wrights book fresh and insightful. It is refreshing in the way it is filled with new and insightful metaphors and parables. It is rich in the way it traces theological themes instead of citing a few proof texts. It is insightful by describing the "echoes" that are such a profound part of humanity: the thirst for justice, beauty, spirituality, and meaningful human relationships that find powerful meaning in Christianity. He avoids cliché conclusions and evangelical jargon.
  
  My one concern is not so much what Wrights says, but what he doesn't say. God's goodness, life, mercy and grace are discussed, but the backdrop of personal sin and guilt is gone. The book says little about the problem of human sin (the Bible seems to treat it as a deeper problem than just "not living up to our real `humanness'") and even less on the wrath and judgment of God. Surely these are sensitive subjects, and I am not looking for a book that proudly presses such realities into the face of those discovering Christianity. Yet these very truths-- their staggering reality and complexity in the face of a world that mocks the idea of a God of wrath-- are precisely why I want to better understand how Christianity makes sense. Certainly the great story of the Bible and the truth it contains makes less sense, not more, if the gravity of sin and judgment are quietly dismissed. One who read the book should remember that the Exodus story for the people ended in judgment--one in the wilderness and one that cast them into exile. The prophets warned but the people refused to listen. Judgment did not end at with Jesus, it moved to a new level. Now God will perform all judgment--the one that is greater and more searching-- through the Son (John 5:22, Acts 17:31, 2 Cor 5:10, Rev 14:7). To miss this is to miss that behind the Lamb that was slain is the Lion who will be vindicated.
  
  
• Simply Amazing
  By A1HEA89MWNSXWR on 2006-04-08
  This book is in the tradition of books such as C.S Lewis' Mere Christianity in providing a synopsis of Christianity which attempts to describe "why Christianity makes sense" as the answer to the deep questions of the human soul, the longing for justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty. It begins by looking at the human condition in general, and how these universal longings may be "echoes of a voice" that speaks to us and within us of something even more foundational. Wright then goes on to demonstrate how the Christian God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is in fact the answer, the voice of which these longings are but weak echoes. He summarises the Biblical narrative which reaches it's climax in Jesus, and helps us see our place in the continuing story of God's work in the world. As he goes along he manages to effortlessly incorporate quite a lot of central Christian theology, but in a manner that does not feel stale or boring - rather it is a breath of fresh air showing how these deep truths really do speak to us at the level of the heart, and not just the mind. He finishes by bringing in some of the essentials of living a Christian life such as Worship, Prayer, the Bible (including a brilliant chapter on Biblical authority which makes the same points as his recent book The Last Word, only much more succinctly and clearly) and the sacraments of Baptism and Communion.
  
  This book is simply amazing. It provides a clear refreshing picture of the gospel which will help those of us who are Christians to rediscover what it's all about, and hopefully encourage non-believers to see that Jesus is the answer to the deepest needs and questions of their heart. It is not a reasoned apologetic aiming to provide "proofs" that the gospel is true. It does not seek to argue or defend, rather it aims to connect with people at a more fundamental level. To those who are familiar with Tom Wright's other books, the depth of his scholarship and the overall coherence of his thought as a whole once again shine through here, and his usual emphases are evident. Yet this is a book that just about anyone could read, Christian or not. It is not full of technical jargon or difficult concepts, yet neither is it "dumbed down" This would have to be one of the best books I have ever read. Hopefully this book will become for the 21st century what Mere Christianity was in the 20th - only let it reach an even greater audience of those both within the Church and those as yet outside it.
  
  
• Simply Awesome!
  By A3BBMQDYIGUDOF on 2006-07-11
  N. T. Wright's latest popular book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, explains what Christianity is, while writing on a level that appeals to a very broad audience. Wright's book resembles C. S. Lewis's influential work, Mere Christianity, insofar as it is an attempt to explain the "core" of Christianity, while also defending the truth of the Christian faith. Like Lewis, Wright begins by making a case for belief in one God, considering rivals in atheism, pantheism, polytheism, and deism. (Wright is not trying to make a strong case for theism, and he is very good about tempering his conclusions on these matters.) Unlike Lewis, who primarily argues for monotheism using a moral argument, Wright uses four indicators (justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty) as signposts that point to a personal God.
  
  The second section of Simply Christian explains the basic beliefs essential to Christianity. In this section, Wright's book is significantly different than Lewis's, and perhaps this is the strongest section of Wright's book. Wright's lifelong work and training as a theologian shines through as he explains the story of Israel, and how Jesus and the church fit in that story. As a worldclass authority on these issues, Wright has a clear grasp on these matters, and he explains them with clarity. People unfamiliar with Christianity or who are trying to understand the "big picture" of what Christians believe will especially benefit from reading this section. Unlike Lewis, Wright spends much time explaining the historical context of Christian doctrines in order to show their contemporary significance. Even though he makes claims about the Bible and history without fully backing them up, one can easily find this information in other books, including Wright's own.
  
  The final section of Wright's book addresses Christian practice. As a long-time Christian, I found this section of the book the most useful to me. Wright was able to explain the basics of worship, prayer, fellowship, and other Christian practices with freshness. I found myself challenged in my own Christian walk to reconsider how faithfully I was following Jesus. Wright's section on Christian practice ranges from the individual to the whole church, from how to treat your next door neighbor to international policy. Indeed, Wright shows how the teachings of Jesus are important today, and how all people who claim to follow Christ ought to live. He pulls no punches addressing topics like war, homosexuality, and many others.
  
  I'm not sure if Wright's book will be remembered like C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity (predicting the future isn't my job anyway), and it would be unfair to measure any book against such an accomplished work. N. T. Wright succeeds in presenting the essence of Christianity, which all Christians should affirm -- this alone makes the book worth reading. More significantly, however, is that Wright accomplishes this in a way that is readable, has a systematic coherence and structure that ties together beautifully, and appeals to a broad audience. While the book seems to be intended for those curious to learn more about Christianity, I believe the book has much to offer even to those who have been Christians for a long time.
  
  
• Sinply Brilliant!
  By A57TXZLCGNC74 on 2006-03-24
  SIMPLY CHRISTIAN
  
  by N.T. Wright
  
  This was the first book of Wright's that I've read, though I certainly was already familiar with him. Primarily through his magnum opus "The Resurrection of the Son of God", which immediately became the gold standard for defending the orthodox Christian stance regarding the physical resurrection of Christ. I am also familiar with Wright through the controversy over his views concerning Paul and second temple Judaism. Since I deeply disagree with Wright on that issue, I came to this book with some concern, but with an open mind, knowing that he is a brilliant theologian who should be listened to even if disagreed with.
  
  On the pre-published copy there's a blurb on the back that declares this book to be the 21st Century's new "Mere Christianity". Typically, these kind of accolades are nothing more than publishing houses trying to hype a product in order to generate "buzz". Yet, after reading through the book one, and having read through most of it a second time now, I would have to concur. Wright is a masteful writer, and I imagine an excellent preacher, since his use of illustrations are pithy, appropriate to the need at hand, and have a lyrical quality that carries you right along.
  
  The book is made up of sixteen chapters and is broken up into three parts. In part one, the first four chapters address the gnawing sense of unease (what he calls the "Echoes of a Voice") that exists in everyone concerning our need to see the world being "put to rights" (one of Wright's favorite phrases throughout the book), "The Hidden Spring" which speaks of our need for "spirituality", "Made for Each Other" reflects on our need and hunger for relationships, and in "For the Beauty of the Earth" he describes quite endearingly of our delight in beauty.
  
  In the central section of the book, called "Staring at the Sun", Wright gets into theology proper, speaking of God, Israel, Jesus and the Coming of God's Kingdom, Jesus: Rescue and Renewal, God's Breath of Life, and finally in chapter 10, Living by the Spirit. Finally, in section three, called "Reflecting the Image", Wright describes what it means to be Christian. In the six final chapters, he covers Worship, Prayer, The Book God Breathed, The Story and the Task, Believing and Belonging, and New Creation, Starting Now. At the end of the book, Wright offers several resources for readers to take things further, but ultimately makes it clear that a fully orbed Christianity has to leave the book and start living it out in communion with other Christians.
  
  The first four chapters are simply wonderful and inspiring to read and his story-telling ability is beyond question. His account of our sense of needing to put the world to rights, a sense that there should be "justice" in some sense is best illustrated by this one quote, where he quickly points out that "[t]he line between justice and injustice, between things being right and things not being right, can't be drawn between "us" and "them." It runs right down through the middle of each of us."(p.6). He then goes on to point out examples that illustrate both the human condition in its best and worst.
  
  Throughout the beginning of the book, Wright speaks of hearing a "voice" and where that voice leads. First dealing with issues of justice, then our spiritualities, our need for relationships, and our being drawn to beauty, he leads us, inexorably, to one step before God. Here, Wright makes clear that unaided human intellect can never "reach up", so to speak, to God. God has to reveal Himself for us to even enjoy any knowledge of Him at all, let alone in a saving way.
  
  One of the key issues in the chapter on God is how we see the world we live in. Here Wright describes three options: option one, which sees the world and God as being coterminous and interchangeable, is essentially "pantheism." Option two is where God and the physical universe are radically separated, a view that is best described by "Deism." Option three posits the idea that God and the created order are distinct and yet interact or overlap with each other. This, according to Wright, is the Jewish/Christian view that allows for an accurate (if not exhaustively complete) view of reality. In fact, Wright's description of the Trinity goes a long way towards offering an epistemology that is both coherent and satisfying to those seeking to know how to reconcile the one and the many, the "is" and the "ought." If only for this aspect of his book, Simply Christian "ought" to be bought!
  
  In the chapter on Israel, Wright offers copious amounts of Scripture to explain God's relationship with His Covenant people and hos He was and is at work with them to put the world to rights. Ultimately, the only one who keeps covenant faithfully is the one true Son of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth. Following up on that, Wright describes what Christ "didn't" come for before he describes what He actually came for. Christ didn't come to give us a new moral teaching, or to offer us a wonderful moral example, or to offer us a way to "get to heaven", or even a new teaching about about God. "The point of the Christian faith is not so much that we are ignorant and need better information, but that we are lost and need someone to come and find us, stuck in the quicksand waiting to be rescued, dying and in need of new life."(92) I couldn't have said it better myself. And just two pages later Wright says, "The place where God's space and our space intersect and interlock is no longer the Temple in Jerusalem. It is Jesus himself." Wright then goes on to use this illustration to show how the Christian life is to be lived. This part was the most powerful for me, and helped to bring home the presence of Christ more than almost anyone outside of Scripture has been able to do.
  
  In the chapter called Jesus: Rescue and Renewal, Wright directly addresses the issue of the historicity of the physical resurrection of Christ. He points out that the once popular view that there was a plethora of "resurrecting gods", and that early Christianity borrowed from these myths, is completely false. His "Resurrection of the Son of God" goes into fantastic detail to support the orthodox view. In his chapter on Living in the Spirit, Wright essentially says that Christians are called to live the Torah, which for some will be controversial, though in Christ, the Law is brought to a razor sharp edge that finds its sharpest edge in Christ Himself. And Wright makes clear that no one can come near to that obedience. Yet we are nonetheless called to follow Him in His understanding of the Law.
  
  The final chapters speak to what it means to "be Christian." Wright's chapter on Worship is profound beyond words, though his words do communicate something of the mystery of being in communion with Christ, especially in regard to the means (sacraments) that God has commanded. I appreciated Wright's chapter on prayer, especially his defense of using written prayers, both for corporate and private use. As one who uses the Banner of Truth's "Valley of Vision," which is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, and who gets more out of them than from much of my own prayers, I can say a hearty AMEN!
  
  In Wright's chapter on Scripture, I am less "higher critical" than he is, yet he still reads the text faithfully in its final form. And so while I would differ with him regarding how the text came to us, I nonetheless appreciate his words. The following chapter is by far one of his strongest, in that he deals with how to interpret the text. His treatment of the tension between "literal" versus "metaphorical" is worth the price of the book.
  
  In Believing and Belonging, I find that Wright is very strong on why it's so importantto belong to a church body. His lays waste the "lone ranger" type of Christianity that is so prevalent today, especially here in America. But his treatment of baptism is where I part ways. He implies quite strongly a form of baptismal regeneration throughout the chapter and in the one following. Admittedly, Wright is Anglican, and a high Anglican at that. So I certainly understand and appreciate where he's coming from. Yet, if he's concerned to offer a "simply" Christian perspective that isn't sectarian, I would have preferred he had been a bit more "ecumenical" than to offer up only a high-church, sacramental perspective that neglects what the "low" church (myself included) has held to for many centuries.
  
  So other than that caveate on baptism, Tom Wright's Simply Christian is, overall, Simply brilliant!
  
  
• Why? Where's the Raison d'etre?
  By A2LONX7E5LHCJE on 2007-04-15
  N. T. Wright is a gifted essayist and his apologetics is among the very best. But stating the central doctrines of Jesus and Saint Paul, while useful for those who cannot focus on biblical texts, also misses the point. Preaching to the choir, like C. S. Lewis, does not serve his thesis: Why Christianity makes sense. In fact, Christianity does not make sense, which is why the Latin Father Tertullian called Christianity "absurd." A Transcendent Persona, an Incarnate Persona, and Immanence (non-persona) are mutually exclusive, and thus the Trinity is absurd. How does it make sense?
  
  The teachings of Jesus, the Uber-Subversive of both Jewish and Greco-Roman perspectives, inverts the political, moral, and aesthetic world order, where the Virgin's Magnificat is held out for the final subversion: "To dethrone the powerful, and exalt the lowly." Like all discontents, Jesus seeks to overthrow the natural world order by devaluing the present world for the world to come. He overthrows the legalism of his ancestors, and he repudiates Greek virtues of justice, courage, prudence, and temperance for injustice (turn the other cheek), meekness, abandoning family and wealth, and asceticism. Jesus's institution of the Eucharist is literally cannibalism and vampirism, which caused alienation among his disciples for violating the dietary laws of the Levitical Code of Holiness.
  
  Jesus is the Uber-Loser who seeks to overthrow the powers that rule, from Caesar to Mammon to Sanhedrin to the Law, to instantiate the "spirit" and the "kingdom." Saint Paul follows and cannot avoid his own legalisms, seems to preach values that often conflict with Jesus's, and is a Platonic Jew as much as he is a Christian. Sex, food, clothing, happiness, joy, pride, virtue, etc. are all depreciated, since God's Chosen have been predestined to salvation, at once pawns in a cosmic game, at the other ordered to work out one's salvation in fear and trembling.
  
  Why does this make sense? Why would a "jealous, possessive, wrathful, capricious" deity make humans in "their" image, yet punish them for learning the difference between good and evil from the Tree of Life? Why would this same deity abandon his righteous servants Moses, Job, and Jesus, but then save the Divinely Elected? Original sin, total depravity, crucifixion and resurrection, ascension, turning water into wine, healing the mentally ill, raising the dead, Virgin birth, eschatological parousia, the kingdom, hating families, are not values one normally associates with "goodness," but of elites who believe blindly, repent, and get salvation, but only if the judgment is fair, and Yahweh's judgments are rarely fair or equitable.
  
  Absurdities never make sense, and Tertullian nailed it with his observation. Thus, an apologist needs to give reasons why he believes Christianity make sense, not just assert it, because most of Christianity makes no sense, as one absurdity follows another, and the natural, moral, and political orders are deliberately inverted. Why? Wright never answers.
  
  
• The C.S. Lewis comparisons? But it's a good book.
  By A1BSADBBT5XSUF on 2006-06-15
  I must agree with some of the other reviewers that the C.S. Lewis comparisons are a bit much. Nonetheless, Simply Christian is a delightful book, and likely one I will return to now and again.
  
  
• a good beginning
  By AQ990HW13DP08 on 2007-01-25
  "My aim," writes N.T. Wright, "has been to describe what Christianity is all about, both to commend it to those outside the faith and to explain it to those inside." To do this he adopts a three-part structure. In part one, which if this were a technical book would be called natural theology, Wright examines human experience and argues that most all people experience four "echoes of a voice." He devotes one chapter to each of these four echoes--the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships, and the delight in beauty. These voices, he believes, "point beyond themselves," and of course he argues that they point to (but by no means prove) a Creator. In the second part Wright introduces the "central Christian belief about God," with two chapters each on the Father, Son, and Spirit. Part three then "describes what it looks like in practice to follow this Jesus," with treatments of worship, prayer, the Bible, and church.
  
  Throughout his book Wright emphasizes that the Gospel is the kingdom of God, where heaven comes down to earth, and God's future invades our present. God invites us to receive this free grace and gift, and also sends us into the world to make it a reality. Thus, we are "not simply beneficiaries but also agents." Wright has written a simple book that avoids technical jargon. There are no footnotes at all, relatively few Scripture quotations, no mention of figures from church history, and the avoidance of controversial subjects like universalism or the claims of other religions. Nor does he try to refute objections or contrary positions (except for an extended use of pantheism and deism as alternate world views). You will not find a defense of miracles or a response to the problem of evil. I read Wright's book as more of a confession than a rational apologetic. In that sense it reminded me of Philip's words to Nathaniel in John 1:46, "come and see." For the heavy lifting of a lifetime of discipleship you will need to read other, more critical treatments of the faith, but for an uncluttered and winsome introduction, Simply Christians is a good beginning by a trustworthy guide.
  
  
• The C.S. Lewis comparisons are a bit of a stretch...
  By A3NCKDPCAUOD4T on 2006-04-27
  Simply Christian may seek to benefit from it's titular similarity to Mere Christianity and it, too, may seek to inform or remind it's readership of Christianity's core tenets, but any further claims of resemblance to C.S. Lewis' sublime talents of clarity and simplicity are, quite frankly, overwrought. I find Chesterton's Orthodoxy closer in intent, if not style, yet one needn't aim so high for comparisons in an effort to give N.T. Wright his due. He is no C.S. Lewis, no G.K. Chesterton, but, then, to craft a book worthy of our attention, he doesn't have to be.
  
  I found myself alternately confirming that which I already suspect and affirming that which I already know as I sailed through Wright's decidedly non-technical approach to theology. His focus on the mission of Jesus and the Church was particularly engaging, as were his foundational aspects of justice, spirituality, relationships, and beauty, though I yearned for him to explore these further. Simply Christian, like other books of it's class, does not seek to convert, but to educate, and it is the emphasis of the latter over the former that makes them so very effective. This is the first of Wright's books that I've read, but it won't be the last. He possesses talents of his own which easily establish him as a teacher of considerable value. 4 stars.
  
  
  
  
  
• A kindred spirit
  By A4VEDAN7HEC4Q on 2006-11-11
  This is the first book on Christian apologetics that I have read in a long time that feels like it is written by a true thinker and hasn't made me feel slightly nauseated. At first I thought he was going over the same ground as C.S. Lewis does in the book "Mere Christianity", since it starts the same way about how humans have an in-built longing for justice and beauty (and where did that come from??) - but he moves on from there to Jesus himself and the kingdom that Jesus kept on talking about ... I strongly recommend this book for any thinking person who is thinking about God.
  After finishing this book - I would recommend rereading the book of Matthew - maybe with William Barclay's easy to read commentary, which also sends shivers down the spine in its insights into Jesus.
  
  
• Reads like a first draft from a mediocre mind
  By APFGWFFN9VYMA on 2007-01-13
  Wright is sometimes blind to the implications of his own statements. He uses a water-in-the-pipes analogy to talk about how, supposedly, since about 1780, religion has been compartmentalized and filtered to us through some human authority. At which point I say, "Do ya mean, like the CHURCH?" In other words, he has it exactly wrong. It was the Romantic Age (which began around 1780) that got Christianity all the way out of the pipes (the Reformation of course had started the process), that broke down the compartmentalization, that at last took seriously the idea that the kingdom is in each individual, each moment, each space.
  
  After the first section, the writing improves and the points become more convincing. I argue with him sometimes, agree at others. And I learn things about Christian history: history is his strong point, it seems; persuasive writing isn't.
  
  Overall, I'm afraid I can't imagine anyone being drawn to Christianity by the book. (Contrast Mere Christianity.) Wright is too vague, too touchy-feely (until he finally brings in sin and salvation late), too focused on changing the outward circumstances of the world. When he focuses on those circumstances, it's hard to take seriously the idea that Christ brought anything new; the world in general is just as messed up as it has always been; God still waits till things are at their worst to do anything, and even then He sometimes doesn't. He reminds me of the person who in one prayer will pray for someone who just lost a relative in a traffic accident and then pray for traveling mercies for someone else.
  
  The idea that Christ changes the inner life (and therefore changes the world in small ways, from neighbor to neighbor) and redeems us for the next life is much more convincing to me. Wright talks about these lives some, but I think he is too much focused on circumstances and the ability of our redeemed humanness to change them. I think here of Voltaire in Candide, and of Rilke in his letters, both arguing that intervention in the world is presumptuous and more likely to mess up people's lives than to improve them. They overstate, but they might be closer to right than Wright is.
  
  Wright's de-emphasis of the next life runs contrary to the emphases of the New Testament; you might even say that Wright flirts with what I have just decided to call the "Palm Sunday mistake," the idea that Jesus was a King who would defeat the enemies of the Jews (i.e. would change the Jews' outward circumstances) rather than a King who would transform each person's inner life and give each redeemed person a place in a mansion in the next.
  
  When he gets into Christian practice, I think he makes a decent defense of the basis of worship (God as creator and redeemer) but not of its effect (he claims that it transforms us, but he doesn't support the claim with logic or evidence) and so not of its importance to the Christian life. He also goes from being vague to being specific in an arbitrary way: the stuff about reading Scripture during a service, with at least one passage from the OT. It's just all too sad and predictable that at this point in Christian history (when there is an almost "frenzied pagans in a temple" mania for worship) the first Christian practice he would mention would be worship, as if loving God with our mouths and rituals were more important than loving Him with our minds and actions.
  
  As an addendum, I'll mention three moments in the book that amused me and that illustrate why I say it reads like a rough draft:
  1. Wright compares the history of Israel to a Wagnerian leitmotif. Does he really not know that Wagner was an explicit anti-Semite; he wrote at least one book about how Jews degraded the purity of German culture; he was one of the inventors of the idea of an Aryan super-race. His music has been unofficially banned in modern Israel since 1948.
  2. The reference to how "Worthy is the lamb" is like a great oratorio. I don't think Wright is winking at his reader here; I think he has forgotten that the greatest oratorio ends with Handel's setting of those words.
  3. The declaration that in the new kingdom on earth followers of Christ will be in charge. In charge of whom? Who else is there? Does this mean he believes that souls other than followers of Christ will be there? Since he eventually writes about sin and salvation but never quite gets to necessary atonement, it's hard to tell.
  
  
  
• No C. S. Lewis
  By A16BLB8IW55BD6 on 2006-05-18
  I've seen Wright's name popping up in relation to Lewis, including on the book jacket, and I really wanted to like this book, but found his writing to be pretty bland. The content is fine - especially his emphasis on social justice which sets him apart from many evangelicals and his description of the atonement. His theology is nuanced and thoughtful as he walks the middle way of Anglicanism. That, for me, was the only similarity to Lewis, who was much more creative in his use of metaphor and argument. I'd still give "Mere Christianity" to my friends over "Simply Christian."
  
  
• A Good Summary of the Christian Faith
  By A2GJ98824GGXGP on 2006-06-08
  SIMPLY CHRISTIAN: WHY CHRISTIANITY MAKES SENSE is a book that covers just what the title suggests. It is a basic summary of what Christianity teaches, and why the Christian faith has answers to so much of what the world is hungering for but not finding. The author. N.T. Wright, is a well known Christian writer and Anglican bishop who hopes to give an introduction to the Christian faith to the modern reader, just as C.S. Lewis did about fifty year ago. He summarizes what Christianity teaches about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, scripture, human relationships, stewardship, and justice in a concise manner, not so much defending Christianity as explaining it. Wright has the ability to write a defense of the faith in a non-apologetic form for those who do not practice Christianity that can act as a summary of many of the tenets that all Christians hold in common for those who are Christian. The book is written in a concise and informative manner and Wright includes many colorful analogies and illustrations to demonstrate the content.
  
  The book is full of great information but it's also somewhat dense. I recommend reading it a chapter or two at a time and allowing the information to sink in rather than just a quick perusal. My guess is that if it is read in one sitting, it would lose some of its value. The perfect setting for this book would be a classroom. It would be a very good introductory text for a college level introductory course on the Christian faith. It could also be used for an adult education class for people who wish to explore Christianity in depth. I read it as a selection of my book club. It received a great deal of praise from the other members of the group but didn't lead itself to a book group discussion but if it was used in a classroom setting, my guess is that it would be a great conversation starter and could lead to further discussion of the topics Wright covers.
  
  
  
• Excellent Book
  By AQQ6WAVG06E8A on 2007-03-28
  N.T. Wright provides a powerful work in the spirit of C.S. Lewis's classic Mere Christianity. For all of those who, like me, enjoy Lewis, Wright offers a more comprehensive and biblically consistent tour of Christian ideas.
  
  He begins by identifying four things that make us suspect that this world is not all that there is. Our desire for justice, quest for spirituality, hunger for relationships, and love of beauty all leave us seeking something that we have never actually seen. In fact, we find it hard to express what we are seeking.
  
  Wright then proceeds to unfold the story of Christianity and shows how it promises to fulfill these four desires and so much more. His presentation is necessarily brief and he is honest enough to admit his own limitations. But a thoughtful reader may find that Wright's presentation of Christianity builds a framework by which virtually all of our questions about life have real answers (if sometimes incomplete).
  
  By the end of the book, Wright shows how the Christian story invites people to join in God's New Creation, which He has promised and ratified through the resurrection of Jesus. The implications of this New Creation are staggering and sometimes demand a complete rethinking of life.
  
  It's worth it.
  
  
• Presenting the Gospel in All Its Glory!
  By AILBDL6ATVDCJ on 2006-04-28
  N.T. Wright has managed to pen a novel that accurately defends the Gospel, never wavering in his attempt to demonstrate that Christianity is both historically and spiritually the most rewarding, refreshing, and needed substance in the universe. Creation, existence, and renewal are all under the same fold when one fully understands the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  
  This is a must-read for anyone seriously considering a serious discussion about why the human soul cries out for justice, peace, and relationships that satisfy the deepest wants.
  
  We were meant for a relationship with our Creator. That longing for completeness can be satisfied. It can be understood. Christianity is not a manmade religion. Man could never create the sacrifice Jesus made on that cross.
  
  I applaud N.T. Wright for his work, and I hope and pray that people will take a look at his work with an open mind and a sincere heart.
  
  There are several other books that compliment this work. C.S. Lewis's book "Mere Christianity" is an excellent book that I highly recommend readers take a look at.
  
  See ya next review!
  
  
  
  
• Excellent, Accessible Work by Wright
  By AA0BEMNLOHUZA on 2006-03-30
  I have read most of N.T. Wright's books and this is by far the most approachable. Please don't interpret approachable to mean simple or only for new believers. This book accomplishes the unusual feat of offering complex concepts that will enrich the knowledge of seasoned Christ-followers while also providing the necessary 'bridging text' so that newer believers will understand.
  
  Of particular interest for me was explaining the old testament and new testament as one continuous story. Understanding, and explaining, the unified story of the Bible is difficult and is therefore, usually avoided. Wright does an excellent job.
  
  
• Sense and sensibility
  By AIEINRDKE99PT on 2006-08-30
  When I first saw this book at the bookstore I was worried: with the title seemingly stolen from C.S. Lewis' famous classic and the prospect of yet another general defense of Christianity which would only appeal to those already converted, it was with some reservation that I borrowed it eventually. I needn't have worried. N.T. Wright is far more than just a brilliant New Testament scholar; he is also a lucid conversationalist and a brilliant expositor of the faith. He does not try to brow-beat people into accepting the 'inevitable' logic and accuracy of the Christian message. In fact, there's very little 'apology' in this book at all. He simply sets out why Christianity might be a sensible way of tying together our desire for justice, relationship, beauty and spirituality. The very fact that he spends very little time dealing with objections and criticism is a strength. It is as if he is suggesting that there are better ways to approach the Christian message than trying desperately to refute it. Questioning is not the alpha and omega of the religious quest, even if it is a very important part of it.
  
  Although brief, the book covers the major aspects of the Christian worldview. It is inspiring and refreshing, brief but exhaustive and it has, in J.B. Phillips' words, "the ring of truth". Will it only have appeal with those already converted? That's hard to say, but if it can get at least some people thinking about the Christian message it will have been worth it.
  
  
• A Fresh Retelling of an Old Story
  By AUNDI7YPL52KV on 2006-11-17
  While there are various re-tellings or re-imaginings of the Christian story out there, from what I have read of them I can commend Norman T. Wright's Simply Christian more than most. It is thoroughly orthodox in its expression of the faith we hold, and yet it has a fresh and relevant way of telling the story without being folksy or irreverent.
  
  Wright begins with what may be his most important contribution, and that is raising four questions, or "echoes of a voice," within contemporary society -- the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships, and the delight in beauty -- areas which he identifies in a postmodern, post-Christian society as "strange signposts pointing beyond the landscape of our contemporary culture and out into the unknown." It's a helpful place to begin, as in an increasingly pluralistic society and one in which truth is devalued, these are helpful points of connection, as every TV show, movie, and song point to one or more of these areas. Wright helps us flesh out what questions people are asking, what drives them, and why.
  
  In Part Two of the book, he relates the Christian story, demonstrating how the Story offers itself as the answer to the questions raised in Part One. And yet it's not a simplistic reading of the questions but one that appreciates the complexity of the struggle for meaning and community. What he relates is an amplification of the "mere Christianity" of C.S. Lewis. In chapters on God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, he fleshes out the meaning of what Christians believe. It's not a simple reading, and yet the fresh prose makes it easy to read. A non-Christian could read this book and have an understanding of what Christians believe without all the confusing nuances of different strains of belief (whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox,; Calvinism or Arminianism). Something does suffer in the effort, that is, by drawing down the Story to its basics some of the richness is missed, but the generalizing is worth it given the book's purpose.
  
  Finally, the author describes Christian practice, with chapters on prayer, scripture, and Christian living. In the last chapter he returns to the questions posed by Part One and tries to suggest how the Christian story and the Christian life is lived out in answer to these longings -- not as simply biding our time until Jesus returns for us, but as a new creation awaiting its restoration:
  
  "The New Testament picks up from the Old the theme that God intends, in the end, to put the whole creation to rights. Earth and heaven were made to overlap one another, not fitfully, mysteriously, and partially as they do at the moment, but completely, gloriously, and utterly. . . . The great drama will end, not with 'saved souls' being snatched up into heaven, away from the wicked earth and the mortal bodies which have dragged them down into sin, but with the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, so that 'the dwelling of God is with humans' (Revelation 21:3)."
  
  I'm thankful for N.T. Wright's retelling of a story I thought I knew well. I'm grateful too for his acute sense of what our culture longs for for rather than, I confess, my dismissive approach to it at times as beyond repair and hopelessly lost and decadent. He gives me hope for where revival of the Story may come when it comes -- out of the midst of these "echoes."
  
  
  
• solid writing, solid thinking
  By A2652GT2TQE7P4 on 2006-05-27
  N. T. Wright ably represents mainline Christianity in this 21st century restatement of the basic, essential and commonly held tenets of the Christian faith. Unlike most current Christian best sellers he doesn't shy away from a commitment to social justice, and he emphasizes the importance of the faith journey as a communal endeavor instead of just "me and Jesus." It is a needed corrective to much of the drivel that has passed for Christain writing in the post C. S. Lewis era.
  
  While the Lewis comparisons are a bit of a stretch with regard to writing style and communication ability, he does a great job of bringing the best of current Christian thought to the popular reader. Highly recommend.
  
  
• Politically Correct Fuzzy Headedness Wedded to Arrogant Intolerance
  By ASQ8KNNP3A7FP on 2006-08-14
  "Simply Christian"'s writing style did not enchant, attract, alert, or even merely entertain me. After just the first page, I realized that i was soldiering forward, pushing on, because of the celebrity value of the author's status; trying to read him because he is famous, rather than trying to read him because his writing was doing anything for me. I was not moved to highlight any passages for their beauty, profundity, or even their mere cleverness.
  
  Very rapidly, I encountered passages that struck me as so unfelicitious as to be memorable for all the wrong reasons. These passages were so bad I wanted to phone friends and say, "I don't believe this. Do you believe this?"
  
  I'm not sure that the Mr. Wright has decided whether he wants to appeal to a Politically Correct audience, or a Christian one. He argues against the "twisting" necessary to support the concept of spiritual truth as relative (page 26-27) while at the same time paying Political Correctness dues, by repeatedly, and gratuitiously, lumping Christianity in with Islam (eg page 25, page 36).
  
  This equasion, on whatever level, of Christianity with Islam -- not Hinduism or Buddhism or Jainism but Islam, specifically -- is truly gratuitious. For what audience is Wright engaging in this rhetorical gambit? Is this a sop offered to the unchurched PC reader, who will rise to it, and swallow Wright's take on Christianity? That seems a vain hope. "Simply Christian" has been compared to CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity." How is it that Lewis got through that book without equating Christianity with Islam, but Wright can't do the same?
  
  This PC verbiage reaches its nadir when Wright lists "militant Christians" as first among possible religion-driven bombers, "militant Sikhs" second, and "militant Muslims" third. Yeah, right, I see so many headlines about militant Sikh bombers ... look, it may be PC to insist that Christian terrorists and Sikh terrorists are as significant in world events right now as Muslim terrorists, but many readers will recognize this for what it is -- PC rhetoric.
  
  Wright's interpretation of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, is one of the worst I've read.
  
  Wright pins Nazism indirectly on Christianity (6-7). This reveals a great deal of ignorance on Wright's part. Any attribution, however brief, to the rise of Nazism *must* mention Scientific Racism and Eugenics, which provided Nazism with its foundation, and Neo-Paganism, which provided Nazism with its religion. Somehow Wright manages to mention neither of these in his presentation of what he understands as Nazism's foundation, ie, "religious prejudice." This is simply, factually, wrong. Nazis were very happy to mass murder the Christian handicapped, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Socialists, Trade Unionists, and Slavs -- all, again, with Scientific Racism, Eugenics, and Neo-Paganism as their foundation.
  
  On page 7, Wright says that Hitler mentioned the Turkish genocide of Armenians "when he was encouraging his colleagues to kill Jews." That's just not true. Here is the Hitler quote in question: "Thus, for the time being only in the east, I put ready my Death's Head units, with the order to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of the Polish race or language. Only thus will we gain the living space that we need. Who still talks nowadays of the extermination of the Armenians?"
  
  I am picky about how details of the Holocaust are treated in published works, including those that aren't focused on the Holocaust. But, as Jesus once said, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones." (Luke 16:10.)
  
  It's not just the Holocaust Wright gets Wrong. He says that "Tutsis and Hutus...kill[ed] each other" (page 7) in 1994. How did Wright's editor let that pass? The 1994 Rwandan genocide was committed by extremist Hutus against Tutsis and any Hutu who helped Tutsis. It was not about Tutsis committing genocide against Hutu.
  
  After these early chapters, I wondered how Wright got his degree, and why he bothered to write a book about Christianity at all. Why not a nice little tome on secular humanism?
  
  Boy, was I in for a shock. Wright closes his book with an insistence that one can't be a homosexual and be Christian. Wow. Given all that PC stuff upfront, I wasn't expected Fred Phelps to rise from the final chapter.
  
  Christians who argue that God's pattern of liberation, and God's law of love, apply to homosexuals, as they applied in the past to black slaves and oppressed women, point out that Bible authors associated homosexuality with nefarious and abusive cultic practices.
  
  In a May 28, 2004 interview in the National Catholic Reporter, Wright argues that Paul understood homosexuality perfectly; that Paul was correct in arguing that homosexuality is God's punishment on people who reject God.
  
  Two questions for Mr. Wright: homosexual orientation, like heterosexual, appears very young in children's lives; how does a child of four or five or six reject God and earn God's punishment?
  
  And, given that most people today don't understand homosexuality, how did Paul understand it?
  
  
• Scratches Where it Itches
  By A3SLZE1W77MVPE on 2007-09-23
  A friend used to tell the story of being lost in rural Ireland on holiday. Stopping a local farmer, he asked the way to Dublin. The farmer replied, "Well now, if I were trying to get to Dublin, I wouldn't start from here."
  
  The genius of this book, which I have found enormously helpful in clarifying what I think about Christianity, is that it starts from where I and, I suspect, many others Westerners find themselves. This is not a book which requires you to be on the wavelength of the already-committed Christian or to be familiar with her in-house vocabulary. The author is clearly used to addressing a wider audience.
  
  I have to confess that I have little patience with the religious jargon or party-politics of the kind found in some of the other reviews on this page. As I try to understand what Jesus may have to say to me about God, I find the in-fighting of his followers over the precise meaning of words like "atonement" or debates about whether the Reformers or the Roman Catholics have it right, profoundly unhelpful and unattractive. Such discussions do not make me want to go searching for God if I have to do so in the company of those who enjoy splitting theological hairs or putting each other down.
  
  Tom Wright, however, caught my attention immediately not only with his crystal-clear prose and fresh, provocative imagery but with the insight that the reader will know what he means when he speaks of the Echoes we have all heard which speak to us of the greater reality for which we are all looking. In the four short, brilliantly crafted and memorable chapters which make up Part 1, he explores four areas of human experience which preoccupy many of us: the search for justice in a world which seems incapable of providing it; the widespread interest in "spirituality" which has many of us caught up in wild goose chases; the universal need to live in relationship with others, with the created order and, Wright would add, with God; and the puzzle of beauty, what it might be and why it fascinates us. The first part of the book essentially asks the question, "Do these experiences ring bells with you?". Inevitably, the answer is "Yes", and the reader is then drawn into a explanation of why this might be so from a Christian perspective which is always illuminating, sometimes erudite, never patronizing. Parts 2 and 3 take a fresh look at the historical Christian faith under headings with which most Christians, from the evangelical to the orthodox, would be familiar and comfortable. They include "Jesus, Rescue and Renewal", "Living By the Spirit", "Prayer" and "Believing and Belonging".
  
  One of the marks of a great teacher is the ability to simplify and distil complexity without becoming simplistic or imbalanced. Tom Wright has this gift in abundance. One senses the depth of his scholarship on every page and respects him for it, but the text which emerges from the depths of his experience is attractive and accessible enough to hold even a teenager's attention. One might almost say that, like many popular airport novels, this is a "page turner". Once hooked, you want to know what comes next.
  
  The overview that he is able to offer of the key components of Christian belief is impressive. If nothing else (and it is a great deal else) this would make a first-rate revision course in Christian basics for jaded believers in need of refreshment. And for those who may have been misled without realising it. I have been a Christian for 35 years, have belonged to a number of different churches and have read countless books about the Christian faith; but I have been startled to discover in these pages that I hold assumptions which shouldn't be there. I am grateful to have been put right by a man who really knows what he's talking about and can demonstrate it with wisdom and gentleness from a deep knowledge of Scripture, theology and church history. If I may use a Wright-like image, the experience of reading this book has been, for me, a little like sitting in the chair at the optician's while he places a series of lenses in front of my eyes. As lens after lens is applied and adjusted, eventually the furniture in his office comes into clear focus and I see it and him as they were meant to be seen, without the blur.
  
  If you are looking for a book which has a chance of reigniting your hope that the church may have something to say to the world after all, as long as it scratches where people are itching and speaks to them in a language that they understand, this may well be it. On the other hand, if you are trying to sort out which of the scandalously numerous Christian denominations has cornered the correct interpretation of this or that verse of the New Testament, you may be disappointed. There is an absence of bigotry here, as one would expect of a book written by a thoughtful disciple of Jesus. As the author Anne Rice has written, "This is a book about Christ that is full of the spirit of Christ himself".
  
  
• Politically Correct Fuzzy Headedness Wedded to Arrogant Intolerance, Pt. 2
  By A2B4JBOU8N24S8 on 2006-08-17
  This book was nothing but politically correct, post-modern pap! It was way too long for how much it accomplished, and boy was it written ugily. Now, I know I might be showing my age a bit when I write this, but I think non-fiction books should always use bright metaphors, stunning imagery and engaging plot lines - anything else is boring! A wise man once told me that the best book he ever read wasnt a book but a movie, and the best movie he ever watched wasnt a movie, but a sitcom. So N.T. Wright, next time you want to write a book call up Jerry Seinfeld!
  
  But seriously, some parts of this book were so INfelicitous that it seemed as if he didn't have access to a reference book at all to check what he was writing. Sitting across from my mirror, I had to ask myself what on earth-that-will-someday-be-destroyed is Dr. Wright getting at?
  
  My mind exploded on several occasions attempting to postulate how Christianity is remotely similar to any other religions that exist in the world today. Think about it: Christianity says there exists one God and Islam says there are dozens, like Zeus, Thor and Hercules. The Lord's Prayer in the Holy Bible and the Islamic version of the Lord's Prayer called The Fateha, found in The Qur'an 1:1-7, are diametrically opposed on every level. And most of all, the creation story each religion regards as truth are as incompatible George W. and John Kerry. So, when N.T. Wright (or should I say N.T. Wrong) gratuitously compared Christianity to Islam, I believe it was gratuitous.
  
  I also believe N.T. Wright's politically correct banter was gratuitous. He probably wrote that way so he wouldnt offend, but everyone and their midget knows the truth is always offensive to those who don't believe it.
  
  And it gets worse. I cant believe N.T. Wright justified Nazism by claiming that the regime was based on Christian ethics! I couldn't even read these pages of the book because they were so offensive to me. Just because Nazism spawned from Scientific Racism, Eugenics, and Neo-Paganism, all of which can find their home in a contrived concept of Christendom, doesn't mean it was Biblically sound!
  
  I don't mean to be a nitpicker concerning the rise of Nazi Germany, primarily because I really don't know anything about the subject. I just figured since N.T. Wright was wrong about other things in this book, he's probably wrong about this one too. I'm certain of this because, as Jesus once said, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones." (Luke 16:10.)
  
  N.T. Wright also got the facts wrong about the movie Hotel Rwanda, starring Will Smith. The Hutus and Tutsis weren't killing each other in large quantities....otherwise the U.S. of A. would've stepped in and taken charge. Wrights editor was probably a woman because she forgot to even cite the movie he was talking about! It's a good thing I'm a movie buff!
  
  Finally, towards the end of the book I thought I got what I came looking for - some good ol' gay bashing. But to my dismay, it wasn't there. i really wish he had come out and said if you're gay you're going to hell, but for some reason all he seemed to say was that marriages intended to be heterosexual. IT WAS IF BEING GAY WAS JUST ANOTHER KIND OF SIN! I mean, to him it was no worse than pornography or marriage infidelity, which, according to his "facts" run more rampant in our society than gayism. Naturally, I was taken aback. He then had the audacity to claim that Paul himself was gay. At least I think that's what he said - I was too busy looking for ways to be offended by this book to really pay attention to what he was saying.
  
  
• Gadfly Like
  By A2FJRQ1MDWCSJ8 on 2006-08-24
  I remember reading the Apology of Socrates in college. In fact, part of the class was to give a speech from the various literary pieces that we read during the semester. I chose the gadfly metaphor. Socrates refers to himself as a gadfly and the Athens as a lazy steed that needs to be spurred in to action. When I read Bishop NT Wright,that is the impression I get. He is like that gadfly spurring the church in to action.
  
  SIMPLY CHRISTIAN is written to that end. I couldn't put this piece down. I think it is unfair to speak of this volume in the same breath as CS Lewis' MERE CHRISTIANITY. Both are targeting different readers, NT Wright to the church and CS Lewis the general reader.
  
  I recommend SIMPLY CHRISTIAN without reservation.
  
  
• Home Run for N.T.!
  By A1BU7XHL1DFLYS on 2006-08-31
  It seems many times I'm only reading material that reinforces what I already know. This book went beyond that educational rut. It gave fresh language to what I really believe and then took me places where I could see my faith from totally new perspectives. I grew deeper in knowledge and more passionate in love with God through it. Thanks.
  
  E. SANDRAS, author of "Buck Naked Faith" and "Plastic Jesus"
  
  
• A brilliant but meanspirited mind
  By A1E68GZH7BUUR3 on 2007-01-17
  N.T. Wright is a powerful thinker, and he succeeds in framing orthodox evangelical Christianity in a way that makes it more accessible to postmodern seekers. However, his arguments are drenched in a kind of meanspiritedness and intolerance of other perspectives that makes it difficult to detect a truly Christian voice. Further, Wright makes constant use of an unconvincing rhetorical style: "Let's face it. We all know what the real story is; all this pretending that there are two potentially viable ways of looking at things is really just pretending. We all know the truth ... and it just happens to be what I believe in."
  
  

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
• Evil And the Justice of God
• The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
• The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is
• Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship