Simply Christian
This is the launchpad for the specifically Chriistian way of life. That way of life isn’t a matter simply of getting in touch with our inner depths. It is certainly not about keeping the commands of a distant deity. Rather, it is the new way of being human, the Jesus-shaped way of being human, the cross-and-resurrection way of life, the Spirit-led pathway. It is the way which anticipates, in the present, the full, rich, glad human existence which will one day be ours when God makes all things new. Christian ethics is not a matter of discovering what’s going on in the world and getting in tune with it. It isn’t a matter of doing things to earn God’s favour. It is not about trying to obey dusty rulebooks from long ago or far away. It is about practising, in the present, the tunes we shall sing in God’s new world.
This is a quote from Bishop N. T. Wright’s latest book, Simply Christian. 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.
Next up, since we are approaching Easter, I’m going to tackle another of N.T. Wright’s books The Resurrection of the Son of God. Regarded by many as perhaps his Magnum opus, this book engages the question of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus on a scholarly level, leaving no stone unturned (or un-rolled) in it’s 800 pages plus. It’s still a bit heavy going as in this book he doesn’t skimp on the technical language, but I’m finding myself getting more familiar with the concepts and questions involved and it’s much easier for me to handle than the earlier two volumes in this Christian Origins and the Question of God series. If only I could afford to give up medicine and go back to university and study this sort of thing full time (sighs?)
EDIT : I’ve also decided this week to read Wright’s, The Crown and the Fire, which is a series of meditations for Holy Week, concentrating initially on the words spoken to Jesus on the cross. Very appropriate for the current season, yet in a completely different genre again from the other two books I’ve just discussed.
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