Brilliant! - Rated 
A fantastic read.
Some of the highlights for me:
In one of the early chapters Wright uses a picture of underwater springs being paved over with concrete to depict how spirituality has been hidden and controlled over the last couple of centuries.
In a later chapter, he comments on Revelation: the creatures, then elders worshipping God and then the lamb that is worthy to open the scroll. This was really inspiring: inspiring me to worship Him now and make a difference now!
Wright also talks about the importance of scripture. Since reading this book I have been reading the Bible more than ever before. I have been using a Hebrew-Greek study bible, different translations and also enjoying reading the Psalms aloud. I have been encouraged and enspired by Wright's work.
I would thoroughly recommend it!!
Superb! - Rated
I think this is Simply the best book I've read this year. A modern thinker (theologian, New Testament scholar, evangelical, Bishop of Durham) sets out to write a modern version of C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity", i.e. a guide to faith for the thoughful layperson. Very creatively, he starts from five things modern people are seeking, and explores how God satisfies these hungers in Christ. Quality writing, simple but profound. Superb!
Scratches Where It Itches - Rated
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".
Dry but straight forward - Rated 
The book is a straight forward, step by step no frills guide to what it means to be a Christian today. Tom sets out three world views and tries to relate back to these at different points in the text, sometimes more successfully than others. A dry book devoid of humour and anecdote, but logically constructed and largely free of jargon.
Aimed at the lay person the book is totally un-referenced which is a shame as it covers some big themes and questions. It would be helpful if a referenced study guide was produced to accompany the book. It could then be productively used in small group discussion. I found the sections on worship and prayer very helpful. Short chapters make bed time reading and future dipping back into the book very easy. Overall, the content echoes the simple black and white cover of the hardback version depicting a road and a lighthouse. It delivers what the title promises.
An invaluable guide for the Christian and non-Christian alike - Rated
Alot of the reviews you read of this book on Amazon.co.uk deal with a controversy surrounding the academic research Tom Wright has engaged in that has very little to do with this book. If you are:
a) a Christian who wants to understand the grand narrative of Christianity better and get a better handle on Scripture
b) a non-Christian who wants to educate themselves on what Christianity actually is
c) a new Christian who is grappling for somewhere to hold on to
then this book is ideal. It may not be quite as earth-shattering as Mere Christianity but the comparison stands because over the coming years who knows what influence this book might have?
All the complaints about this book are about the Bishop's academic research into the Jewish context Jesus and his followers lived in and the controversy has to do with a historical question to do with Pharisees and reformer, theological terms like imputed or vindicated and a section of evangelical Christianity that feels very threatened. For most of you considering this book, it is all over your head. Its an academic discussion that has become a popular one because of the very huge success Wright has had in making his case. His writing, even his scholarly efforts (which are published as NT Wright) are accessible to any interested reader. Some people have started with an interest and ended up having nightmares which is unfortunate for them. But their reviews of this book are unduly clouded by these tangential concerns.
This book, taken on its own, independent of any furore surrounding Tom Wright, is a superb introduction to Christianity. He has an easy to read style that can sometimes come across as patronising but once you find your rythym with him you will see he is just guiding you along with care. This is as innovative an approach to explaining Christianity as Lewis' "Beyond Personality" approach was with the famous Mere Christianity. I think it is as well adjusted for Wright's day as Lewis' was in his own.
The great strength of this book is that it takes you from discussions about the seemingly meaningful echoes we all experience in our life that seem to point to something more right through into the complete Biblical story and crucially out again to how it relates to our lives today. It is very readable. You could discuss it in a group setting. You can understand it without any introduction or support. It is well worth the money and the time. I hope you buy it and I hope you enjoy reading it!
|
