Jumat, 23 Agustus 2013

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

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Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright



Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

Read and Download Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

A thoughtful and provocative collection, in the vein of the intellectual spiritual classic The Weight of Glory, from N. T. Wright, the influential Bishop, Bible scholar, and bestselling author widely regarded as a modern C. S. Lewis.

An unusual combination of scholar, churchman, and leader, N. T. Wright—hailed by Newsweek as “the world’s leading New Testament scholar”—is not only incredibly insightful, but conveys his knowledge in terms that excite and inspire Christian leaders worldwide, allowing them to see the Bible from a fresh viewpoint. In this challenging and stimulating collection of popular essays, sermons, and talks, Wright provide a series of case studies which explore how the Bible can be applied to some of the most pressing contemporary issues facing us, including:

  • Why it is possible to love the Bible and affirm evolution
  • Why women should be allowed to be ordained
  • Where Christians today have lost focus, and why it is important for them to engage in politics—and why that involvement benefits everyone
  • Why the Christian belief in heaven means we should be at the forefront of the environmental movement
  • And much more

Helpful, practical, and wise, Surprised by Scripture invites readers to examine their own hearts and minds and presents new models for understanding how to affirm the Bible in today’s world—as well as new ideas and renewed energy for deepening our faith and engaging with the world around us.

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #168151 in Books
  • Brand: Wright, N. T.
  • Published on: 2015-06-09
  • Released on: 2015-06-09
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 8.00" h x .54" w x 5.31" l, .0 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 240 pages
Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

Review “N.T. Wright is the most prolific biblical scholar in a generation. Some say he is the most important apologist since C. S. Lewis. . . . Perhaps the most significant praise of all: When Wright speaks, preaches, or writes, folks say they see Jesus, and lives are transformed.” (Christianity Today)“Pithy prose and compassionate and serious biblical interpretation. . . . To reveal some of Wright’s conclusions would be like leaking cinematic spoilers; such is the inventive and surprising way that Wright brings the Bible to bear on current, and vexatious, affairs.” (Publishers Weekly)“Reading anew for new times and exploring how the Bible might illuminate issues of contemporary concern is at the heart of N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Scripture.” (Publishers Weekly)

From the Back Cover

Why the Bible is not as narrow as many think

In this collection of timely essays, bishop, Bible scholar, and bestselling author N. T. Wright deftly probes the cultural and religious mores of our day, exploring topics such as the ordination of women, the role Christians play in caring for the environment, the science-versus-scripture debates, and more, showing us a vibrant and restorative way to move forward.

About the Author

N. T. Wright, one of the world’s leading Bible scholars, is the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews, an Anglican bishop, and bestselling author. Featured on ABC News, The Colbert Report, Dateline, and Fresh Air, Wright is the award-winning author of Simply Good News, Simply Jesus, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, How God Became King, Scripture and the Authority of God, Surprised by Scripture, and The Case for the Psalms, as well as the recent translation of the New Testament The Kingdom New Testament and the much heralded series Christian Origins and the Question of God.


Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues, by N. T. Wright

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Most helpful customer reviews

115 of 116 people found the following review helpful. Mostly repetition of other books in a shorter form By Adam Shields I am an unabashed fan of NT Wright. I have read most of his popular level books (except the commentary series) and a few of his more academic oriented books. I appreciate his focus on calling people to a fresh look at scripture and his ability to take scripture seriously while maintaining real academic quality.But on the whole I was disappointed by this book. It is a re-working of articles that have previously appeared elsewhere. Most of them were commissioned by US journals or from chapters in books that were for US audiences, or written forms of lectures, so as a Brit, he is most of the time consciously writing for the North American Evangelical audience.His basic arguments, like most of Wright, is that given historical realities of the original writers and audience, we modern readers tend to be missing the intended point of the original writers.As with most Wright he needs to go through a fairly long narrative to be able to help the reader understand his point. And I think that is why his full length book treatments are better than these shorter issue based chapters.The problem is not so much the individual chapters, but that in almost every case, he has a better response in a full length books (and he frequently tells the reader that there is more to the story if you want to pick up another one of his books.) So his first three chapters on science and religion, the historical Adam and the resurrection were all better handled by his book Scripture and the Authority of God.The fourth chapter, The Biblical Case for Ordaining Women, is actually one of the two issues in the book that was new to me (although he says he has brought up several of the issues before in his commentary series.)The fifth chapter is theoretically about environmentalism, but is really a short version of his Surprised by Hope book about eschatology.The sixth chapter is the only chapter that I think might be better as a chapter than the book. Wright's Evil and the Justice of God was decent, but in this chapter he does a better job of summarizing by saying, we cannot solve the problem of evil. Instead, God has chosen to give us scripture, not as a way to intellectually solve the problem of evil, but as a way to remind us that God is with us through difficult times.Several of the later chapters are more political and this is where likely a number of bad reviews will focus. Wright have a very good defence of why a scriptural church is a political church. And Wright also is theologically consistent with his politics. The problem for many readers is that those politics do not match well with our US political systems. So Wright is 'conservative' about sexual issues, 'liberal' about environmentalism, international debt and immigration policy, and off the political map in regard to terrorism. He is against anabaptist retreat and attempts of re-creating Christendom. As I have said in regard to his discussion of politics in other books, I think he is theologically right about most of his points, but he is not a great economist, political historian or political theorist. (And I agree with him in a large number of his political stances.)If there is a main theme in the book, it is that we are now all Epicureans. It is the focus of the chapter on Idolatry, but comes up multiple times throughout the book. Essentially this is not unlike what some others describe as modern Deism. But Wright believes that Epicureanism is actually a better description. The short description of Epicureanism is that it is a believe that the gods don't really care about us or at least don't have much influence over our daily lives, so we might as well live for pleasure because that is something we can do.The rest of the chapters not mentioned are basically the same. Good topics, fairly well handled by Wright, but always feeling a bit too rushed and too thematically squeezed into the book. On the whole, I would just suggest that you read Wright's others books and skip this one, unless you are really interested in his take on Epicureanism or Women in Ministry.Personally, I think you should start with Scripture and the Authority of God, then read Surprised by Hope and Simply Jesus and expand from there as you have time and interest._____3 stars is probably a little overly harsh, but I grading on a curve based on the very high quality of books that I expect out of Wright.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful. A Great Discussion of a Variety of Topics By Henry T Imler I am a huge fan of N. T. Wright and his writings. His style is very engaging, holding one's attention while dealing with scholarly topics. He can engage so many topics, ranging from historical Jesus to Pauline theology to studying the Psalms to discussing the Bible itself. So when I heard about this book I was ecstatic because it's not a traditional book but rather a collection of essays that seem rather unrelated.I say they seem unrelated because there is a thread in this book that comes around again and again: Epicurean philosophy. This book represents, more than anything, Wright's critique of the post-Enlightenment worldview that is centered upon the foundation of the ancient philosophy first espoused by the Greek Epicurus. He taught that if God or the gods even exist they are a long way away and have nothing to do with the earth. The earth sustains itself with no help from God or the gods.The Roman poet Lucretius popularized this philosophy, and his poetry was rediscovered in the Middle Ages and helped spark the Enlightenment. This kicked God and Jesus upstairs into heaven, separating them from the earth and humanity. Therefore theories like evolution sprang up in a way to fill in the void that was previous filled by God. Christianity joined in with the Enlightenment in espousing this kind of dualistic worldview, saying heaven is a place a long way away and that Jesus has come to take us away from this evil world back to heaven with him.Thus Wright is saying that the Western Church has colluded with the enemy by affirm his worldview and then trying to reaffirm God from within it. That's why people like Al Mohler of Southern Seminary says that we must either believe the Bible or what science teaches. It's either Jesus or Evolution; an historical Adam or the Bible is completely false. Wright is seeking a way past this Epicurean false choice into a more fully biblical worldview.Wright calls Christians to rediscover what the Bible is actually saying by letting go of our allegiance to Epicurus/Lucretius/Enlightenment. Heaven is not a far away realm but is overlapping and interlocking with our own. We can believe in evolution and the resurrection without compromising our faith in Jesus. We can let go of our secret love affair with Mammon (money), Sex (Aphrodite), and War (Mars). In America, we can work to stop having the same battles that were fought in 1861-1865!I heartily recommend this book to all. Wright shows how Christians can believe in the Second Coming of Jesus and therefore actively participate in ecological causes. If you have read Wright's other works you'll see him applying those ideas in very concrete ways. A must read text.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Is Wright Correct? By revtcr An OverviewSurprised by Scripture is a collection of papers and addresses given by N.T. Wright in noted places both in the US and Europe, ranging from 2004 to 2013. While Wright addresses the contemporary Western world in general terms, the reader can’t help but notice the many specific references to the US. Wright’s reason: because of the powerful influence that the American culture in the rest of the world. Two important elements through the book is Wright’s repeated attention to the philosophies of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, on the one hand, and the ancient philosophy of Epicureanism in a modern guise, on the other.The book is comprised of twelve essays, which really are showcase of one of today’s most brilliant biblical scholars engaging contemporary issues, per its subtitle. The reader must also keep in mind that N.T. Wright is not only a biblical scholar but a historian as well. As the reader moves through each chapter, he or she encounters both the theologian and historian on each page. The book is engaging, witty, and often focuses the reader to rethink held positions. And what is central to the book, the one constant, is the author’s modus operandi: how God is putting the world to rights through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, and thereby launching the new creation.A CritiqueAbove I mentioned Wright’s modus operandi (so much more can be said). Readers of Wright’s works would know what I mean. It is this Wright uses to engage the contemporary issues addressed in this work. Now what ultimately determines the usefulness of Surprised by Scripture is this: Is Wright’s reading of Scripture correct?But not all the essays in Surprised by Scripture are engaging and useful. While there are several gemlike and evenly balanced essays, the one I was expecting the most from turns out to be the most disappointing: “Do We Need a Historical Adam?” Instead of an assured, challenging and thoughtful Wright, who forces you to rethink, what we get in this chapter is a very speculative and sloppy Wright. For example, in an effort to draw a parallel between nation Israel and Adam and Eve, we find this: “that just as God chose Israel from the rest of humankind for a special, strange, demanding vocation, so perhaps what Genesis is telling us is that God chose one pair from the rest of early hominids for a special, strange, demanding vocation” (p. 37). But Wright offers no explanation as to the origin of these socalled “early hominids.” However, all is not lost in this essay. I found his bit on the young-earth position mature and wise.Wright continues his critique of the Rapture and a Dispensational reading of Scripture. Before you wonder why. Because of Wright’s own reading of Scripture, there can be no place for a Dispensational reading, especially the Rapture position. At any rate, before I bring this review to an end, I would be remiss if I didn’t say something on the essay “The Biblical Case for Ordaining Women.” I consider this one of the gemlike essays. For years, I’ve been waiting for an egalitarian to do what Wright does in this essay: “Galatians 3 is not about ministry…” (p. 65). Instead Wright lays a foundation for his interaction with 1 Corinthian 11 and 14 and 1 Timothy 2. As a complementarian, I challenge fellow complementarians to read this essay with an open mind.ConclusionAbove all, to see how N.T. Wright’s reading of Scripture engages some of our leading and controversial contemporary issues is what commends Surprised by Scripture for me. Wright is not for the faint of heart. But neither can he be ignored. I’ve even read where senior denomination leaders have asked their younger pastors to stay away from the writings of N.T. Wright. Why? Because Wright will challenge you to rethink your beliefs, and worst, even cause you to give some of them up. Rather than frustrating a reading of Wright’s works, I so wish that denominational leaders would engage an N.T. Wright, not least in the US, and perhaps be the better for doing so. A la Luther. Semper reformanda.

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