The April cover story of Christianity Today is an impressive piece on the Anglican theologian and New Testament scholar N.T. Wright. As the article’s opening explains, Wright
is the most prolific biblical scholar in a generation. Some say he is the most important apologist for the Christian faith since C. S. Lewis. He has written the most extensive series of popular commentaries on the New Testament since William Barclay. And, in case three careers sound like too few, he is also a church leader, having served as Bishop of Durham, England, before his current teaching post at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
The article’s author describes a story told by “a pastor friend” in which a church member walked into his office, “hands trembling as he held a copy of Wright’s Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. “If this book is true,” he said, “then my whole life has to change.”” While my initial reaction to Wright’s work wasn’t quite that dramatic, it did help shift my biblical and religious studies from mere information gathering to theological application. Studying Second Temple Judaism(s) was no longer about neat historical tidbits or mere bible bashing ammunition, but proper understanding and appropriate application. I owe Wright a lot in this regard.
Check out the article. And then check out his work.