★★★★★ 5
My Favorite N.T. Wright To Date
Format: Hardcover
In this third book of N.T. Wright's popular series that began with Simply Christian and was followed up by Surprised by Hope he continues with the theme that he believes was basic in Early Christianity. The theme of the creator God, through a process that was inaugurated by the Incarnation, crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ, to restore Creation and bring Heaven and Earth together. As followers of Christ, Christians are to play a key part in this renewed Creation.
I've read a number of Wright's books, and I must say that I found this latest publication to be the best that I've read to date. After You Believe is not nearly as heavy on theology as it is on practical reasons why living a life of Christian virtue matters. Wright illustrates why virtuous living matters not just for the life to come when Christ's followers will co-reign as Rulers and Priests, but it also matters in the here and now as we ready ourselves for the glorious future that God has in store for us.
Wright lays the groundwork with the question "what am I here for?" He looks at two common contrasting views about virtue within Christianity. The first view is that of the person who feels that they must be "authentic" and therefore they disregard attempts at virtue for fear of being hypocritical and phony. On the flip side of the coin are those that are constrained by all of the "rules and regulations" that they find in scripture and are hopelessly chasing their tails trying to be "good enough for God." Wright considers both views to be anachronistic and spurious.
Wright holds that our goal is to be "truly human" in the way that God originally intended for us to be. Living out a life as a complete human means living a Spirit led life in which all of the fruits of the Spirit are exhibited and the three main Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love begin to flow naturally.
But Bishop Wright warns that it is not an automatic thing that happens after one accepts Jesus as Lord and joins in the body of Christ. This is a common fallacy that many in Western Protestantism fall for. Using examples like that of Captain Sullenberger, who made the miraculous landing on the Hudson River on flight 1549, Wright illustrates that building genuine Christian character is a process that takes many years of making thousands of tiny `correct decisions', so that when a serious test of Christian character arises, the response is "automatic."
Toward the center of the book, Wright spends a good deal of time doing what he does best, exegeting the Pauline corpus to explain the "how and why" of developing Christian character. He discusses the coming Kingdom and how we should begin preparing for the Kingdom by the "renewing of the mind." He then moves on to 1 Corinthians 13 and provides one of the best expositions of the "love chapter" that I've read to date.
He sums it up toward the end of the book by giving fairly clear (for N.T. Wright) instructions on how to carry the whole thing out. He uses a "grace" circle that incorporates scripture, stories, examples, community and practice. Again, he reiterates how Christian character doesn't "just happen" but is rather a lifelong process that one must work toward every day.
Throughout the book I was reminded of the earnestness of John Wesley and the warmth of C.S. Lewis. Of all of Wright's books that I've read to date, I found this one to be the most practical and helpful. I've come away from some of Wright's books feeling a lot more educated, but a little puzzled on how to apply what I had read to my personal Christian walk. With After You Believe however, I found much that I felt that I could take away to help me become a more mature Christian. I would encourage this book to everyone, and especially to those who might be asking the question "what do I do now that I've become a Christian?"
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2010