N. T. Wright, the former Bishop of Durham for the Church of England, is a devoted pastor, a renowned biblical scholar, and a prolific author. Over the past year or so the following books of his have given me a much better understanding of God’s Kingdom and of The Gospel.
You can order them here (as an Amazon.com Associate Life Church receives a portion of the purchase price):
- Surprised By Hope
This is my blog post with links to N. T. Wright’s book “Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church” (2010) and several short videos of his on the same subject. In the book and the videos he teaches that in our zeal for articulating and proclaiming the theological conditions for getting to heaven, we have shortchanged the Kingdom that Jesus came to announce. This book explores our destiny beyond heaven. - How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels: N. T. Wright: Amazon.com: Books (2012)
In this book N. T. Wright calls the church back to an authentic understanding of the meaning of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John:- The gospels reveal that in Christ:
- Israel’s history reaches its climax.
- God returns to Israel.
- Israel is redefined as those who follow Jesus.
- The Kingdom of God confronts the kingdoms of this world.
- Here are some related videos:
- The gospels reveal that in Christ:
- Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today: N. T. Wright: Amazon: Books (2013)
In this book N. T. Wright provides a fresh perspective on how to understand the Bible and apply it to our lives. He describes human history as a five-act play in which Acts 1 – 4 (The Old Testament) and Act 5 Scene 1 (The New Testament) have already been performed our job is to live out the rest of Act 5 in light of all that has already been performed. - Simply Good News: Why the Gospel Is News and What Makes It Good: N. T. Wright: Amazon.com: Books (2015)
In this book N. T. Wright explains how our adoption of a post-enlightenment world view has resulted in us proclaiming good advice rather than the good news proclaimed by the early church. He also suggests some ways back to the authentic Kingdom message.
There is more material related to Professor Wright available here:
Pastor Rocklyn’s N. T. Wright Page
N. T. Wright’s books and video clips have been a great blessing to me over the past few years and I believe that they will be a blessing to you as well!