Tom (aka N.T.) Wright wrote this one as a series of Lenten meditations for the parish of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1992. It was published in British and American editions, the British edition being a small-format paperback entitled New Tasks for a Renewed Church and published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Throughout the book the author emphasizes the differences between trinitarianism, dualism and monism. He points out two different kinds of dualism--the metaphysical and the moral--and urges us not to confuse them in any way. He says that there is a metaphysical dualism between spirit and matter, idealism and materialism; and there is a moral dualism between good and evil, right and wrong. His criticism is that Christians have commonly identified the two dualisms, understanding material existence as an evil that must be escaped. This, Wright contends, is the root of the Gnostic heresy, which is soundly refuted by the Incarnation, since Christ has sanctified human life and the physical existence by entering into it. This world and this life are thus not a necessary evil to be endured, but an opportunity to manifest the presence of God in all areas of our lives here. Somewhat in alignment with the Protestant tradition from which he comes, Wright spends much of the first part of the book urging his readers to integrate their faith with their everyday lives and the culture in which they live, which are to be sanctified by the presence of God brought to bear on them by faith.

At the same time, he argues, the answer is not to move over to a pantheistic, monistic understanding of Christian faith, as some liberal and 'green' churches are wont to do. He deals quite convincingly with neopaganism in the church, being careful to point out that this world has an independent existence from the God who created it. The physical universe was created and does not emanate from a pantheistic deity or Life Force. Christians do have an obligation to look after the creation, because the Creator deemed it 'very good', but creation is not God or an end in itself. Worship and ultimate reverence must be directed to the Creator and Redeemer God alone.

The second part of the book looks at the life and ministry of Jesus, its historical context and theological interpretation. It is a non-technical discussion that makes an enjoyable if challenging read for the layman, and much of it reminded me of Philip Yancey's bestselling The Jesus I Never Knew. Tom Wright tends to favour the term 'subversive' when referring to Jesus, and this certainly is a book that will subvert our Sunday School perceptions of Him. A challenging read, but it should be required for every new convert and every candidate for confirmation.

I am pleased to see this book back in print again, after an absence of perhaps five years. I hope that it remains in print for many generations to come.

In his Preface, Wright states the thesis for his book: that to celebrate the Millennium does not mean preparing for the end of the world, but saying to our world what the calendar was designed to say in its day: Jesus is Lord. He begins the book with an explanation of the origin of our present calendar, proposed by Dionysius around 500 AD to mark time in which Jesus reigns as King. He includes an excellent discussion of the dating problems involved, and offers a very brief review of various interpretations of the thousand years of Jesus' reign, based on Revelation 20.

Next, he summaries the main reasons for his argument that January 1, 2000 has nothing to do with anything in biblical prophecy: 1) the calendar was invented in the sixth century and got the date wrong; 2) the calendar dates from the conception of Jesus, but the reign began from his resurrection; 3) even assuming no problem in the dating, and allowing for prophecy, that event would have occurred around 1030 AD; etc.

In the chapter on "Apocalypse Now?" Wright has an excellent discussion, in popularized and easy to read language, of the meaning of Apocalyptic language, extremely well illustrated. He also has a very brief but helpful discussion of heaven and earth and their mutual relation, and of Christian future hope.

The third and fourth chapters are full of comparisons of Christian faith and modern and postmodern thinking. Chapter four contains basic characterizations of the Christian "story" such as we find in Wright's other works (e.g. NTPG & JVG). The final chapter is a recommendation on how to properly celebrate the Millennium, with an extended treatment of the theme of Jubilee, in which Wright proposes that we begin to live out the reality of our faith as Jesus' first followers did, in a community in which everything is shared and none are in want!

In view of Wright's treatment (or lack) of the resurrection of Jesus in his other writings, many have queried how he really thinks about it, but it is a theme he stresses throughout this little tract, and upon which he bases the Lordship of Jesus. Without the resurrection no Jesus, no Jesus, no Millennium; and without him the world would date itself--but, Oh, what a different world it would be....

In The Original Jesus, author Tom Wright examines Jesus in the historical perspective. He attempts to take you back to Jesus' own time in order for the reader to recognize the message Christ was actually proclaiming and to interpret it and the Gospels in the context of those times. In other words, Wright tries to "take you there" to see Jesus as he was two thousand years ago. It is a short and seemingly uncomplicated book, filled with a number of illustrations of Jesus in the Holy Land, yet it does succeed surprisingly well in its aims. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the subject of Jesus' words and deeds, and Wright gave me new perspectives that certainly enhance my understanding. He calls Jesus a revolutionary in the sub-title, and he does a great job of showing just how revolutionary his message was based on the context of the time. Under Wright's guidance, even as seemingly esoteric a fact as the nature of the area in which Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount becomes theologically important. The history of Israel and her covenant with God serve as the lynchpin of the message Wright gleans from the Gospels. He argues that the Gospels were written for two main reasons: to tell the story of Jesus and to address the contemporaries of the individual Gospel writer. It is in this context, he says, that the discrepancies between the Gospel accounts can be explained, and he offers a helpful summation of the purposes and target audiences of each of the four books. By understanding the worlds out of which the Gospels were penned, one can gain greater insight into the good news revealed in each book.

Wright mentions the ideas of the Jesus Seminar and clearly disagrees with their practice of questioning everything in the Gospels hypercritically. He clearly believes the Gospels are meant to show us the true life and work of Jesus, despite any differences in facts between their accounts, and that one's depth of comprehension can be greatly increased by understanding the historical context of Jesus' time on earth. This book can easily be read in one sitting and is a great starting point for anyone interested in pursuing his/her own search for the historical Jesus. Wright includes a bibliography of recommended sources for those who wish to continue the quest.

Searching to learn more about "Jesus among us," I've read E.P. Sanders, Geza Vermes, James Charlesworth, David Flusser, Brad Young and more.

This is by far the most lucid statement, and the only truly stirring account I've read, of Jesus' historical ministry and its meaning for Christians.

It is not an exhaustive treatment (see the number of pages), but it is my favorite book in this area.

Although Wright points out that in comparing the Synoptic Gospels there are differences that are difficult to reconcile (which he points out adds to their credibility), conservative Christian believers will be comfortable with and helped by Wright's excellent book.

Dean Wright is masterful in relating, simply but not simplistically, how Jesus, as a Jew, related his mission to the great themes of the Jewish Scriptures. This is no Sunday School 101 approach to the person and work of Jesus. Many questions that have lingered in the recesses of my spiritual closet are clearly answered without being technical or weighty. This is a wonderful book to share to anyone, especially those in a Judeic or Arabic background or faith tradition, who is asking about the Messiah from Nazareth.

The Way of the Lord. Christian Pilgrimage Today. Tom Wright. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999.

On the face of it, pilgrimage would seem to be a venerable, natural practice. It is, in fact, highly controversial. To be sure, it has its advocates in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Torah required three pilgrimages a year, one on Passover, one during the Feast of Weeks, and one during the Feast of Tabernacles (De 16.16). And St. Jerome even interpreted some of the Psalms to be a command to make a pilgrimage. By contrast, however, Gregory of Nyssa went out of his way to criticize the practice, arguing that it is important to be close to God and one's neighbors and that pilgrimage made no contribution to accomplishing either imperative. And in more recent times, C. S. Lewis asserted, "The significance of the incarnation is not that God is a god of one place to the exclusion of others; it is that he is a god of all places, active in his world . . . God is to be found especially in people; namely those in need and in the gathered community of the Church . . . It follows that to set off on a journey to grow nearer to Christ is at best a complex matter. It might be that the true search is among those in need . . ." For the ardent pilgrim, Lewis commends the words of Matthew 28.6: "He is not here; he is risen." There is a certain logic to Lewis's position, but at the same time, it misses an important point. Pilgrimage is not about going to a particular place to find God. It is about putting ourselves in a particular place so that God can find us. For people who struggle with the concept of pilgrimage and who are inclined to side with Gregory or Lewis, Tom Wright's brief, readable work on pilgrimage will be a welcome guide. Former Dean of Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, England, and the new Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey, Wright grew up in the evangelical tradition. He heard little or nothing about pilgrimage early in his life and his first exposure to the practice left him with doubts not unlike those expressed by Lewis. But much to his surprise, he discovered that "one can learn to discover the presence of God not only in the world, but through the world." This growing realization prompted him to write this sage little work that not only serves as an introduction to the practice of pilgrimage but is also, by design, "a refresher course, from an unusual angle, on what might be called 'Christian basics'." Using locations in the Holy Land where Jesus walked, talked, and healed, Wright takes the reader on a virtual pilgrimage, combining biblical scholarship with catechesis and inspirational challenge. But Wright is never facile or dogmatic. His closing paragraph provides a taste of the rest: "We do not go on pilgrimage, then, because we have the answers and want to impose them. That would make us crusaders, not pilgrims; the world has had enough of that, and I dare say God has had enough of that. We go on the pilgrim way, we follow the way of the Lord, because he himself is the way - and, as he said himself, the truth and the life as well. We go to meet him afresh, to share his agony, and to pray and work for the victory he won on the cross to be implemented, and for his way to be followed, in Israel and Palestine, in our own countries and in the whole world."

As N.T. Wright notes, "It can happen to anyone. It can happen to you."

Wright's "It" is an unexpected encounter with Jesus Christ. Rarely do we see it coming. Wright makes this clear in the very first chapter of his wonderful book, "The Way of the Lord." He cites Saul of Tarsus' journey from Jerusalem to Damascus. It was no intentional pilgrimage. Yet by the time Paul reached the gates of Damascus, he was already embarked on a journey that would see him travel the world in service of his God.

And so it is for all who follow Christ. As Wright says: "One sort of pilgrimage ends, therefore, and a new sort of pilgrimage begins, with the empty tomb of Jesus." Though we may never travel further than ten miles from home, life in Christ is a pilgrimage. Wright's book illustrates this by comparing different facets of the spiritual journey with different areas Jesus traveled through in his sojourn here.

Each chapter Focuses on an individual area/spiritual facet of life. They are meant to be read sequentially, but I have gone back to several chapters since first reading them and each has its own lesson and can validly stand on its own. This makes this book an invaluable companion for anyone seeking to follow Jesus.

Life in Christ is a wonderful journey--it is truly life "to the full." "The Way of the Lord" is like a tour book of sorts. I give it my highest recommendation

The Crown and the Fire by N.T. Wright is a book well worth not only reading, but contemplating for some time.

As the extended title says, this book is a collection of "Meditations on the Cross and the Life of the Spirit." Each of these meditations are wonderfully instructive. One reason why is that none of them come at a given topic from the same perspective. Each piece is not only well thought out, but also thought in a totally different way from the others.

The first half of the book is a collection of meditations on various bystanders at the crucifixion and their reactions to the suffering and death of Jesus. My two favorites are: "Son, we have sought you sorrowing", and "What I have written I have written". The former speaks movingly of Mary's role as Theotokos, the God-Bearer. The piece beautifully illustrates the role of Christians, more accurately-the call of Christians to be Theotokoi, God-Bearers, in the world of today. The latter shows just how radical the message of Jesus was and is. It clearly illustrates how the call to follow the Savior has always been and will always be one that leads to conflict with the world.

The second part contains six pieces on various topics such as the call of God and the groaning of the Spirit.

My favorite piece in the second half is called "The New Creation". Which is a reflection on John 21 and what it means to live as a New Creation. This piece contains a wonderful passage:

"The word became flesh, said St John, and the Church has turned the flesh back into words: words of good advice, words of comfort, words of wisdom and encouragement, yes, but what changes the world is flesh, words with skin on them, words that hug you and play with you and love you and rebuke you and build houses with you and teach your children in school."

I wish I could express the depth and insight of some of these reflections here in my little review. Unfortunately, I am ill suited for the task. Since I cannot, you'll just have to buy the book and see for yourself.

This volume of 13 meditations and sermons that challenges our thinking, particularly suitable for Lent. The first section considers the seven words that were spoken TO the cross, rather than the customary seven words FROM the cross. The words from Mary and the Roman centurion gives a framework for thinking what it means to be a Messiah and how at the time, there was hope, even for Mary, that He be a political leader of the people. Wright makes us think of what His death and "Victory over death" means and what it means to be Son of God.

The second half of the book contains eclectic sermons, such as the "New Creation" of Christ's resurrection, the call and groaning of the Spirit, and of the Eucharist. This book provides powerful seeds of thought for Lenten meditations

While I appreciate Wright's defense of Paul as a faithful expositor of the teaching's of Christ, his book, as with all Covenantal Nominism undermines the gospel of our Lord.

Justification is indeed about how one is saved, not merely who is included in the covenant. While Wright brings helpful insight into the mind of a 1st century Jewish convert, he overstates his case by attacking the orthodox and historic Christian understanding of justification by faith apart from works. Serious consideration of Romans 5 is not given in this book, and the Lutheran/Reformed/Evangelical understanding of justification as the foresnic imputation of Christ's righteousness to undeserving sinners is scoffed at as unscholarly.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Those who do get this book, I must recommend you also purchase "Counted Righteous in Christ" by John Piper, and exegetical defense of the orthodox understanding of justification.

Ok, I admit my review title is silly but that is one thing this book is not. It is a compelling and brief introduction to the apostle Paul and his teaching from a modified new perspective.
One may not always agree with Wright but he always raises important questions, interacts with the most important literature, and engages in profound and deep biblical exegesis.
I eagerly look forward to Wright's tome on this topic in the "Christian origins" series.
The other reviews were pretty fair. As for the fellow who only gave him one star, come on cake-walker... I'm a conservative, reformed evangelical too but "you gots to give Wright his props".
Please don't dismiss Wright because he doesn't tow the party line! He's one of the handful of scholars that I believe people will still be paying apt attention to 50 years or more from now.

N.T. Wright again bridges the gaps between scholarship and spirituality; liberal and orthodox. Many readers will find his work shocking because he is conservative, but never orthodox. The most controversial aspect of this book challenges the tradition interpetation of justification (righteousness) by faith. For Wright, righteousness before God is not imputed or imparted by God, for instance by "being born again." Righteousness and Justification are the verdicts rendered in the return from exile made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, The Messiah.
This interpetation raises the ire of traditionalists and evangelicals because it redines salvation as reflecting God's Image, not safety from damnation. Faith allows us to reflect The Image of God, or live in salvation. We are saved by faith, not works.
This raises questions for the traditionalists about who is in and who isn't, who's is going to heaven and who isn't. The very same questions raised by church in the first century and addressed in Paul's letters.
Recommended, but this book will leave you wanting to explore Wright's ideas to their fullest implications.