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Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense |  | Author: N.T. Wright
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
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Rating:  88 reviews
Sales Rank: 34707
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 9th Print
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0060507152
Dewey Decimal Number: 230
EAN: 9780060507152
ASIN: 0060507152
Publication Date: March 1, 2006
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| • | ISBN13: 9780060507152 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
Why do we expect justice? Why do we crave spirituality? Why are we attracted to beauty? Why are relationships often so painful? And how will the world be made right? These are not simply perennia
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 88
A satisfying apologetic February 7, 2010
Randall Pratt (West Orange, NJ USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In this apologetic Wright explains how Christianity makes perfect sense from the perspective of our yearning for justice, spirituality, relationships and beauty. In the first section, "Echoes of a Voice," he describes these universal human longings and posits that each one points beyond itself. Part two, "Staring at the Sun," lays out the basic Christian beliefs about God and how the echoes of part one make sense in light of these tenets. The book concludes with "Reflecting the Image," where he describes what it looks like in practice to follow Jesus.
I especially appreciated the reverential nature of the first section and the descriptions of the second. Wright's liturgical perspective of Christian worship and prayer was harder to identify with (compared to more concrete/experiential treatments of, say, Greg Boyd). Overall, I found this to be a deeply satisfying book.
Impressive December 26, 2009
Grant Marshall (Auckland, New Zealand)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I must say I was impressed by this book and read it quickly. Wright has a style that is accessible and deep without being overly technical. I think this would be a great introduction to the post-modern seeker. I found the first section quite helpful as I could relate to all those 4 echoes myself. However I also felt that those echoes would be a great conversation starter with a non-christian to establish some common ground and way into a deeper conversation about Jesus.
To the other reviewers who said this is just Wright's version of the Gospel and that he is mean spirited towards other interpretations I'm going to play devils advocate. What makes you so sure that YOUR interpretation is better than his? Why should we accept yours over his? To write a mean spirited review of the book seems to show that perhaps you have misunderstood the power of the Gospel and the grace of Jesus Christ?
Some gripes and concerns:
- Wright repeats a lot of what he has written elsewhere in other books. If this is your first book by Wright then it won't matter. If you've read 15 or so his books then it gets a little repetitive. I recall Lloyd Jones being accused of much the same thing and answering his objections with "Well I can't improve on Paul."
- Wright seems to bypass any idea of PSA (Penal Substitutionary Atonement) and Imputation. I understand that Christus Victor makes a lot of sense in our A-moral post-modern culture and that PSA may not connect with many of the Post modern world. One only has to look at books which misrepresent PSA as the need for a distant deity to be appeased by sacrifice because sinners have transgressed some arbitrary moral law (Chalke comes to mind). But to beat up the caricature is not the same as defeating the real thing. PSA is a wonderful doctrine that I wish Wright would explore more in relation to Christus Victor. Both are neccessary as part of good atonement theology. Christ died in our place and truimphed over the forces of Evil, Sin and Death, begining God's new creation in the present. Both threads are present in Paul.
Apart from those Gripes I enjoyed the book and it is well worth reading!!
Simple & Beautiful October 23, 2009
Conrade Yap (Vancouver, BC Canada)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is written not for academia but for popular reading. At 240 pages long, it seems awfully short compared to the huge academic volumes I used to read. Responding to the increasing anti-religious rhetoric from the atheist advocates, and lay Christians seeking a renewed faith, this book gently reaches out to the non-Christian seeker and the ordinary Christian reader with 4 broad themes; 1) longing for justice; 2) quest for spirituality; 3) hunger for relationships; 4) desire for beauty. His aim is to "describe what Christianity is all about" (ix) in a manner that is simple and straightforward.
"Simply Christian" is a lighter read that CS Lewis's Mere Christianity. This is probably because Lewis writes for the audience in the 1950s while Wright's audience is post-2000. While CS Lewis writes his book personally defending the Christian faith and giving reasons for belief, Wright's work looks more like an invitation to a person confused and disillusioned by the world, to actively consider the Christian worldview as a viable alternative. Wright is careful to recognize the negative climate surrounding 'church' and brilliantly ties the Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church as one entity to be serving God in Christ. An important contribution is the way Wright captures the cultural need for order amid the chaos through the 4-movement framework. Beginning where most readers are living in, and charting out a melodious progression, Wright articulates the notes and chords of Christianity harmonically, concluding with an invitation to all to join the orchestra, conducted by the Triune God. This book is small in pages, but big in substance. Sounds beautiful.
My Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
 Simply Outstanding! September 9, 2009
O. Anguiano (Grand Junction, CO United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
N.T. Wright has hit a homerun with Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. His overview of the four echos and how they point to the voice of God in and of itself makes a compelling case for the Christian faith. If you claim not being able to hear those echos (the passion for justice, the longing for relationships, the quest for spirituality, and the desire for beauty), then you have gone deaf or are a confirmed atheist.
A positive, thoughtful approach to the foundations of Christianity September 8, 2009
J. Bohnhoff (Palo Alto CA USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In Simply Christian, Wright provides a broad overview of the beliefs and practices of the followers of Jesus Christ. He begins his book by describing some of the difficult questions that plague all of humanity - Why is the world so beautiful, so fair, so loving at times, and other times just the opposite? According to Wright, all these questions and more are answered in the Christian story, and as he shows how, readers are introduced (or reintroduced) to Christianity as it was intended - not as a condemning legal system but as a joyful response to a the actions of a loving creator. From his discussion of Christianity's beliefs and beginnings, Wright moves to the third part of his book, describing how Christianity ought to be practiced and showing where modern Christians succeed and where they have missed the mark.
If you are a new or non-Christian, this book will provide a very simple, straightforward introduction to the faith. If you are a strong, or at least old Christian, this book will remind you why, and encourage you to practice what you preach. Whoever you are, this book will probably change the way you think of Christianity.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 88
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