Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues

Lots of good stuff here, but some (many) of the ideas would have benefited from a fuller (book length) development. I suppose that is to be expected from a collection of essays on large topics. Not surprisingly, then, the pieces I enjoyed most were those on topics Wright has addressed in books. “Jesus is Coming – Plant a Tree!,”one of my favorites, expands on ideas from Surprised by Hope and For All God's Worth, and “How the Bible Reads the Modern World” on ideas from The Last Word. Conversely, the essays I enjoyed least, the first four, were on topics on which Wright hasn't written books or, at least, I haven't read them. I had been particularly interested in what he would say in “The Biblical Case for Ordinating Women,” show more and there were plenty of good insights there, but his speculations on 1 Timothy 2:8-15, particularly on what prompted the writing of the letter, seemed to me to be... quite speculative. Also, in several essays he gives Lucretius, who seems to pop up everywhere recently, more credit than I am convinced he merits for almost singlehandedly instigating the Enlightenment. A minor quibble though, and his repeated reminders that the way most modern westerners see the world is not historically typical are well taken. While the science/religion essays were not the best, I was interested to see Wright bringing in material from John Walton's The Lost World of Genesis One, which I enjoyed, and Jonathan Sacks's The Great Partnership, which is in my “to read” stack. Overall, I would say this is a nice review and updating of Wright's ideas in a number of areas, which will be most enjoyed by readers who are familiar with his arguments from more in-depth treatments. show less

I wish this work was more complete and scholarly, but still an excellent and sound work. In particular, he puts the Enlightenment, Modernism and Post-Modernism in their proper perspectives. Particularly from the last few chapters, I had the following thought: It seems being Jesus to the community around you requires actions (not debate, arguments, doctrine, etc.), love (of the all-out self-giving sort) and sacrifice. If we can do this, then the rest (doctrine, etc.) matters. If we do not, then the rest is irrelevant.
Chap. 3- Can a Scientist Believe the Resurrection- If you don't force God upstairs someplace faraway where he cannot interfere, then sure you can (If you are a modern Epicurist, then this is a problem). The historical show more evidence can force the question, but it cannot force you to believe in the resurrection.
Chap. 4- The Case for Ordaining Women- Not as complete as I would like, but he makes a strong initial case for this point.
Chap. 5- Jesus is Coming--Plant a Tree- Three points: 1) God's creation is good. 2) God will renew it, and we are called to start that process now. 3) Climate change has social implications, particularly for the poor and vulnerable. show less

Library - 2016. Didn't finish, ran out of time - p. 123 FINISHED JULY 2017