The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative

Wright argues convincingly that God's missionary heart is one of the big ideas (if not THE big idea) of the entire Bible. In fact, the character and nature of God are unique revealed in His heart for the nations. Wright explores this "grand narrative" in-depth in both the Old and New Testaments. The mission of God is central from Genesis to Revelation. Further, Wright demonstrates how the mission of God is intrinsically related to the people of God - our election, our redemption, our restoration, and the covenants. A must read for every pastor and church leader. A

This is a magisterial tome in which Wright answers the question: Can one interpret the grand narrative of the Bible using a missional hermeneutic? After setting things up he proceeds to answer this question with a resounding, "Yes!" by taking us on a journey through this metanarrative (especially the Hebrew Scriptures) using such a hermeneutic. He taught Old Testament so the amount of attention given to the Hebrew Scriptures was both expected as well as refreshing. I did feel, however, that it dragged at points. It did not need to be as long as it was. Wright reiterates himself over and over again and even has block quotes from earlier portions of the book. This was unnecessary. That being said, I am sure I will be going back to this show more book again and again for years to come to continue to mine all the things Wright had to offer. The bibliography alone was worth the price of this book and has now provided me with a rather long list of sources to give my attention to. Don't let the length discourage you, just take your time. It is worth it. show less

Winner, 2007 Christianity Today Missions/Global Affairs Book

"A rich and most impressive work. It is a splendid exposition of a comprehensive biblical theology of mission, and will have to be taken seriously by every student of the subject."--Andrew F. Walls, University of Edinburgh

"This marvelous book is all I hoped and expected, and more. Chris Wright has spent thirty years combining an academic involvement with the Old Testament and a commitment to God's mission in the world. We are so fortunate to have the mature fruit of a lifetime's reflection on the missional nature of the Bible by this outstanding teacher, scholar and missionary theologian. It threatens to revolutionize what people usually mean by the missional aspect of the show more Scriptures. And it also threatens to revolutionize understandings of the Scriptures by its demonstration that they are, through and through, a missional document."--John Goldingay, author of Old Testament Theology and professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary

"A short review can only acknowledge the brilliant, balanced scholarship that Wright evidences throughout. . . . [T]his is a must-read. . . . [T]his book is one to be meditated on and prayed through."--International Bulletin of Missionary Research, July 2007

"This book is a fascinating combination of introduction on biblical hermeneutics, biblical theology, and, at the same time, it is a missiology textbook."--The Presbyterian Outlook, August 20, 2007 show less