I've recently finished reading a book by Tom Wright, and am just about to start another. And when I was reading it, I was actually quite taken aback at what he was saying-although his ideas haven't really changed, just developed somewhat. For those of you who don't really know who he is, when I was at uni in the mid nineties, he was recommended as one of the top New Testament scholars in the world; and he still is today. And he's still a Christian. So that makes him worth reading in my eyes.
Which led to the reason I was taken aback. He is still known as a premier New Testament scholar, yet his ideas seem to be very little known. What I mean by this, is that although he probably wouldn't disagree with most of what is taught in churches; he thinks there is a lack of clarity over both what Paul taught, and who Jesus was. Who He is, God and the Son of God isn't really in doubt; but because we don't really understand His background and His role, we misunderstand (at least some of) what He said that is recorded in the Gospels.
So Tom Wright believes - at least, as far as I understand him. I've so far only read 5 of his books, and am reading a 6th, but what he says isn't something I often hear in churches. At least, not clearly expressed. And those ideas have definitely affected the way I think and understand some of the New Testament. For some time now, I've thought that my favourite verse in the Bible, the one I would say expresses what I might call the Gospel most clearly is John 10:10, and to my mind, what he describes 'the gospel' as is very much an expansion of what Jesus says here.
What he says Paul thought of as 'the gospel', and what he taught can be summed up quite simply. To Paul, 'the gospel' was that the God who created and loves the world had reclaimed His rightful place as ruler and king; that He had done this in and through the person of Jesus; and that the resurrection proves this. I see this as both simple and elegant; and cannot honestly see anything that anyone who knows Jesus could really disagree with, though they may question it. Which is fine - God isn't threatened by questions, and I'm pretty sure Tom Wright isn't either.
This is a good place to start, but it's where it leads that is really challenging - both in lifestyle and ideas. For instance, one of the first places it goes can be summed up in the phrase 'if Jesus is LORD, then Caesar isn't'. Which really means something to the early Christians who were being persecuted by the Romans, and by those being persecuted across the world today. But it also means something to us as well. If Jesus is God, and is king and absolute ruler, then nothing is as important as Him, and what He thinks. Nothing and no-one. Not a political party, or campaign, or desire for comfort or to be right, or our own opinions or ideas, are as important. So that 'if' is of primary importance; and if we choose to say we believe it, our beliefs and values should change. And will.
But that does not mean that we should ignore or not care about the state of the world; if anything, we should care more, be more involved. Partly because on a basic level, what He cares about we should; but also because the reason the world is in such a mess, why it basically doesn't work properly is because He isn't in His proper place. Tom Wright talks in places about the various ways people have seen the relationship between God and His creation, and shows 3 different ways, which can be referred to as pagan, greek, and hebrew thought. The first is that God is everywhere and in everything; the second is that earth and heaven are two very separate realms, which rarely interact; and the third is that yes, God is everywhere (He can't not be), but Heaven, where He rules, happens only where He is acknowledged as LORD. Once we accept the third description, we are left with a huge challenge; that of inviting Heaven to Earth. Or maybe building it. Something of each, I think. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we have that possibility - and responsibility.
So, I'll leave it there, hopefully having given something of a flavour of his ideas. I don't want to say much more, because frankly, I'm about at the limits of my understanding now. But I hope I've whetted your appetite to discover more; he's written plenty. I would suggest one of the best is 'Creation, Power and Truth', which is quite short, but powerful.
No comments:
Post a Comment