Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues

by N. T. Wright

Overview

A thoughtful and provocative collection, in the vein of the intellectual spiritual classic The Weight of Glory, from N. T. Wright, the influential Bishop, Bible scholar, and bestselling author widely regarded as a modern C. S. Lewis.

An unusual combination of scholar, churchman, and leader, N. T. Wright—hailed by Newsweek as “the world’s leading New Testament scholar”—is not only incredibly insightful, but conveys his knowledge in terms that excite and inspire Christian leaders worldwide, allowing them to see the Bible from a fresh viewpoint. In this challenging and stimulating collection of popular essays, sermons, and talks, Wright provide a series of case studies which explore how the Bible can be applied to some of the most pressing contemporary issues facing us, including:

• Why it is possible to love the Bible and affirm evolution
• Why women should be allowed to be ordained
• Where Christians today have lost focus, and why it is important for them to engage in politics—and why that involvement benefits everyone
• Why the Christian belief in heaven means we should be at the forefront of the environmental movement
• And much more

Helpful, practical, and wise, Surprised by Scripture invites readers to examine their own hearts and minds and presents new models for understanding how to affirm the Bible in today’s world—as well as new ideas and renewed energy for deepening our faith and engaging with the world around us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062230546
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/09/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	519,497
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. He serves as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews as well as Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of many books, including Paul: A Biography, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Simply Jesus, After You Believe, and Scripture and the Authority of God.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Healing the Divide Between Science and Religion 1

2 Do We Need a Historical Adam? 26

3 Can a Scientist Believe in the Resurrection? 41

4 The Biblical Case for Ordaining Women 64

5 Jesus Is Coming-Plant a Tree! 83

6 9/11, Tsunamis, and the New Problem of Evil 108

7 How the Bible Reads the Modern World 129

8 Idolatry 2.0 149

9 Our Politics Are Too Small 163

10 How to Engage Tomorrow's World 182

11 Apocalypse and the Beauty of God 197

12 Becoming People of Hope 207

Acknowledgments 219

Scripture Index 221

Editorial Reviews

N.T. Wright is the most prolific biblical scholar in a generation. Some say he is the most important apologist since C. S. Lewis. . . . Perhaps the most significant praise of all: When Wright speaks, preaches, or writes, folks say they see Jesus, and lives are transformed.” — Christianity Today

“Pithy prose and compassionate and serious biblical interpretation. . . . To reveal some of Wright’s conclusions would be like leaking cinematic spoilers; such is the inventive and surprising way that Wright brings the Bible to bear on current, and vexatious, affairs.” — Publishers Weekly

“Reading anew for new times and exploring how the Bible might illuminate issues of contemporary concern is at the heart of N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Scripture.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

N.T. Wright is the most prolific biblical scholar in a generation. Some say he is the most important apologist since C. S. Lewis. . . . Perhaps the most significant praise of all: When Wright speaks, preaches, or writes, folks say they see Jesus, and lives are transformed.

Christianity Today

05/12/2014
The prolific theologian Wright (Surprised by Hope) tackles several critical contemporary issues—such diverse subjects as women’s ordination, science and religion, biblical ecology, the problem of evil, the resurrection of Jesus—and examines them in light of Scripture. Each question is attended to in broad strokes, but with pithy prose and compassionate and serious biblical interpretation that not only puts forth novel ideas, but also deconstructs dangerous old ones (for example, misunderstandings about the Second Coming). Though he teaches at the University of St. Andrews, Wright does not write from an ivory tower. This book is meant for theologians, interested lay people, and even skeptics, who might find something unforeseen in Scripture and look at modern concerns in a new light. In each case, Wright aims “to allow the biblical writers to set the agenda rather than forcing on them a scheme of thought that does not do them justice.” To reveal some of Wright’s conclusions would be like leaking cinematic spoilers; such is the inventive and surprising way that Wright brings the Bible to bear on current, and vexatious, affairs. (June)

Publishers Weekly