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Evil and the Justice of God
Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Theology/Ethics Book With every earthquake and war, understanding the nature of evil and our response to it becomes more urgent. Evil is no longer the concern just of ministers and theologians but also of politicians and the media. We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked. But, N. T. Wright says, we should not be surprised. For too long we have naively believed in the modern idea of human progress. In contrast, postmodern thinkers have rightly argued that evil is real, powerful and important, but they give no real clue as to what we should do about it. In fact, evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. How then might Jesus' death be the culmination of the Old Testament solution to evil but on a wider and deeper scale than most imagine? Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present? These are the powerful and pressing themes that N. T. Wright addresses in this book that is at once timely and timeless.
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Evil and the Justice of God
Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Theology/Ethics Book With every earthquake and war, understanding the nature of evil and our response to it becomes more urgent. Evil is no longer the concern just of ministers and theologians but also of politicians and the media. We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked. But, N. T. Wright says, we should not be surprised. For too long we have naively believed in the modern idea of human progress. In contrast, postmodern thinkers have rightly argued that evil is real, powerful and important, but they give no real clue as to what we should do about it. In fact, evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. How then might Jesus' death be the culmination of the Old Testament solution to evil but on a wider and deeper scale than most imagine? Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present? These are the powerful and pressing themes that N. T. Wright addresses in this book that is at once timely and timeless.
Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Theology/Ethics Book With every earthquake and war, understanding the nature of evil and our response to it becomes more urgent. Evil is no longer the concern just of ministers and theologians but also of politicians and the media. We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked. But, N. T. Wright says, we should not be surprised. For too long we have naively believed in the modern idea of human progress. In contrast, postmodern thinkers have rightly argued that evil is real, powerful and important, but they give no real clue as to what we should do about it. In fact, evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. How then might Jesus' death be the culmination of the Old Testament solution to evil but on a wider and deeper scale than most imagine? Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present? These are the powerful and pressing themes that N. T. Wright addresses in this book that is at once timely and timeless.
A prolific writer of both scholarly and popular books, N. T. Wright has written over thirty books, including Simply Christian, The Original Jesus, What Saint Paul Really Said, The Challenge of Jesus, The Meaning of Jesus, Jesus and the Victory of God and the magisterial Paul and the Faithfulness of God. His N. T. Wright For Everyone Series includes commentaries covering the entire New Testament. Formerly bishop of Durham in England, Wright is research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He was formerly canon theologian of Westminster Abbey and dean of Lichfield Cathedral. He also taught New Testament studies for twenty years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Gregorian University in Rome and many other institutions around the world. In addition to his many books, Wright reaches a broad audience through his frequent media appearances. A sought-after commentator, Wright writes frequently for newspapers in England, including the Times, the Independent and the Guardian. He has been interviewed numerous times by radio and television broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic, including ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS and NPR.
1. Evil Is Still a Four-Letter Word: The New Problem of Evil The New Problem of Evil The New Nihilism: Postmodernity Towards a Nuanced View of Evil Conclusion2. What Can God Do About Evil? Unjust World, Just God? To Renew the Blessing People of the Solution, People of the Problem My Servant Israel, My Servant Job Conclusion3. Evil and the Crucified God Rereading the Gospels Jesus Dealing with Evil Early Christian View of Evil's Defeat Results: Atonement and the Problem of Evil4. Imagine There's No Evil: God's Promise of a World Set Free Interlude: Naming the Powers World Without Evil The Intermediate Tasks Educating the Imagination Conclusion5. Deliver Us from Evil: Forgiving Myself, Forgiving Others God's Final Victory over Evil Forgiveness in the Present Conclusion Notes Subject Index Scripture Index
What People are Saying About This
Dr. Marva Dawn
"With his habitual unparalleled depth and brilliance, Tom Wright offers us in this book new starting points and fruitful paths for relocating and coming to grips with the problem of evil. Along the way he stirs us to fresh commitment to combat evil imaginatively and faithfully. This is a profound book much needed in these times full of catastrophes and conflicts."
Lamin Sanneh
"Evil and the Justice of God is a sure-footed, lively summary of the subject in Scripture and Christian thought. Its central contentions are that the problem of evil has to be confronted in creation, not apart from it, that human beings have a part to play in that drama, and that such a role belongs with what it means to be truly and completely human. Suffering need not remain an eternal riddle; it is a pillar of the structure of reality and of the purpose of God. The book is an immensely useful introduction to one of the great issues of human existence."
J. P. Moreland
"The shadow of N. T. Wright looms large over the evangelical horizon. Wright has established himself as the scholar/activist/teacher to a generation of evangelicals. With the publication of Evil and the Justice of God, Wright enters an arena largely occupied by philosophers, and his entrance is timely indeed. With the tragic events of recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the problem of evil, and while philosophical discussions of the problem are helpful, the desperate need has been for a distinctively biblical approach to the topic by someone apt for handling the subject. Evil and the Justice of God stands alone in satisfying this need. From now on, it should be the first work consulted by Christian philosophers and theologians working on the problem of evil, and pastors, laypeople and Christian workers should read and internalize the perspective of the book to insure a distinctively biblical approach in ministering to people in the face of evil."
John Wilson
"Wright puts evil in perspective by giving us a powerfully persuasive vision of the 'new heavens and new earth,' the ultimate reality in which we can already begin to participate. This is a book that every thoughtful Christian should read."
Peggy Wehmeyer
"Evil and the Justice of God unravels any skeptic's doubt that a loving God can exist in a world so full of suffering. Tom Wright offers a breathtaking glimpse into the mind and purposes of God . . . and a hope-filled plan for how we can reconcile a broken world with the kingdom to come."
