His new book After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters is soothing in its plain talk, gliding a relative society back into the lost comforts of now archaic (even taboo) words like virtue and character. These words have been hijacked by the religioso as terms of condemnation and Wright reclaims them with unpretentious anecdotes. He does a fantastic job of appealing the reader towards a principled life through anecdote and exploration of the New Testament’s “moral vision…peace, justice, freedom, love” liberating the reader to their true existence in the moral vision of God. He argues, “We urgently need to recapture the New Testament’s vision of a genuinely “good” human life with that future-shaped character lived within the ongoing story of God’s people, and, with that, a freshly worked notion of virtue.”

http://www.peacemakerrevolution.org/2010/03/after-you-believe-by-nt-wright.html

Enter the Bishop of Durham, England, N.T. Wright.

I first encountered the writings of Bishop Wright a number of years ago before I re-dedicated my heart to Christ and was reading books by more liberal theologians such as Marcus Borg and Elaine Pagels.

At one point I picked up a book Marcus Borg had co-authored with N.T. Wright called The Meaning of Jesus, a kind of written debate between their disparate views of scripture, Wright’s being the traditional.

I remember that even though I was more in line with Marcus Borg’s thinking at the time, I was intrigued by N.T. Wright’s ability to present theology in such a way that someone who’s never stepped foot in a seminary could understand some of the deeper meanings he was trying to get across.

Eventually I began reading more of N.T Wright’s work and he quickly became one of my favorite theologians. So it was with great pleasure I snapped up the opportunity to review After You Believe by N.T. Wright for Viral Bloggers….

You can read more at Kristine ReMixed: http://kristinemcguire.com/?p=3985

http://captainestes.blogspot.com/2010/05/after-you-believe-why-christian.html

Chad

http://www.circularthoughts.com/circular_thoughts_on_foll/2010/05/homebrewed-bishop.html

Here’s my link Mike: http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2010/05/surprised-by-hope.html

Even if someone may not buy a book on virtue, nearly everyone should be concerned about character. The matter runs to the root of what kind of person we choose to be. Too often we get confused about “doing the right thing.” Asking someone to “do the right” thing without addressing the aim of personhood and what kind of person you or I would want to be seems a bit wrong headed – to borrow a Wrightism. I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ essay, “The Abolition of Man.” There in that classic essay Lewis notes how insufferable it is to remove the framework for making moral decisions and then asking a person then to be moral. He write something like, “. . . then bid the gelding to produce.”

Wright, for me, runs along the same track Dallas Willard has been running on. When the question is about deciding to do right, we are managing our impulses. When we determine what kind of person we will be then we choose according to that aim. One tends to begin at the point of behavior. The other emphasizes living out a way of life that is constructive and formative in keeping with the personal decision to be this kind of person or that kind of person.

It is no secret that I like Bishop Tom. We have shared a meal, a conference, and a plane – public not private. He is affable and memorable. He has determined to be a kind of person that flows from his understanding of the grand project of redemption of all things in Jesus. That aim is born out not only in his writing but in his person. Go get it. Read it. Let it inspire you to move from managing impulses to charting a course for what your lie may look like as it reflects the life of Jesus.

http://www.toddlittleton.net/2010/05/20/wright-redeems-talk-of-virtue-in-after-you-believe/

After You Believe, by NT Wright

NT Wright’s book, After You Believe, is a wonderful and challenging book for all of us who strive to be Christian, and especially, after we have wondered what it is that we should do, and be, “after we believe.” This is a wonderful book that enumerates a vision of the Christian Life that takes seriously the richness and truth of our tradition, and also takes seriously the difficulty of living out our faith in our “everyday world.” Truth be told, I am still digesting this book, but I have assimilated enough to recommend it highly … a wonderful and challenging read. Read it.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey
http://santospopsicles.blogspot.com/2010/05/after-you-believe-by-nt-wright.html

After You Believe is preceded by Surprised by Hope, an exceptional work that challenges the conservative Christian perspective of heaven (that we say a prayer and go to heaven by eternity.) It’s not only a challenge but quite simply a return to orthodoxy. I found Surprised by Hope to be an exceptional contemporary work that should hit everyone’s must read list.

Simply Christian precedes Surprised by Hope. Simply Christian is another gem, not quite on par with Surprised by Hope IMO, but best described as a contemporary ‘Mere Christianity’.

But of course, this post is about ‘After You Believe’. Admittedly, the third was my least favorite, however, that’s not to suggest it’s not an important read. Rather, the first two, especially Surprised by Hope, were of exceptional value that could not be matched in the third. (I was reading Brian Mclaren’s latest while reading After you Believe and the former doesn’t hold water against the latter.)

Simply Christian dealt with the ‘urges of humanity (beauty, relationships, justice, spirituality)’; Surprised by Hope deal with Heaven & Kingdom language; AFter you Believe dealt with Christian character.

Wright re-uses the term ‘virtue’ to highlight the need for Christians to adopt more than vein morality goals or individual authenticity when it comes to maturing in Christ. He compares three primary ways people approach their faith:

Option one: The wait for Heaven Option (condemning and discarding this world a la evangelicals right-wing)

Option two: The work for the Kingdom Option (a la left wing)

Option three: The live out by way of Anticipating the Kingdom

The third option is Wright’s proposition to reclaim virtue in Christian culture that’s barely skin deep.

Wright is not the most accessible writer, but given his content and scholarship he IS highly accessible. For that reason it makes sense for Christians to pay attention to the message he is trying to communicate. It’s not necessary to accept everything he’s saying part and parcel, but it DOES emphasize the need to accept his words as grounded in scholarship and orthodoxy.

The discussion obviously extends beyond virtues and character, including church systems and interesting expositions on passages in Romans and Corinthians to support his ‘KIngdom’.

Something that’s been on my mind for a while now is the subject of Christian witness — virtue, character — and its relationship (reaction to, impact on) “secular” society. Do people of faith really have anything significant to add to efforts for peace and justice when so many of the non-faithful are already out there in the trenches? I say we do. In fact, I maintain that the struggle for human rights and justice are based in issues of faith — the world is not as it should be, humans have dignity and beauty, we should seek to bolster the well-being of others, love, etc. I’m not entirely convinced that humans would come to these conclusions were it not for faith and religion.

This is (partly) the argument N.T. Wright makes in his new book, After You Believe. The following passage gets us down the path a ways in the discussion of Christian witness in “secular” societies:

“Those who are called to reflect God’s image through their own work must give attention to the task of working out, in a highly contested contemporary world, what that restorative justice ought to look like and how we might help bring it about. This will mean engaging with political debates and processes of various sorts, campaigning on key issues, and highlighting oppression and injustice wherever they occur. The Western world has supposed, for two hundred years and more, that splitting off questions of social justice from questions of God and faith would give us a more just society. The revolutions, totalitarianisms, and all-out wars of that period have proved us wrong. But to put God and human justice back together again will require a sustained effort, not only by individuals but by the church as a whole, developing the corporate virtues of justice-work that will become habits of the church’s heart and will appeal to the conscience of the wider world.” (Wright, p. 231)

Put another way, to eliminate religious speech and expression from the public square (as we’re seeing in many European countries) is to cut off the branch on which human rights rest. Christian witness has a place at the table in conversations about justice and the betterment of society. A crucial place.

In the midst of such a large structure it may seem that ethics are insignificant. It is the opposite. If God is recreating a new humanity to rule and reign with his Son, by the Spirit, in a new heaven and a new earth then the development of character is essentially an eschatological endeavor. We live now (by the Spirit) in anticipation for how we will live then.

An example that is used by Wright is when the Apostle Paul corrects the Corinthian church for suing one another in pagan courts. The reason for his is because Christians will one day “judge the world” and “judge angels” (1 Cor. 6.1-11). It seems that for the Apostle our behavior here and now is in preparation for our behavior then. The same can be said for how we treat our bodies now (although they are corrupting and dying) and even the creation around us (think Rom. 8.18-23).

Wright shows throughout this book that from Genesis to Revelation a common theme is that of a new restored humanity caring for a new restored created order. What was lost through Adam has been regained through Christ. We are preparing for this now.

Wright challenges those who would see this as “hypocrisy” on one end and a return to “works-based” legalism on the other. It is neither of those two things. It is a becoming externally who we are internally because of the work of Christ and the Spirit.

What does this process include? Wright argues that it is the development of virtue. Aristotle was “not far from the kingdom”. Christ, and others like Paul, took what was right about Aristotle’s ethics but redirected it away from the happy human to the incoming Kingdom of God. Our growth in virtue is not so people see us as really good people. Rather, it is an act of (1) worship and (2) mission. Both of these aspects place virtue ethics in the context of directing people’s attention to the one true God.

I am sure there are a dozen other more sufficient reviews of this book available. I want to say from a personal perspective that it has done more for me in regards to reflecting upon my own Christian growth and living that any other book on ethics I have ever read (though I have not read all that much). It gives me a bigger picture for why I should seek to live a life of virtue. I hope that these few paragraphs inspire people to read the book though again I recommend reading the first two books if you are not familiar with Wright.

See full post here: http://nearemmaus.wordpress.com/2010/05/09/book-review-after-you-believe-by-n-t-wright/

N. T. Wright’s After You Believe: Love, For Discussion

N. T. Wright’s After You Believe: Fruits of the Spirit, For Discussion

N. T. Wright’s After You Believe: The Nature of the Spirit’s Work, For Discussion

N. T. Wright’s After You Believe: Regarding Denominationalism, For Discussion

N. T. Wright’s After You Believe: On Service, For Discussion

N. T. Wright’s After You Believe: A Theory of Virtue, For Discussion

Though Wright has entered into the centre of no few theological debates, he makes it clear that After You Believe is not polemical – he steers clear of his more controversial scholarship (the most controversial being his work on justification and the so-called “new perspective on Paul”) His purpose, as he writes in the preface, is to stimulate believers to be excited about Christian virtue. The book is intended as a sequel of sorts to Simply Christian and Surprised By Hope. In these previously-published books, Wright (an evangelical hero of sorts when it comes to writing on the resurrection) worked out what has been his theological hobby-horse: the idea that hope for Christians is not limited to simply being whisked off to an ethereal heaven after death, but rather the resurrection that has already begun to break into creation, which will culminate in the new heaven and new earth (he cleverly refers to this as “life after ‘life after death’”). What he hopes Christians will see is that new creation has already begun, that this new resurrection reality has already taken root, and that the way the story ends is going to shape how we live today. Picking up where he left off, Wright ventures into the world of Biblical ethics and the question of a New Testament morality in this book about Christian character.

If there is something N.T. Wright is known for, it is communicating difficult and important theological ideas to a popular-level audience in an approachable way. This book is no exception. Though its length may prove daunting (and I don’t really know of any books on ethics that haven’t), After You Believe is, from the beginning, not an intimidating read. Full of everyday illustrations and examples from the lives of ordinary folks, it is a thorough and accessible introduction to what comes between new life and life after death.

You can check out my review in full at my blog: nickschuurman.blogspot.com

That, I believe, is the most profound statement this book makes. It seems that the world either over-complicates this commandment by making Christianity into a mere set of rules, or to reduce Christianity to simply finding one’s self. Wright addresses this by saying:

In the last analysis, what matters after you believe is neither rules nor spontaneous self-discovery, but character.
p.7

He reminds the reader that they are not alone in this character-development process and that they can’t be good enough on their own, that we have the Holy Spirit:

… the grace which continues to be active by the Spirit in the lives of believers. It is simply not the case that God does some of the work of our salvation and we have to do the rest.

What’s more, if we try to put God in our debt by trying to make ourselves “good enough for him” (whatever that might mean), we are prone to make matters worse.
p.60-61

Referring to Romans 12:1, he says “…the mind must be transformed, so that you can think out for yourself, weigh up and consider, what God’s will actually is.”

When Paul talks about the “mind,” he is not ranking Christians in terms of what we would call their intellectual or “academic” ability. Some Christians have that sort of mind. Plenty of others don’t. But Paul wants all Christians to have their minds renewed, so that they can think in a different way.
p.151

Wright also mentions virtue frequently throughout the book, basically saying virtue is developing natural reactions after much effort and concentration (p.20) which he says is “what happens when habitual choices have been wise.” (p.76-77)

But to insist that the three primary virtues are faith, hope, and above all love is to insist that to grow in these virtues is precisely to grow in looking away from oneself and toward God on the one hand and one’s neighbor on the other. The more you cultivate these virtues, the less you will be thinking about yourself at all.
p.204

Overall, the book gives a great perspective on what we should do after becoming Christians and why we’re actually doing it. I enjoyed the well-researched scientific facts, real world examples, and philosophy that were littered throughout the book along with scripture(which is N.T. Wright’s own translation). The book was a bit repetitious, but rightfully so in making clear the goal or “telos” of our Christian walk. I would encourage using discretion as Wright’s eschatological views are presented very clearly and convincingly. I’d say with some theological and eschatological disagreements aside, this book is a great read on character development.

So when I came across “After You Believe,” Wright’s newest book, I was understandably excited. What new things were I to learn from this Biblical scholar and pastor.

However, I was disappointed with the book. Having been a Biblical Studies and Philosophy major in college, I don’t shy away from technical writing or more dense expositions. However, I found Wright particularly difficult to understand in this tome. His usually easy-to-understand prose was now much more dense than I was used to. It took me a long to time to get through the book, usually due to having to reread sections to understand.

In the end, I have few problems with what Wright actually said. His section on the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is particularly illuminating and–more importantly–true! But I’m afraid that the more technical elements of this book will keep people from accessing some of the most basic truths of the Christian faith. One reviewer noted not knowing the intended audience of the book. I agree. It was published by HarperOne which published Wrights more popular works such as “Simply Christian” and “Surprised by Hope,” (as opposed to IVP Academic who published the much more technical “Justification”), and Wright even wrote that he saw this book as their legitimate sequel. However, those coming from one or both of those books to this one hoping for the same brevity and clarity of writing will be disappointed.

I have trouble recommending this book to the general audience. It would need to be read with the understanding that it takes a serious commitment. Which is fine. Learning about our faith SHOULD take commitment. Just know that ahead of time. Read it with a pastor or one of those theology students at a university nearby.

As for pastors and dedicated learners, this book leans toward a “must-read.” Wright is doing a fantastic job in this “series” of explaining the full gamut of what God–through His work in Christ–is calling us too. This may not be Wright’s best writing, but it certainly is some great thinking! Read this book so that, if for no other reason, you can explain it to your congregation, your classroom, your small group, etc.

***
(Three stars out of Five)

Whatever you think of Wright, he’s always worth reading. And Wright’s latest, After You Believe, is no exception. It’s third in a series of books that includes Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope. Having explained why Christianity makes sense and what really happens when we die, Wright now focuses on the question of how Christians should live in the present. In short, this is a book on virtue, specifically Christian virtue. It asks how our characters can be “shaped, together and individually, to become the human beings God meant us to be.”

There’s a lot of ground to cover. Wright points past mere rule-keeping to the transformation of character. He examines the ancient concept of virtue, and wrestles with how the Christian understanding of virtue is different from other views. It has much in common, but it also has radical differences. Wright understands that the transformation of character is a slowly forming thing, similar to learning a new language or learning to play a musical instrument. It feels strange at first, but slowly becomes second nature.

You can’t talk about these issues without confronting counterfeits. So Wright dismantles some views that are prevalent today: that virtue is discovering the real you buried deep inside (a modern version of Gnosticism), or that it’s just a matter of living authentically and spontaneously without any rules. He argues that character is formed through the kingdom-establishing work of Jesus and the Spirit, anticipating the ultimate reality of our future in a renewed heaven and earth, allowing that future reality to shape how we live now. It’s about reclaiming our original vocation. “God’s future is arriving in the present, in the person and work of Jesus, and you can practice, right now, the habits of live which will find their goal in that coming future.”

Wright then applies this, using some well-known passages of Scripture on love and the fruit of the Spirit and the unity of the church. He applies all of this to the worship and mission of the church. And he explores some of the practices that will aid in developing Christian character with God’s help.

This is a profound book. I especially appreciated chapter 3, which talks about our original vocation as humans, and how this vision has been recaptured and restored through Jesus’ inauguration of the kingdom. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Overall, Wright does a masterful job of clearly explaining some challenging concepts without getting bogged down.

I didn’t find this book to be a page-turner. At times I found myself searching for the structure of the book. And I’m not completely sure of the intended audience: it’s not quite a popular-level book, nor is it an academic one. It’s a great book for pastors to read as we work at understanding our role in helping God’s people develop Christian character.

Wright is always worth reading. This isn’t a perfect book, but it’s a profound one, and I’m sure I’ll be reading it again.