Deus Misereatur

Exile: A Conversation with N.T. Wright Ed. James M. Scott IVP Academic A division of InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 www.ivpress.com ISBN: 978-0-8308-5183-6; $40.00; July 2017 In some circles he’s ignored, in certain groups he’s mildly tolerated, in a few he’s the target of scorn, and in others he’s loved. Yet he takes it all in normally good humor, never dismissive, and almost always with thoughtful replies that draw the reader to the issue and not to the man. A prime example is the new 336 page hardback “Exile: A Conversation with N.T. Wright”. Editor James M. Scott, professor of religious studies at Trinity Western University, British Columbia, Canada, masterfully convened numerous scholars to accomplish exactly what the subtitle states, have a conversation with N.T. Wright, specifically on his theme of “exile”. Many of the chapters are papers that were presented at Trinity Western University in November 2010, while a few others have...

The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion N.T. Wright HarperOne ISBN: 978-0062334381; October 2016; $28.99 Reviewed by the Rev. Dr. Michael W. Philliber 5 Stars of 5 While taking up a scholarly book, I find it helpful to read it with two minds simultaneously. The first simply tackles the work as a reader/learner to appreciatively gain as much as possible from the author’s investigation, insights and inferences. The second is a more studied approach that withholds verdicts until the end, looks for streams of developing thought, repetition of concepts, and seeks out answers to questions the manuscript raises. Both minds are needed when reading N.T. Wright’s latest 448 page hardback, “The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion.” This document is intended to reach a wide audience, carrying them along well-reasoned trails that travel smoothly and without any footnotes to turn their ankles on, unti...

Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision by N.T. Wright My rating: 5 of 5 stars Around a decade back, while working on my doctorate, I attended a public discussion between N.T. Wright and Richard Gaffin. During one of the breaks I approached Bishop Wright to ask him to sign my copy of his commentary on Romans. He asked the reason for my coming to the event and I explained that I needed an elective course and had convinced my director to allow me to craft a self-directed class on “N.T. Wright’s doctrine of Justification”. He chuckled and said, “There’s not much mystery about it.” A few years after that meeting, in 2009, he published “Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision” which has been recently repackaged with a new introduction penned by Wright. This book shows “that there’s not much mystery about it.” The material of the 2016 “Justification” is exactly the same as the 2009 edition, even down to the pagination. As Wright asserted then he affirms now, “Any preac...

The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is N.T. Wright InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 www.ivpress.com ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-3696-3; $12.80; 1999 (Introduction 2015) Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber 4 of 5 Stars New Face, Old Friend For a Presbyterian minister in Oklahoma to review a book by N.T. Wright is similar to a little league short stop trying to give pointers to Cal Ripken or Derek Jeter. It’s comical at the least; and borders on delusions of grandeur at the worst. If there’s anything Wright doesn’t need it’s another book appraisal. After writing over thirty volumes of varying sizes, numerous articles, a New Testament commentary series, plus being consecrated as Bishop of Durham, and now appointed as professor of New Testament at St. Andrews in Scotland, Wright’s name is well known by pastors, seminarians, and lay folk, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Liberal, Moderate or Evangelical. Nev...

Evil And the Justice of God by N.T. Wright My rating: 4 of 5 stars Terror trickles into the folds and fissures of our collective psyche, riding on the back of news sources, social media, fundraising mailers, and Amber alerts, and settling heavy on minds and moods. Since September 11, 2001 Americans, and many in the West, have been confronted rudely by the reality of the revolting and redoubtable. How can humans shovel so much inhumanity onto their fellow humans? From whence comes such malevolence and what will the outcome be? Is there no substantive remedy beyond the failed political attempts, the exhausted military efforts, and botched punitive endeavors? N.T. Wright, the onetime Bishop of Durham, winsome theologian and copious writer, took a stab at this subject some years back in his 176 page hardback, “Evil and the Justice of God”.  By simply being cognizant of the smallness of the book, the reader should quickly be conscious that such a petite enterprise will in no way tack...

Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright My rating: 4 of 5 stars Whether you are simply wondering what Christianity is "all about," or a newbie in the Faith, or have grown tired and weary in the long trek of following Jesus, this book should be in your hands! N.T. Wright displays the beautiful textures of what makes Christianity Christian, and the Faith fresh. The author tackles most every "big" subject that sets out the parameters of Christianity. Starting out with what Calvin would call the "sensus divinitatis" (the sense of the divine), Wright walks the reader, yard by yard from one end of the playing field to the other. Encompassed in this book are the Christian rites of baptism and the Lord's Supper, the Church and Worship, faith and repentance, the goodness of creation and newness of the new creation, as well as a host of other subjects. And in each major area Wright returns to how these answer the "longing for justic...

Deficiencies in the Justification of the Ungodly: A Look at N. T. Wright’s View of the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness Manny Alaniz Wipf and Stock Publishers 199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3 Eugene, OR 97401-2960 www.wipfandstock.com Copyright: 2013 ISBN:  978-1-62032-888-0; $15.00 Reviewed for Deus Misereatur by: Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber Deficient Discussions – 1 ½ of 5 stars In Evangelical Circles, especially among the Reformed rivulet, New Testament scholar N.T. Wright is either adored or abhorred. Manny Alaniz has entered the fray with his recent 106 page paperback, “Deficiencies in the Justification of the Ungodly: A Look at N. T. Wright’s View of the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness.” This lengthy booklet promises to unpack Wright’s teaching on the doctrine of justification, and persuade the reader to hold to the Classic Protestant position. “Deficiencies in the Justification of the Ungodly” breaks down into four basic chapters, surrounded by...