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Simply Christian
by Tom Wright
About the book
This book is described as essential reading for anyone who wants to consider the real fundamentals of Christianity and its claims about the place of justice, beauty and love in our daily lives. It is written in a lively and accessible style, though rooted in solid scholarship, and explores the relevance of the Bible and the Christian story for the contemporary world.
There are three main sections. The first opens with the frustrated longings of humanity for justice, spirituality, relationships and beauty: why are things like this, do they have to be so and can life be lived differently? Tom Wright then sets out the central Christian beliefs about God and his creation, and explores his understanding of the biblical analysis of what's wrong with the world. He explains God's plan for its renewal, and the central importance of Jesus. In the final section, he explores what it means to follow Jesus, to be energized by the Holy Spirit and to advance God's plan for our world.
You can buy Simply Christian here.
About the author
Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright also writes under the name of N T Wright and is well as known as a scholar and writer of distinction. His many published works include:
Hebrews for Everyone, Paul for Everyone, John for Everyone, Luke for Everyone, Mark for Everyone and Matthew for Everyone; these fresh translations and commentaries have brought these books to life for his many readers.
He also presents Living Faith, a Complete DVD Course with notes, exploring his profound belief in the truth revealed in the Bible about living faith in Jesus, the Son of God.
You can find a complete collection of Tom Wright's SPCK titles here (search for author = 'wright')
Questions about Simply Christian
- Tom Wright writes, 'I have high moral standards... I have even written books about them. And I still break them.' (page 5)
Do you agree with the author's view that children naturally have a sense of what is just and fair and that we all do? Where do you think our sense of justice comes from?
Does the author's statement above resonate with you? Does it ring true in your experience?
- Read this description of Jesus on page 10:
When the early Christians told the story of Jesus - which they did in a number of ways to make a number of different points - they never actually said that he laughed, and only once that he burst into tears. But all the same, the stories they told of him constantly hinted at laughter and tears in fair measure.
He was constantly going to parties where people had plenty to eat and drink and there seemed to be a celebration going on. He grossly exaggerated to make his point: here you are, he said, trying to take a speck out of your friend's eye, when you've got a huge great plank in your own eye! He gave his followers, especially the leading ones, funny nicknames ('Peter' means 'Rocky'; James and John he called 'Thunder-boys'). Wherever he went, people were excited because they believed that God was on the move, that a new rescue operation was in the air, that things were going to be put right. People in that mood are like old friends meeting up at the start of a holiday. They tend to laugh a lot. There is a good time coming. The celebration has begun.
Equally, wherever Jesus went, he met an endless supply of people whose lives had gone badly wrong. Sick people, sad people, people in doubt, people in despair, people covering up their uncertainties with arrogant bluster, people using religion as a screen against harsh reality. And though Jesus healed many of them, it wasn't like someone simply waving a magic wand. He shared the pain. He was deeply grieved at the sight of a leper and the thought of all that the man had gone through. He wept at the tomb of a close friend. Towards the end of the story, he himself was in agony, agony of soul before he faced the same agony in his body.
It isn't so much that Jesus laughed at the world, or wept at the world. He was celebrating with the new world that was beginning to be born, the world in which all that was good and lovely would triumph over evil and misery. He was sorrowing with the world the way it was, the world of violence and injustice and tragedy which he and the people he met knew so well.
What do you think of this picture of Jesus? How does it tally with your perceptions of him and where do you think those perceptions come from?
- 'What about the Crusades? What about the Spanish Inquisition?' (Page 11)
Does the history and present of the Church lead you to doubt the veracity, strength and power of the Christian message? Is it all a lot of good ideas, good intentions and no delivery?
- Can religion and spirituality be purely private matters? (See p 17)
- What do you think of the idea, explored in Chapter 3 that human relationships point to something bigger; that they reflect a larger reality of love and more?
Can you think of people who you feel reflect something of the Christian picture of the goodness and love of God, or of the judgement and power of God?
Are these parallels useful?
- Where on earth do you find beauty? Talk about your experience of places that speak to you, which you feel are beautiful. Do they lead you to think about God?
- Take a piece of paper and two minutes: write GOD in the centre and any words at all that spring to mind around it. Don't self-censor: any words are valid even if they could only possibly mean something to you.
Talk together about your collections of words (some may be too personal to share), and see what common themes emerge. Are there words that can be grouped together: justice and fairness words, love words, confusion words, angry words and so on? Can you relate any of these themes to what Tom Wright has to say about God in Chapter 5?
- What do you make of the idea of a 'Chosen people' as explored in Chapter 6? What do you think of the idea that God could have 'favourites'? What key relationship themes do you draw out of the long relationship between God and the Jewish people?
- Tom Wright argues that the resurrection points to the overlapping and interlocking of heaven and earth. What do you make of this idea?
- '... it is through Jesus that we find ourselves called to live the way we do. ...we are summoned to become more truly human, to reflect the image of God into the world.' (page 119)
Can you imagine how believing this might make a difference to how we live? Can you come up with three concrete examples of 'becoming more truly human' and 'reflecting the image of God'?
- What is the most meaningful act of worship or prayer you have ever been involved with? What is the dullest, most empty example you can think of? What positive roles do worship and prayer play in your life. If you wanted to make them more meaningful and significant, what could you change about the way you worship and/or pray (see chapters 11 and 12).
- Many Christians claim that the Bible is 'inspired', what does this mean to you? (p.154)
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