Search results for ""Author Christopher J H Wright""

What does it mean to be faithful disciples in a violent and unjust world?Habakkuk described an era of rampant moral and social evil among his own people, and a vision of the rapid rise of the Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar. The world he described is familiar in so many eras of human history, including our own. The frightening international tensions, confusion about political alignments and alliances, fractured moral and religious traditions, and social dissolution and degradation cause the same fear and anxiety today as they did back then.Confusing is a mild world for it--international, political, religious, moral confusion. It was (and still is) a world of national wickedness and international turmoil and violence, a world in which God appears to be asleep on his watch and yet claims to be working a work in Habakkuk''s day and ours.Hearing the Message of Habakkuk walks through the questions the prophet asked God about injustice and the jaw-drop

Read more less

There is no easy answer to the meaning of life--even when you believe in God.The book of Ecclesiastes seeks to answer the question: "What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?" The book's central character is Qoheleth, who wants to understand the meaning of life as far as he possibly can with the tools of his own empirical observation and reason. He struggles to reconcile the beautiful world that we love and enjoy with the baffling world of injustice, suffering, and death. Qoheleth circles around an abyss of nihilism and pessimism. He lives with unanswered questions. Yet he remains a believer.Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright invites you to join Qoheleth on a journey through wisdom literature from centuries ago, because the message of Ecclesiastes can be strangely reassuring as we put our faith to the test in today's post-modern era. There will be disorienting twists and turns and the occasional complete impasse as complex topics are discussed, like: The meaning of life Mysteries of time and injustice Ambiguities of work, politics, worship, and wealth Hearing the Message of Ecclesiastes won't answer your questions about the meaning of life, but it will ultimately help you live in the tension of God's gifts in Genesis 1-2 and the fallen world of Genesis 3--and still go on trusting in the sovereign goodness of God.

Read more less

Thirty-five of John Stott's friends open their hearts and share significant memories of a unique man, mentor, speaker and author, creating a vivid gallery of very personal portraits from around the globe. From 'Wumby Dumby', the special uncle and godfather, to the Revd Dr John Stott, international Christian statesman, this tribute contains a rich bank of memories, representing a key period in twentieth-century British evangelicalism. The human John Stott is very much in evidence also, for example in stories from the author's bird-watching exploits and relaxed holidays at his beloved Welsh home. Many brush strokes, one portrait, this presents a compelling and multi-faceted image of a fascinating Christian leader. [Contains coloured art sections x 2 with a unique collection of photos, both formal and informal.]

Read more less

The Prophet Jeremiah addressed the people of Judah and Jerusalem over a forty-year period leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The book of Jeremiah addressed the exiles, especially those in Babylon, in the years after the catastrophe. First of all then, says Chris Wright, we must encounter Jeremiah the prophet who, from his youth to old age, delivered the word of God to the people of Israel at the most terrifying time in all their troubled history. Understanding his times is essential to understanding his life and message. Next, we must strive to grasp how this enormous book (the second longest in the Bible, after Psalms) has been put together. And finally, if Jeremiah spoke in his day, and if the book still speaks today, in both cases it is because of the God who called the man to speak and commanded the book to be written. So we must encounter the God of Jeremiah, an encounter that should be both profoundly disturbing and ultimately reassuring, as it was for him. In the end, Jeremiah is a book of the victory of God's love and grace. His redemptive, reconstructive work fills the book's future horizon - a future that we see fulfilled in the New Testament through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah; and ultimately in God's dwelling with his redeemed people forever in the new creation.

Read more less

Some Christians distinguish the moral laws in the Old Testament (which must be obeyed) from the ceremonial and civil laws (which may be disregarded). Others prefer a strictly New Testament ethic. Neither option, argues Chris Wright, does justice to the Old Testament as an essential part of our Bible. In this lively and readable approach, he develops a comprehensive alternative. First, he proposes a theological, social and economic framework for Old Testament ethics. Then, in relation to contemporary issues, he explores a variety of themes: economics, the land and the poor; ecology and the earth; politics and the world of nations; law and justice; society, culture and the family; the way of the individual. Since its first appearance in 1983, Chris Wright's 'Living as the People of God' has been widely appreciated. Now fully revised, updated and restructured, it incorporates material from the author's 'Walking in the Ways of the Lord', together with new surveys of historical and contemporary scholarly approaches to Christian ethical use of the Old Testament. This fresh and accessible study will appeal to non-specialists, while the greatly expanded bibliographies will make it a useful resource for students.

Read more less

The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BC is the likely setting for the book of Lamentations. This was the most traumatic event in the whole of Old Testament history, with its extreme human suffering, devastation of the ancient city, national humiliation, and the undermining of all that was thought to be theologically guaranteed - the Davidic monarchy, the city of Zion, and the temple of the God of Israel. It is out of that unspeakable pain that Lamentations speaks, in poetry of astonishing beauty and intricacy, though soaked in tears. If we neglect this book, says Chris Wright, we miss the challenge and reward of wrestling with the massive theological issues that permeate it. How can suffering be endured alongside faith in an all-loving, good God? Even if these events are recognized and accepted as God's judgment, has not the flood of brutality and evil gone beyond all bounds? If anarchy, death and destruction stalk the land, can the centre of Israel's faith hold? Wright shows that as Christian readers we must not, and cannot, isolate Lamentations from the rest of the Bible; and equally, that we should not read the rest of the Bible without Lamentations. We must still let it speak for itself, as a book for today.

Read more less

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story.The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike.Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story. EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting. LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students. —Exodus—Exodus' place within the story of God is defined by its record of God's greatest act of redemption until the cross and resurrection of Christ. Its concluding picture of God in all his blessing and glory dwelling in the midst of his people will spark the faith and vision of the concluding picture of the whole Bible.Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.

Read more less

What does the Bible say about God's purpose for us, the witness of the church, and our mission to spread the message of the gospel? Chris Wright's pioneering 2006 book, The Mission of God, revealed that the typical Christian understanding of "missions" encompasses only a small part of God's overarching mission for the world. God is relentlessly reclaiming the whole of creation for himself, and each of us fit into that big-picture plan.In The Mission of God's People, Wright argues that having a strong biblical theology that shapes our thinking and behavior must be in place before answering the call of the Great Commission. Wright first steps back and answers some of the biggest questions of God's story and our place within it: Who are the people of God? What kind of people are we? What are the priorities and limits of our mission? What exactly is the gospel that lies at the core of our mission? What was it that made Christianity a missionary faith from the very start? While answering these essential questions, Wright thoroughly details what the Old and New Testaments teach Christians about being God's people. He addresses questions of both ecclesiology (the theology of the church) and missiology (the practice and methodology of missions) with topics like "called to care for creation," "called to bless the nations," "sending and being sent, and "rejecting false gods."____________Part of the Biblical Theology for Life series, this practical and robust book will help you and your church ground your witness-bearing purpose and worship on the solid foundation of biblical understanding and reflection.

Read more less

Chris Wright's The Message of Ezekiel has been redesigned and sensitively updated to help you follow, study and teach the Bible in today's world.

Read more less

How should Christians be faithful disciples in the political turbulence of Trump and Brexit? Christopher J H Wright unpacks the Biblical theme of idolatry and connects it to discipleship in today’s world. As Christians, we desperately need to name and expose the false gods and idols that we are tempted to bow down to – ‘Here are your gods!’ The Bible challenges the idols of political power and nationalism. The Biblical story is filled with hope that the kingdom of God will ultimately triumph over all human empires. How then should we live as followers of Jesus, the Messiah, Saviour, Lord and King? Part One is adapted from chapter 5 of Wright’s The Mission of God, ‘The Living God Confronts Idolatry’. Parts Two and Three bring the Bible to bear on contemporary politics in the UK and USA, and for all Christians seeking to make sense of the changing world we live in.

Read more less