Oh, hello!

:) Hi there! Happy Sunday! It's been forever since I've blogged! Wow! I'm sorry about that. And I can't actually do a legit blog right now either, because I have a test to study for, and homework to do. BUT! Take heart! October break is 3 days away, and once I am home, resting and chilling and LOVING it, I will make sure to blog and update you on my life!

I wanted to share with you a paper that I just finished for one of my classes- Intro to Christ. We had to read the book Simply Christian by N.T. Wright, and write a 4 paged review of it. By the way, if you haven't heard of this guy, hes the MAN! Definitely look him up, and check out some of his books, because he is incredible. And Simply Christian is now one of my favorite books! :)

Anyways...here's my paper. The first half of the paper was supposed to be a review/summary of the book, and the second half was supposed to be our personal thoughts. So here it is! Enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated.


Simple. Dictionary.com defines simple as easy to understand, deal with, or use. Christianity, in the eyes of many, is not seen as a simple thing. It is seen as a complex thing that takes lots of thought, comprehension, and time to process. But for others, like N.T. Wright, Christianity is indeed simple. In Wright’s book, Simply Christian, he explores the beliefs of Christianity, how it affects our lives, the One who defines the Christian life, and how we can reflect the vision that God gives to us. Wright also makes it a theme of his book to draw upon his belief that Christianity makes sense. There are many concepts that Wright explores and unpacks that “hit home” for me, and I delighted in reading his book very much. Now, I have deeper understandings of the different concepts of the Christian faith that I grew up with, and I am planning on looking for more of Wright’s books to read in the future.

Christians have always struggled with what Christianity really is, why it is relevant, and how it fits into their lives. Sin entered into this world when the first humans we’re given freedom, and that same sin still rules the lives of so many. In the first chapter of Simply Christian, Wright explains how Christians have and also have not contributed to the problems of sin in this world. “It’s no part of Christian belief to say that the followers of Jesus have always got everything right. Jesus himself taught his followers a prayer which includes a clause asking God for forgiveness. He must have thought we would go on needing it” (Page 12). Christians and non-Christians alike struggle with sin, as well as needing God’s forgiveness, and Wright explores the different aspects of our world and the intricacies of how Christianity affects those things. Wright also reminds us of how some people in society, like Martin Luther King Jr., have affected our world for good. “They are a reminder to our contemporary world that the Christian faith still makes waves in the world, and that people are prepared to risk their lives out of the passion for justice which it sustains” (page 15).
Continuing on with his theological apologetics, Wright writes about concepts and reasoning’s dealing with spirituality. “…by itself ‘spirituality’ may appear to be part of the problem as well as part of the solution” (page 25). Completing his thought, Wright states, “…spirituality might not be simply a harmless pursuit. It might actually be dangerous, if not to ourselves, then at least to those whose lives are affected by what we say and do” (page 26). Spirituality alone can create problems, because spirituality separated from God is nothing. Reaching for a deeper understanding of God and His plan for our lives is how we come to a life of spirituality. Being “spiritual” is an empty concept without the coupling of spiritual discovery and seeking of God.

Wright also knows the importance of understanding some about the nation that Jesus lived in. The ways of Israel during the time of Jesus’ life can explain a lot about His actions, beliefs, and vision for generations to come. Wright does not tell stories of Jesus in a bias way to fit the needs of individual Christians. Wright states, “…I am going to tell the story the way Jews of Jesus’ day might have told it…” (page 72). This approach helps the reader grasp the genuine truth of the way the story is told. “Telling the story the way a first-century Jew might have seen it not only avoids the massive historical questions that still rage around the early period, but prepares us for understanding why Jesus of Nazareth said and did what he did, and why this had the impact it had” (page 72). It helps us better apprehend the reasons Jesus lived, and also aids us in not becoming confused with questions of real view-points. It is very important that Wright made sure to add this, because it gives the reader closure and comfort to know that this is the angle that he is coming from to describe Jesus’ life.

Abraham and God’s covenant are also talked about in Wrights book, where he writes about how God chooses to use imperfect people. Sometimes, God’s chosen people need to be reminded of what is true. “What happens when the people through whom God’s wants to mount his rescue operation, the people through whom he intends to set the world to rights, themselves need rescuing, themselves need putting to rights?” (Page 75). It is encouraging to know that God chooses to use people who are inadequate because it gives hope to those who acknowledge that they are imperfect. Time and time again the people of the Bible are used to better situations even though they may not have it all together. It is amazing to read about the occurrences in the Word where big changes were brought about because God worked through people who had no power. Could it be possible that God teaches those who he chooses to live lives more aligned with His will? Later on in the same chapter, Wright continues on with a different concept that, “…through this people the creator God will bring restoration and healing to the whole world” (page 84). Yes, these people are imperfect and insufficient, but God brings revolution to the world through them. God can use flawed individuals to change the world, even in the 21st century.

“Christianity is about something that happened” (page 91). Christians get bogged down because their focus is about what needs to be done, but the beauty of Christ is that He already completed the work. He did what needed to be done, so that we didn’t have to. Now we live in Gods abounding grace, forgiveness, and love that compares to none other. Jesus Christ lived and died to further Gods kingdom so that we could believe in His saving grace. Wright sheds light on the truth that “It is hard enough, even when studying the historical evidence with full seriousness, to avoid remaking Jesus in our image. When we abandon history the brakes are off and the portrait slides away into fantasy” (page 95). The intricate perfection of Jesus surpasses our humanly knowledge, so when striving to comprehend Jesus, we fall short. We cannot begin to describe the elaborate life and vision of Christ because He is fully divine and we are not.

In Wrights chapter about worship, he studies the results of worship, celebration of God through scripture, through breaking bread, and through worshipping together. “So what happens when you worship the creator God whose plan to rescue the world and put it to rights has been accomplished by the Lamb who was slain? The answer comes in the second golden rule: because you were made in Gods image, worship makes you more truly human. When you gaze in love and gratitude at the God in whose image you were made, you do indeed grow. You discover more of what it means to be fully alive” (page 148). There is so much truth in this quote to draw upon. Worshiping creates growth, and growth creates life. Worship brings one into a state of flourishing in God that cannot be replaced by anything apart from Him. We need times of worship in order to maintain a healthy relationship with God, grow, and learn. When we take time to gaze into the eyes of the great One who created us, we are reminded of our minuteness in comparison to the almighty God, therefore, putting us in our place of undoubtedly imperfect and unworthy human lives.

Another way in which we are indeed reminded that we are unworthy and imperfect is through reading God’s word; the Bible. Yes, the Bible has encouraging words and inspiring stories, but when it is read, it is almost exalted and put on a sort of throne because of the power and importance of its words. Wright explains, “The Bible is breathed out by God (the word for “inspired” in this case is theopneustos- literally, “God-breathed”) so that it can fashion and form God’s people to do his work in the world” (page 182). The Bible is God’s own words, which is why it is of such importance, and churches and schools and the like hold up its words with honor and gratitude. The Bible teaches us how to live in accordance with God’s will for our lives, and teaches us about the life and vision of Jesus, and without it, we would have a lot less to draw from when it comes to Christianity.

In the concluding pages of his book, Wright clarifies, “Christian holiness is not (as people often imagine) a matter of denying something good. It is about growing up and grasping something even better...what it means to be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God’s new world, which he has thrown open for us” (page 237). This concept, is simple. Christians are to follow Jesus into the Kingdom. This is simply Christian.

Personally, I really adored reading Wright’s book, Simply Christian. He touched on topics that are extremely relevant in my life, and I learned a lot of information that is especially helpful in my Christian walk. Taking-in Wrights theological expertise, I am overwhelmed with a sense of encouragement because I can understand better my sense of calling from God. I know that I am not alone in seeking out Gods truth for my life. I have grown to love sitting down with Wright, so to speak, and hearing from his heart about the things in which he is passionate about. He describes justice and truth and Christianity and so many more topics in which I am fascinated. It affects me in such a way to continue to seek out more of his works, as well as other theological authors.

One thing that I find to be most intriguing is the fact that there are so many different beliefs about each topic in Christianity. One such subject is that of the Trinity. The questions of whether each member of the Trinity is a part of the other, all the same, or if they are completely separate beings but yet make up the one. One belief is that of Appropriation, which means that all 3 persons of the Trinity do everything God does, but that it is appropriate to see some actions as being particularly associated with one specific person of the Trinity. The father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are synonymous. All of the various definitions and theological thoughts get my brain thinking! I appreciate the breadth and depth of Wright’s explorations, because he doesn’t just present the beliefs, details and aspects of one concept, but he describes many different views.

One chapter I found particularly wonderful was that called “Made for Each Other,” where Wright discusses the fact that we are made for each other. He writes about relationships, confusions, and a happening in life that reminds each of us of our humanness, and “brings us back down to earth” so to speak, and that is the happenstance of death. Each of these contributes to Wright’s chapter that I especially appreciated reading. It is such a remarkable thought that people fall in love, get married, and then so quickly, things seem to fall apart and unravel. There is truly something odd about this. A point Wright makes is that trying to make relationships work is absolutely difficult, and a lot of our differences come from the simple fact that we differ in gender. Some of us are women, some us, men, and that alone calls for disagreements and the like. Our longing for friendship and our failures at them point us back to Jesus- the one who experiences those relationships as well as the brokenness. Tears and joy in the human experiences are woven into God’s heart. Something about that tells me that God designed human-to-human relationships that way; to experience such things.

I want to grow to know God in such a way that I more fully understand His ways, and the reasons He creates things the way He does. My heart smiles because of the deep and wonderful way He works in our lives, and most of the time we don’t even recognize He is working. As Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” He takes delight in us. He rejoices over us with singing. I’m not sure what God’s singing voice sounds like, but I can bet that it is more beautiful than any sound I have ever heard! He dances over us while we’re unaware. He has plans through our broken relationships. He created us for Himself, yes, but He also created us for each other. When we seek out God, the author and perfector of our faith, we learn that He does have reason in everything. He has our human happenings within His heart. We are on God’s heart, and He has a divine reason for each of our human experiences, even when we can’t understand what that reason is. That is why we trust God, and believe that He has the ultimate and perfect plan for us. How relieving is that, to know that the almighty God has us in the very palm of His hand? I can’t help but smile, and be at utter peace within His hands.
Through reading the rich work, Simply Christian, I have come to a better and more profound knowledge of how God carries that work into each of our lives, Christ’s work on Earth, and how we can continue on reflecting that work through our breathing in and out; through our echo of God’s goodness. Christianity isn’t something to be grasped, but something to wrestle with, pray about, and seek. N.T. Wright provides an incredible example of how to do this very task. From reading his book, I am only emboldened to do the same.


Hope you liked it! Enjoy your day! May God bless you, and fill your life with his goodness and abounding love!

In Him,
Emmi