Renowned New Testament scholar N.T Wright brings us back to basics in Simply Good News. Somewhere along the way the gospel has been presented as good advice for how to get to Heaven and avoid the nasty destination of Hell. Wright reminds us that the gospel is fundamentally good news. That is to say, many people think of Christianity as a religion, moral system or philosophy, but it is first and foremost none of those things. It's good news. It's an announcement of something that has happened, as a result of which the world is now a different place, whether or not people recognize it. The book is an easy, albeit slightly repetitive read. ( )

I started this yesterday and finished it today, which is no small feat for a Wright book.
I loved the simplicity N. T. brings to the table. He speaks conversationally, yet tackles deep philosophical issues in a method reminiscent of Socratic dialogues. I was a bit confused by his treatment of the Reformers. Did they successfully handle medieval misconceptions about God and the sacred/secular divide or not? He seems inconclusive, or at least takes for granted that his readers will know what he's talking about; which is odd, given that the majority of this book could be easily read by an unbeliever unschooled in church history. Most beautiful, though, was how Wright's love for his gracious Father spills over in delighted prose. Here's someone with a grasp on truly good news and a breathless impatience to tell anybody who will hear. ( )

I appreciate NT Wright's big idea that the Gospel encompasses more than our individual salvations but includes the broader story of the restoration of the world. His points around our future not being far away in the sweet by and by but rather Heaven meets Earth and the Kingdom of God grows to fill the earth are well taken. He is easy to read and illustrates his points well.

My criticisms would be as follows:

He tends to create caricatures of others' positions

He tends to gloss over and not directly address potential problems with his own position

In his push to make the kingdom of God and God makes all things new the central point of the Gospel - He, to a fault, minimizes the benefits of the Gospel in rescuing sinners.
While he does present a compelling aspect of what the Gospel does (remaking and restoring all things) I would disagree that this piece is more central to the Gospel than the saving and rescuing of souls to knowing God as a loving Father.

I would say that at the center of the Gospel is the Joy of Knowing God - Wright's point is an expansion of this point but not more central. God's rule over all things and eventual restoration and renewal of all things is Good News to me when I also believe the more central truth that I have been provided entrance to the His Kingdom as a beloved Son. This seems entirely dismissed by Wright.

His theology has the potential to lend itself to a "work harder, do more" theology in order to make sure I am truly kingdom bound.

Here is a summary quote from the book that highlights both the good and the bad.

"The good news isn't primarily about us receiving help when we need it (though that's included), rescue when we're under intense pressure (though that comes, too), forgiveness (though we need it and will be given it, as long as we, too, become forgiving people), or food for the journey (though that will be provided). It isn't primarily even about God's kingdom coming and his will being done on earth as in heaven, though that remains central. The good news is primarily that God - the generous God, the loving God - is being honored, will be honored, has been utterly and supremely honored, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus." ( )

This is one of Wright's popular level books (Lite Wright). But it packs a wallop. Covering much the same ground as Scot McKnight's King Jesus Gospel, Wright pushes his readers to enlarge their picture of what the good news really is. He sets Jesus in the context of Israel's hope; he sets the plan of salvation in the context of the renewal of all creation; he roots heaven in the experience of resurrection and the way the kingdom breaks into the present; he looks forward to Christ's return and the fullness of new creation.

Wright is prolific, and for someone so prolific it amazes me that his books are so consistently good. My favorite chapter is the final one, where he looks at the Lord's prayer as a way of 'praying the good news.' He brings us in the back door with the final line (Don't bring us into trial but rescue us from evil). Walking backwards through the prayer (as most of us often prayer) he talks about these as a prayer for help, a prayer for forgiveness, a prayer for bread, a prayer for God's will and kingdom to come, a prayer honoring and glorifying God, a prayer to our host, the Father. As we learn to pray this (forwards) we embody more and more what it means to be the good news people

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