SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues

by N.T. Wright
HarperOne. 2014. 240p. index. ISBN 9780062230539. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062230553. REL
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Wright (Paul and the Faithfulness of God), a celebrated but also controversial scholar and religious leader, here gathers a rather scattershot collection of essays that address contemporary issues, including science and religion, women's ordination, the resurrection, and Adam and Eve. As in the author's earlier works about his engagement with the modern world, Wright's reflections here constitute an unsatisfactory fishtailing and display an indecisive approach. For example, he suggests that women must be allowed to study scripture yet perhaps not to the point of ordination and that Adam and Eve might have been an "early" pair of hominids selected for a special mission.
VERDICT Wright's justly earned renown as a scholar should guarantee his latest collection a readership, but his continued efforts to split the discipline may not satisfy either the conservative Christians who cheered his episcopacy or the academics who cherish his earlier work.
Reviewed by Graham Christian , Oct 01, 2014
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