On Earth as in Heaven: Daily Wisdom for Twenty-First Century Christians

Written by N. T. Wright

Narrated by James Langton

Today’s leading Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and acclaimed author N. T. Wright returns with a collection of pastoral excerpts, carefully curated from his widely celebrated books, that will inspire those wanting to cultivate a life “on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Modern pastors and their flocks have long considered N. T. Wright a role model for being a thoughtful Christian in today’s world. His bestselling books, including Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, Simply Jesus, and After You Believe, have guided Christians in their belief and practice of the faith. Now, Christians can rely on his wisdom to guide them through each day of their lives with this thoughtful book of daily meditations, featuring short selections from his classic works. 

With reflections on themes such as faith, mission, character, and God’s work in the world, these daily meditations will invigorate and uplift Christians in their search to live their faith authentically and biblically in today’s world. 

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063210936

N. T. Wright

N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. He is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Senior Editor at Saint Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and NPR’s Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of many books, including Paul: A Biography, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Simply Jesus, After You Believe, and Scripture and the Authority of God.

Reviews for On Earth as in Heaven

[Andrew Bixler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An amazing compilation of NT Wright’s works. I love how it is the thematically set to the Christian calendar.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Anna's position as new girl gives her an outsider view of her new middle school's social dynamics. Rachel is an outcast that no one talks to so when Anna learns that Rachel used to be popular last year, she starts digging into what happened. As a fan of podcasting, Anna plans to gather information on Rachel to create a sample podcast to support her application to a youth podcasting camp. But no one is willing to talk about what happened. This contains the suspense of a whodunnit crossed with middle school intrigue. Sometimes the kids are eye-raisingly astute and eloquent as in, "There's one's person's needs and another person's wants and a collision of it all."

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had me hooked! Anna is the new girl at school and she stumbles onto a mystery she just has to solve. Why does everyone dislike Rachel Riley? And why won't anyone talk about how this formerly popular girl no longer has friends? Anna is an aspiring podcaster. So in addition to traditional chapters, the book is told in interviews, emails, and research articles.

[lemeritus-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Compelling. Should be available in every middle school or junior high school library.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is a 2024 Lone Star selection. Students will enjoy reading this novel, as the evidence slowly unfolds.

Anna Hunt begins a new school year at a new school. She isn't your normal student who seeks to fit in. She's comfortable in her own skin and wants to be friends with people who like her; she doesn't change to be accepted. She notices that Rachel Riley always sits alone. Looking at social media and information from the previous year, Anne can see that Rachel was one of the most popular students at the school. Now, no one will say her name or talk to her. There is a contest to attend a podcast summer institute that Anna really wants to attend, so she decides to create a podcast titled "What Happened to Rachel Riley?" With each interview, the reader learns a bit more about Rachel.

The students at East Middle School are friendly. Several of the "popular" girls invite Anna to different activities. No one seems mean. The boys are weird, of course, as it's middle school, but Anna enjoys meeting the girls. She pushes social boundaries, however, by constantly asking about Rachel Riley. They begin to tire of Anna's focus and want her to just get over it and just be friends. Eventually, the truth does come out. Not to give anything away, but there are certain books girls need to read. This novel is one of them. Society teaches girls to put up with silliness, but in reality, girls should fight back for their own agency and rights. The book is a page turner; it's interesting and keeps you wanting to know more. I did get annoyed some with Anna because she seemed pushy and seemed to ignore social cues.

[oldandnewbooksmell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trigger Warnings: sexual harassment, #MeToo

Anna Hunt is the new girl at East Middle School, but it doesn’t take her long to notice former popular girl, Rachel Riley, is now the social outcast no one talks to, or about. As a lover of podcasts, Anna decides to create her own podcast around the question, “What Happened to Rachel Riley?”. Told through first person narration from Anna, emails, texts, notes, podcast transcripts, letters, and flyers compiled together through Anna’s journal in finding out the truth.

I really enjoyed this book and the conversation it brings up for the middle grade readers. As Anna kind of discovers - harassment is still harassment, even if it’s meant to be “funny” or “a game”. This also gives these girls the courage to speak up and out about anything that’s not right.

I’m a little grippy about the ending though, cause I felt like it was super rushed and I wanted to know if Anna got into her podcast summer camp!.

Overall though, I will be recommending this novel to so many - middle grade, YA, and adult readers alike! It’s an important message, and with all the different types of format that the reader gets information from, it keeps your attention.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Middle School / 8th grade book.
Anna Hunt and her family have moved from Chicago to Madison, WI, so Anna is the new girl in the 8th grade. She notices that no one talks to Rachel Riley, who was a popular girl in the 7th grade. Rachel decides to do a podcast to find out the reason. As she digs into the mystery, she enlists the help of her computer science coding wiz sister, Nik. Together, Nik and Anna discover some underlying issues at the school, including bullying and sexual harassment.
A good book for middle schoolers to read. Anna is a hero!