Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today

Written by N.T. Wright

Narrated by James Adams

In this revised and expanded edition of The Last Word, Wright, Bishop of Durham, one of the preeminent Bible scholars of our day and author of such beloved works as After You Believe and Simply Christian, gives new life to the old, tattered doctrine of the authority of Scripture, delivering a fresh, helpful, and concise statement on the current battles for the Bible; and restoring Scripture as a place to find God's voice. Removing the baggage that the last hundred years of controversy and confusion have placed on this doctrine, he renews readers; confidence in the Bible, and shows that the Bible can still be a guide for their lives. This updated version includes two new case studies, taking a closer look at what it means to keep the Sabbath holy, and also how Christians can defend marital monogamy in modern society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Mar 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781610450980

N.T. Wright

N. T. Wright, formerly bishop of Durham in England, is professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He also taught New Testament studies for twenty years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities. He has written over thirty books, including Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, Justification and Evil and the Justice of God. His magisterial work, Jesus and the Victory of God, is widely regarded as one of the most significant contributions to contemporary New Testament studies.

Reviews for Scripture and the Authority of God

[jd234512 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great little gem of a book. A lot of ground is covered within this, but Wright makes every point quite cohesively and in a manner that really brings about thought. I really appreciate the thoughts he put in this and it is a very interesting subject. It is probably something that should be discuseed more often, openly, and with respect to each other.

[jontseng · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some very useful insights, particularly on the implicit shorthand involved in Evangelical venerations of "The Book".

[John Teal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an incredible book and well worth the read. My faith and understanding of God and his word increases every time I read works by Tom Wright.

[bmanderson_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The discussion of the authority of scripture is an important discussion and this book is, overall, a disappointing contribution to it. It feels hastily written and the argument feels hastily assembled. As big a fan of Wright as I am, I just could not enjoy or appreciate this book.

[erikssonfamily · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic and a must read for all professors, pastors, and laymen. Wright's assessment of "the authority of scripture" is insightful and groundbreaking. If you want to understand how scripture has been read and how it should be read, read this book. Also, it's short and sweet.

[deusvitae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A well-written and well-presented discussion of the disputations regarding the role of the Bible in Christian life and practice.Wright goes through the history of how the Bible was used and interpreted in order to explain how we have reached the current moment. He demonstrates well why there must be a delineation between the Old and the New Testaments, and is as critical toward proof-texting conservatism as he is toward free-wheeling liberalism with the text.Wright re-emphasizes how the Scriptures are, at heart, a story-- the story of God's work of salvation as expressed through the creation, fall, Abraham, Patriarchs, Israelites, and Jesus the Messiah, and a foretaste of the ultimate demonstration of God's rule in His Kingdom for eternity. He indicates how we are in "act 5" of this story, and how we should use Scripture as our guide for faith and practice to live the Christian message in the 21st century.Recognition that the Scriptures are authoritative because they are the message of the God who has all authority and His Son to whom He gave all authority is expressed and is quite important. It must never be forgotten that the Bible is designed to point to God's truth and is no substitute for God Himself as the authority.Wright sensibly handles the different roles of tradition, reason, "experience," and scholarship in helping to define, describe, and illuminate our attempts to understand Scripture. A book very worthy of consideration.