Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Bishop N. T. Wright's "Simply Christian" is an elegant and readable explanation of the basic tenets of the Christian faith. In the spirit of C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," this book attempts to and succeeds in describing the role of God and Jesus Christ in our lives.

Wright starts off by examining mankind's yearning for justice, spirituality, and beauty, and then proceeds to explain how the existence of God explains these yearnings. Wright describes how God interacts with our world, refuting those who claim that God is distant and hands-off or that the meaning of life is in self-exploration and self-fulfillment. He then builds on this to portray an over-arching picture of Christianity.

This is an excellent short discussion of the Christian faith. Anyone wanting to understand their own faith better or interested in exploring a personal relationship with God should read this book.

N.T. Wright has the ability to write with such simplicity, and yet never loose the depths of intelligent explanation. He can write at a popular, easily understandable level, and then turn around and write a tome of in-depth theological analysis. This book is a welcome read both for those exploring the Christian faith, and those looking to review their own faith. It is simple enough for those searching and exploring and deep enough to challenge those who have been part of the faith for a long period of time.

Wright begins by exploring the echoes that resonate within the human soul; reminding us that there is something more to this life. These echoes are not the answer, nor do they lead all the way to the answer. They simply call us to the search. Then he spends the rest of the book explaining the Christian faith's key tenets and how those tenets answer the echoes; how the Christian faith ultimately fulfills them.

You will not be sorry for having read this book, or any other by N.T. Wright for that matter. Clear, concise, articulate, and humble.

As a university instructor in Bible, I found Dr. Wright's book to be a good start for someone not fully understanding Christianity, the development of the redemption story, who Jesus is, the formation of the Bible, and other doctrines of importance to Christian faith. NT Wright is one of the world's leading scholars on the Bible. As an instructor, I found his book to be unapologetic for the basics of Christianity. The book begins in a bit of a confusing manner related to the things to be made right in the world, but they are fully brought together by the end of this work. Some may see this book as too conservative and simplistic, but the reality is Wright is a foremost scholar on the intricacies of the Bible, beyond what most people will ever approach. His insights are valuable as he simply puts forward scholarly concepts that have taken a lifetime of study to unearth. I highly recommend this book for those seeking an elementary overview of Christianity. For more in-depth scholarship, see his other critically acclaimed works.

If you are on a faith journey, you want to begin here. Wright's book builds the argument for Christianity step by step, idea by idea. In the meantime, his writing is beautiful, poetic. Wright uses verbal pictures to illustrate his points. Remarkable book.

Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
N. T. Wright is a gifted writer who has written a wonderful book on the basic tenets of Christian faith for both the person who is searching and the seasoned Christian. He starts with the innate yearnings of the heart which are answered in the Christian faith. As the title suggest, this book truly does reveal why Christianity makes sense.