Essentials*Blue – Week#2 Discussion

For: The Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship History Course with Dan Wilt

On Closer Inspection by JU5T1N

In reading through “Simply Christian”, I’ve found myself very engaged with what N.T. Wright has to say about the Christian faith. I’m simultaneously finding new clarity on theological issues that had previously been very fuzzy while also getting a glimpse of just how much I don’t know.

If I had to narrow it down to one single point, the part that has struck me the most in his discussion on the kingdom of God is looking at it in terms of the complete fulfillment of God’s promises and plans – He is coming to rescue and make things right. And more specifically, how this future Kingdom is brought into reality through Jesus.

Wright says that “the whole point of Jesus work was to bring heaven to earth and join them together forever, to bring God’s future into the present and make it stick there.”[1] Building on this is the startling statement that “those in whom the Spirit comes to dwell are to be people who live at the intersection between heaven and earth”[2] – we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry and be a part of bringing this Kingdom into the here and now.

These ideas tie directly with my understanding of the tension between the “now and not yet”, but I have never heard things distilled down so well and clear as N.T. Wright has done here.

In looking at the theological ideas Dan presented, I would loosely say that the idea of God as Savior (or the God who acts) is most critical for our current day and age. The main idea here is that God is deeply committed to interaction with mankind and that He is the one pursuing us (far in excess of any pursuing we are doing of Him).

The reason I think this is so important right now is that our culture seems to have fully embraced the idea that God is angry and removed from us (if He exists at all). Most people seem to have no framework to even consider the possibility that He is pursuing them with love. I think that if we can help people to see that reality, we can help them to open up to actually receiving His gift of salvation (and restored relationship with God).

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[1] N.T. Wright, “Simply Christian”, p102
[2] N.T. Wright, “Simply Christian”, p133

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