The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum N.T. Wright

My pastor Sunday referenced a book by N.T. Wright that he had read and recommends. I didn't write down the name of the book, but I remember some discussion here about his theology but am not sure what was the outcome. Could someone speak to this.

This is much disturbing to say the least. N.T. Wright stands outside of orthodox Christianity. And yes, we have had discussions here in regard to Wright's theology, especially the doctrine of justification. I shall not labor you nor take up time and space here to explain his damnable heresy, but I will highly recommend you read Philip Eveson's most excellent book which you can find here: The Great Exchange.

This is easy reading, so don't be anxious about delving into it. I do wish that EVERYONE would familiarize themselves with this book due to the continued influence of this heretical teaching which is the foundation for all such heretical teachings, e.g., Shepherdism, Federal Vision, et al.

Pilgrim:

Thanks for sharing your insight on this. I had not heard of this man, so anything concerning him, his views, or his teachings was new to me. Your comments were strong enough to merit further research, so I Googled his name. Suffice it to say that I was shocked at some of what I read. I’m not going to waste my time reading further, nor will I pollute my mind or spirit with his teachings.

I was taken back by the first line in one of his writings:

The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated.

I don’t know whether I should laugh, get angry, or shake my head in pity. Frankly, if I were attending muchforgiven’s church, I’d be compelled to consider looking elsewhere for sound teaching. I would be very concerned about a pastor who is referencing a teacher such as Wright and even recommending his book(s). Whatever happened to being good Bereans?

Robert

Perhaps one good reason to read more about NT Wright, NPP and Federal Vision is to understand and be prepared to recognize this type of teaching elsewhere. It is becoming more widespread across America and abroad. It can be quite subtle and is making inroads in many churches. Beware! I have become quite discouraged seeing people I once regarded as being solidly Reformed come to embrace this heresy.

Robert,

I'm not sure where Wright stands in regard to the second coming. He may have been addressing the typical evangelical dispensational view(s) that predominate the US??? But, regardless of what he holds in regard to eschatology, his views on justification are abhorrent and gaining in popularity. That's why I thought it prudent to link to Philip Eveson's book which deals directly with the biblical and historic doctrine of justification vs. that of N.T. Wright. Everyone needs to be aware of what his teaching is for it is making significant inroads in seminaries which are sending out prospective pastors who will be preaching/teaching this heresy, but it is already present in individual churches.

Again, Eveson's book is timely, albeit it is several years old, but also very easy reading. It was out of print the last time I checked which was a couple years ago, so it is likely that the paperback copy is no longer available, except perhaps through a used book seller. And, I don't know any other website that has it online other than The Highway, although this might not be the case.

Here it is again: The Great Exchange.

Muchforgiven

As you can see from the responses you have received so far, there is reason to be concerned when it comes to NT Wright.
I might also add that he has also influenced Rob Bell in his theology.

All that being said, I would not do anything rash before understanding where your pastor is coming from.
From what you know of your pastor is this something that is typical of him?

Although I think it was ill advisable to recommend a book by NT Wright, not everything he has written is heretical. Perhaps this is one of those issues?

Personally, before leaving a Church I would want to know these kinds of things. I might also want to meet with the pastor (after I had done my homework) to discuss my concerns with him. Perhaps this discussion might cause him to reconsider a few things concerning recommending a book by NT Wright.
If anything, it should give you some direction on what your next step should be.

Fairly recently my own pastor said to the congregation. "If you ever hear me say something that is heretical, please don't hesitate to confront me on it. If I continue in this heresy, you need to get rid of me!"
This is the kind of attitude a pastor who loves the sheep should have.

Tom

Would some one post a brief explanation of the problem ?

VERY briefly and only in regard to the basis that underlies N.T. Wright's heretical views on justification which are popularly known as NPP (New Perspective on Paul)...

Wright and others believe that studying the history of the period called, "Second-Temple Judaism" will reveal that those of Jesus' and the Apostles' day, particular the Pharisees, did not hold to a view of salvation by works. The letters of Paul, therefore, when dealing with "works" are not teaching that man is saved only by faith alone and that works which contribute to salvation are not Paul's focus. Thus the historic, especially the Reformed understanding of justification, e.g., Luther, Calvin, Knox, all the historic Reformed Confessions and Catechisms are totally wrong. Justification, according to Wright, is not some forensic (legal) thing wherein Christ's holy righteousness is imputed to a believer and whereby the sinner is declared not guilty and reconciled to God due to Christ's vicarious substitutionary sacrifice. Wright and others like him redefine the terms concerning salvation, e.g., imputation, etc., including even "faith" itself.

If you would PLEASE take the time to read at least the latter chapters of Philip Eveson's book which I have twice now provided a link for, you will come to understand the seriousness of this heresy but also the deceitfulness that it is promoted with.

For a better understanding of one of the "morphs", e.g., "Federal Vision", I would highly recommend the "layman's version" of Cornelius Venema's book, Getting the Gospel Right, by Cornelius Venema. And for a more indepth look on the same subject which includes more of the history and development of this heresy which is common to Wright, Federal Visionists, etc., get Venema's larger work, Gospel of Free Acceptance in Chr...tion and the New Perspective on Paul.

Surprised by Hope is the name of the book our pastor cited. Should I read this book to see what he teaches about bodily resurrection which was the theme of the sermon? Has anyone read this book? Pilgrim, I am afraid I am not knowledgeable enough in this to be able to speak to my pastor, but this has me very concerned that he is referring us to read one of this man;s books, even if this one is theologically sound.

Tom, from what you have read of NT Wright, what would you say is right? You say of Wright right?

Here is a brief review of Surprised by Hope by someone who admires and agrees with Wright: Book Review: Surprised by Hope[/i]. I offer this because he unabashedly admits that Wright's views are contrary to the historic Reformed view of eschatology and all other views, the Church, the afterlife, etc. The writer doesn't get into a great deal of detail but he does reveal enough to give one a clear warning that what Wright advocates is to be rejected. You will also find, if you do a little research on Google that there are some "notables" today who are agreeable to Wright's views on this subject, e.g., Tim Keller, whose name has been mentioned here just recently in regard to C.S. Lewis, who coincidently is referenced in Wright's book.

The bottom line is that a recommendation to read this book by your pastor is very disturbing and [i]may indicate a dangerous move on the part of your pastor from orthodoxy to heterodoxy and eventual heresy. One rarely makes a major leap from orthdoxy to unorthodoxy. The path is most often slow, subtle but definitely downward.

1 John 4:1 (ASV) "Beloved, believe not every spirit [teaching], but prove the spirits [teachings], whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

Addendum: Here is another "positive" review of Surprised by Hope which goes into much more detail and thus reveals much of what should immediately raise the proverbial 'red flag' for those of us who hold to historic biblical Calvinism. This review should give you enough information concerning the book, without having read it, to make a reasonable judgment about it. Go here: Surprised by Tom Wright - a review of Surprised by Hope.

I just entered "N.T. Wright" in the Search form here on the board and... Your search for 'N.T. Wright' returned 153 results.

So, as you can see, this man's name has been brought up a number of times here in the past. Granted, you will have to sift through the search results to glean the more salient discussions, but the subjects listed should give you a good hint as to what you would like to read and which you do not want to spend time reading.

Here's one more review of Surprised by Hope by Dr. Jay Adams, a recognized faithful expositor of Scripture in the Reformed tradition. I'm including this one because I think Adams hits the nail on the head with his assessment of the book. The full review appears below:




Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
By N. T. Wright
New York: HarperCollins, 2008
352 pp, hardcover
ISBN: 978 0 06155 182 6

Bishop Tom Wright has written a book on the resurrection entitled Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. Rejecting Liberalism on the one hand as a failure, and rejecting Fundamentalism on the other as an inadequate (or truncated) understanding of the Gospel, Wright attempts to set forth a middle ground: a doctrine of the Resurrection Life.

For Wright, who spends much time repetitively reiterating what the Resurrection is - a bodily raising of the body of Jesus as the firstfruits and his people as the harvest — the Resurrection is the sine qua non of the Christian faith. While he offers a surprisingly accurate, and largely helpful, presentation and vigorous defence of the bodily resurrection of Christ, Wright spoils it all in the second half of the book.

This new resurrection life that we now possess in part, he says, should lead us to works such as dealing with the global debt of downtrodden nations. People like Desmond Tutu are held forth as sterling examples of what he has in mind. In a near Marxist non sequitur he jumps from the exposition of biblical truth to a personal agenda that no more flows from his exposition of Scripture than Islam or Hinduism does. With such a staunch defence and presentation of the truth of the Resurrection, it is sad to see the coupling of a viewpoint that he asserts, but never attempts to demonstrate, issues from that doctrine. The jarring disjunction of the two destroys the real value of the material that is presented in the first part. Wright is correct in stating the need for an emphasis upon the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ as crucial to all else that Christians believe. The trouble is, he wants to have both the works of liberalism and the truth of orthodoxy at once - a position that his failure to do so demonstrates is impossible to achieve.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From The Journal of Modern Ministry Volume 5, Issue 3, Fall 2008. With permission.

Source: [i]Surprised by Hope[/i] - A Review by Jay Adams

Pilgim, Jay Adams aeticle was very helpful. I e-mailed my pastor and asked him if he was aware of N.T.Wright's heretical teaching on Imputed Righteousness. His reply was "Yes,that is controversial and I don't agree with him on that"
My concern is, how do I know he is not buying into other skewed thinking of this man. I know he is a big fan of Tim Keller. I have loved his preaching anso has my husband.
Should I do anything more. I am feeling quite unsettled about this.
Thanks for everyone's input.

When I said that, I didn't have anything specific in mind. I was being very general, not because I know this for certain, but because I don't think it is a stretch.
Perhaps I am assuming too much to say that, however I have found that with many false teachers, sometimes they have areas where they say just enough truth, that this truth can if we are not discerning deceive us.
In this particular pastor's case, I have no way of knowing why he would recommend a book by NT Wright. I don't want to assume that he is aware of the false teaching of NT Wright, before this is known for sure.
In the past I have embraced the teaching of some false teachers and if someone had not taken the time to patiently but firmly point that out; I may have remained deceived even to this day.

Tom