Surprised By Wright
Thank you for the article on the tremendous achievement of Bishop Wright. My praise for this amazing scholar and fervent Christian (and having in mind E. L. Mascall's doggerel, "Hark! The herald angels sing, Bultmann is the latest thing, or they would if he had not demythologized the lot!"):
God's Word lay hid in Bultmannian night, God said: Let Tom Wright be! And there was light! (with apologies to Alexander Pope).
This Sunday, I shall teach on "The achievement of Bishop Tom Wright: Why Borg will not assimilate us."
Dale Coleman St. George's Episcopal Church Belleville, Illinois
Thank you for your incisive portrait of N. T. Wright's challenge for the church to return to a gospel of the kingdom of God.
In response to "Did the Holy Spirit really let the Western church run entirely amok from the day Paul died until the day Wright picked up his pen?" a careful reading of church history would reveal that running "amok" is a relatively recent phenomenon. The pessimistic form of premillennialism advanced by C. I. Scofield, D. L. Moody, and others reset the church's focus of caring for souls to a limited preoccupation with saving souls. The "clever British sense" of Wright is surely a corrective to the likes of J. N. Darby, who brought his new perspective on the gospel to America following the Civil War.
Lowell W. Hoffman Allentown, Pennsylvania
I am grateful for the generous and flattering account of my work (particularly Paul and the Faithfulness of God). It may seem ungracious to question one detail, but since it regularly causes controversy, it may be important to do so.
Jason Byassee rightly stresses that I highlight Paul's courtroom language as part of his exposition of justification. But I was then surprised to read that I was "sidelining the courtroom," and later, "No lawcourt. No substitution." Even if those negatives refer only to Romans 10:9, the passage just quoted, they give a misleading impression. I have always stressed that Paul taught a penal, substitutionary atonement (e.g., Rom. 8:1–3). But precisely in the courtroom context it makes no sense to see "God's righteousness" as something that the judge imputes to the prisoner in the dock. When the judge finds in favor of a prisoner, thus declaring that they are "in the right," the "righteous status" that the prisoner then has is not the same as the judge's own "righteousness," which consists of hearing the case impartially, being true to the law, dealing properly with evil, and vindicating the helpless.
This fits well with Luke 18:14 (the justified penitent). As for Romans 4:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, I may perhaps refer to the full discussions in the books mentioned in the article.
N. T. Wright Professor, University of St. Andrews St. Andrews, Scotland
Wrestling With Angels
Well said, Carolyn Arends. As you explore in "Faith Without Words," the "knowledge" of God that transforms our hearts is experiential and relational. This knowledge is mediated through hearing or reading the Scriptures, prayer, our relationships with other believers, and our putting the commandments of Christ into practice. But there is a venerable tradition of verbal prayer and engagement with the Word of God leading to a transforming encounter with the very presence of God. This involves a spiritual perception beyond our capacity to put into words.
Karen Cubberley CT online comment
Open Question
April's Open Question asked, "If a cure for Down syndrome is found, should parents accept it?" My 11-year-old son, Canaan, has Down syndrome. If there were a cure, my wife and I would do whatever we could to improve his life. But there is not some cure-all pill. Canaan's cure has come from a physical therapist, doctors, teachers, friends, pastors, cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. They have made the difference in his life and ours. His cure comes through our continuous prayer: "May Canaan exceed all expectations."
I am all for research, but we have found progress through people and the power of God. We all have something we are dealing with; Canaan just can't hide it. We are all looking for a cure. I have found it—it's in knowing Jesus.
Caleb Rogers CT online comment
Some people with disabilities need additional supports beyond what most people need. Yet none of us is self-sufficient, nor should we strive to be. Paul's description of the church as the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12 assumes a radical dependence on one another—as much as the liver, heart, and lungs depend on one another.
When we who are the body of Christ embrace our dependence on one another, then a person with Down syndrome or any other disability will not seem an aberration or disturbance in the community, but an indispensable part of the body. When a church asks someone with a disability to leave because the church "cannot meet their needs" (as Diane Leclerc put it in "The Broken, Messy—and Holy—Church"), that church is suffering from an autoimmune disorder. It is rejecting a part of its own body, and the church, not the person, needs to be cured.
Mark Stephenson Director of Disability Concerns, Christian Reformed Church in North America Zeeland, Michigan
A Thread Called Grace
(Editor's Note: A page of Jonathan Merritt's essay was dropped due to a production error. We apologize.)
If there's one thing I'm certain of in this life, it's that the proof we need Jesus (grace) lies in the fact that we let even ourselves down. We desperately need a thread to hold on to. I love Jonathan Merritt's response, that the deep holes in his heart are not empty but are being filled with grace. Thanks for sharing his story.
Diane Prokop CT online comment
The Hurting Game
Thank you, CT, for discussing mixed martial arts (mma) and other combat sports. Too many people baptize their personal tastes without listening to what those who disagree with them have to say. As a Bible teacher and martial artist whom God has led to minister within the mma community, I appreciate this piece and hope others come to realize that Christians can have differences of opinion without labelling one another disparagingly.
James-Michael Smith CT online comment
The Trouble with Touchy-Feely Faith
The review of Homespun Gospel reminded me that there is no model in Scripture for drawing a crowd that will return. The Lord alone will draw the lost, not the color of the welcome signs or an abundance of activities. The marketing that's plaguing much of the evangelical church isn't working. We need to tell the truth: Following Jesus will cost you everything, life will still be hard, you'll need to find your identity in Christ alone and die to yourself daily—but living for him is so worth it.
A. W. Tozer said, "Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as he is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify him to bring him nearer to our own image." Jesus has been enough for 2,000 years.
Howard Green CT online comment
Responses from the Web.
NET GAIN
"It's good art that clearly reads between the lines and adds imagination to the story. And that is okay. I walked away asking deeper questions about the Noah story than I ever had before." Caroline McCain, CT online comment. CT Movies: "Noah," by Alissa Wilkinson.
"My wife, our two daughters, and I are so very grateful for your willingness to be authentic and transparent. Your family's journey helps us feel not so alone." Nick Watts, CT online comment. "Kay Warren: A Year of Grieving Dangerously," interview by Timothy C. Morgan.
"A pastor proclaims God's Word, knowing he can fall into the very things he is warning others about. It does not make it hypocritical, but shows the reality of someone who can get distracted." Patrick Walsh, CT online comment. "Popular Pastor Resigns after 'Moral Failure,' But Followers Still Want His Sermons," by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra.
"Finally, a humble rant that is worth reading." Michael Bootsma, CT online comment. Where We Stand: "An Open Apology to the Local Church," by Katelyn Beaty.
"I'm fairly sure this will be the most inspiring story you will read all week." Chris Horst @chrishorst "Like a Thief in the Night," by Shon Hopwood.
"What a tragic story. What a healing Savior." Lauri Snipes, Facebook. The Exchange: "Saved from Hate: An Interview with Mark Phelps, Son of Westboro Founder Fred Phelps Sr.," by Ed Stetzer.
"Everyone, read this. Spoke to me big time tonight. We don't have to hide when we have grace." Jefferson Bethke @JeffersonBethke "A Thread Called Grace," by Jonathan Merritt.
