Simply Good News audiobook

This is one of Wright's popular level books (Lite Wright). But it packs a wallop. Covering much the same ground as Scot McKnight's King Jesus Gospel, Wright pushes his readers to enlarge their picture of what the good news really is. He sets Jesus in the context of Israel's hope; he sets the plan of salvation in the context of the renewal of all creation; he roots heaven in the experience of resurrection and the way the kingdom breaks into the present; he looks forward to Christ's return and the fullness of new creation.Wright is prolific, and for someone so prolific it amazes me that his books are so consistently good. My favorite chapter is the final one, where he looks at the Lord's prayer as a way of 'praying the good news.' He brings us in the back door with the final line (Don't bring us into trial but rescue us from evil). Walking backwards through the prayer (as most of us often prayer) he talks about these as a prayer for help, a prayer for forgiveness, a prayer for bread, a prayer for God's will and kingdom to come, a prayer honoring and glorifying God, a prayer to our host, the Father. As we learn to pray this (forwards) we embody more and more what it means to be the good news people

4.5? This book should be required reading for Christians, just not the only required reading. There's so much in here poking holes through the dualistic cultural Christianity that I was raised in and more providing a biblical and an intriguing future. I haven't read too many Wright books, but from what I can tell, he bangs on the same drum very often (which is not a bad thing), and this is the most simple explanation of why he does that. God has begun the new creation in Christ.The reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the personal emphasis of repentance and faith. He definitely says that's part of the story in the book, but does not spend much time on it whatsoever. The picture he paints is a really good one, but I have several non-Christians in my life that would not see it as good news until they knew that their sins were forgiven and they'd get to enjoy it all.

This may possibly be my favourite book by N.T. Wright so far. It is closest in my eyes to “Surprised by Hope”. As in that book, Wright is dealing with a topic that while basic to Christianity is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. In this book, while dealing with the Good News or Gospel, Wright is excellent. He rather gently points out the false gospels of the world as well as the incomplete gospels that can be embraced by well-meaning Christians – myself included. Unusual for Wright, this particular book was fairly easy to read, so I can actually recommend it to a much wider audience than normal. I had hoped that this would be a 5-star book, but alas it was not. Similar to “Surprised by Hope”, Wright never seems to complete what he has started. Thus, he has helped with the intellectual articulation of what the Gospel really is, he provides little or no help in how this Gospel can best be communicated in the world we live in. Similarly, while outlining where typical “Christian” views of the second coming are faulty, he completely neglects any articulation of what the second coming actually stands for, or any view of the end times. On the other hand, his final chapter on praying the Gospel was a wonderful end to the book, and should be helpful to the spiritual growth of any Christian who wants this.

An easy read that is a must for anyone who has always been taught that the good news of the Gospel is that we go to heaven when we die. This statement is inaccurate, and not the good news at all. He does lack some expounding on what the gospel means for our lives, and what it means to join Christ's Kingdom, but as this is not really the focus of the book I think it's fair.

If you've never read anything by NT Wright, this would be a great place to start.

For many reasons, this is one of my favorite "Gospel in layman's terms" books.Wright manages to situate the love of God in the center of the frame as he explains how the "good news" is news, in the sense that it was an objective event that occurred in history and that brings implications on the present/future, and that news is, in fact, good. Wright steps outside of tradition and approaches scripture with only the story it tells on his mind. The result is not a new faith, but rather a more focused and rightly-framed exposition of God's heart and how He has revealed it to us through history, and continues to do through His word.Wright doesn't shy from challenging "modern" assumptions that the world and sometimes the church have placed on the Bible/Christians. He calls ideas about heaven, vocation, purpose, love, justice, peace, and, briefly, government all into question and places them subject to God's word and character.The one downside could potentially be that the breadth of content touched on by this book makes brevity necessary and hinders Wright's ability to fully expound on his "minor" points (which are quite thought-provoking). This can leave the reader a little exasperated at times as they now have to deal with unanswered questions that were only hinted at along the way to a bigger point to be made by Wright later on.This makes a great book for discussion and self-reflection.

After reading this surprising book, I feel like I really have received good news. There is a controversy in Wright’s soteriology. Penal substitution. Does he believe in it? Kinda. It’s hard to say exactly where it fits in his hierarchy. I don’t think he ranks it as high as I do, but I can say this. N.T. Wright has broadened my theology of salvation. If we think that salvation is only about satisfying the wrath of God, we may be missing a bigger picture.

Eu amo leituras que me tiram do quadrado de meus conceitos. Em outras palavras, leituras que me fazem pensar e repensar o que acredito e porque acredito. Com toda certeza, mais uma vez, N.T. Wright me proporcionou essa experiência. Nesse livro, "Simplesmente Boas Novas", o grande acadêmico e teólogo, em linguagem para as massas, debruça nos leitores (ou melhor, os golpeia) sobre a essência do cristianismo. Para isso, ele recorre a tão aclamada palavra "Evangelho", explicando o que tal palavra significa e significou para os primeiros cristãos quando remetida a Jesus Cristo. Se pensávamos que Evangelho é um convite para fazer o que é moralmente certo ou até mesmo sermos livres do inferno. O autor desbanca tais teorias. Isso faz parte, mas nunca foi a ênfase da boa notícia. O autor demonstra que Evangelho sempre foi uma notícia e não um conselho. O conselho, visa o resulta. A boa notícia, é o relato do que aconteceu (jesus morto e ressuscitado), a expectativa do que ocorrerá no futuro (a nova criação definitiva) e a nova ação no presente diante da boa notícia (a vitória do mal e participação da nova criação, trabalhando no estabelecimento do reino). Essa notícia, anunciada por Paulo, um arauto do Rei (proclamador da boa notícia), ou apóstolo (comissionado de uma missão); remodela toda nossa compreensão popular ocidental do cristianismo. Notícia é notícia. E Evangelho, é a boa nova a respeito de Deus, que havia voltado na pessoa de Jesus; Deus estava vindo, para o mundo todo, na presença e no poder do Espírito sempre que a boa notícia era anunciada. E, certo dia, Deus - o Deus agora tornado conhecido em Jesus - voltaria para terminar a tarefa, para ser tudo em todos, para encher o mundo com Sua glória e amor, para transformar tudo, para endireitar tudo, para curar tudo com o Seu poderoso amor. Wright, faz com que repensemos até mesmo o que é o "Céu". E, concluí o livro nos convidando para, além de crermos nas boas novas, sermos pessoas das boas novas. E isso, não é possível somente com esforço próprio, mas com a oração das boas novas. Baseado na oração do Pai-nosso, aprendemos sobre o Evangelho e participamos desse Evangelho. Esse livro é uma leitura obrigatória. Simplesmente boas novas é, simplesmente necessário e essencialmente um passeio para as bases cristãs.

Interesting read with an emphasis on how Jesus’ message would have been shocking and that it not only changed the world when he delivered it but also continues to change the world

Excellent.

An excellent book! I think all those in America who call themselves Christians should read it for a good perspective of the Good News of God's Kingdom coming to earth and of God Himself. Definitely a refreshing read for me.

It's NT Wright and it's about the most important news ever. 'nuf said.

Short Review: While I think Simply Good News is probably going to be my suggestion for the best entry point for Wright, none of Wright's books are perfect. He has a tendency to over state his case a bit and while that is less here than most books, it is still here. I think while his point is to complicate the story and make it richer, more meaningful and more whole, there are times when he needs more summary to make sure everyone is following along.Overall if you are new to NT Wright, this is a great place to start. If you are familiar with NT Wright and have read Scot McKnight's King Jesus Gospel, you will not find much new material here, but this is a good summary of why Wright's project is important, not only for Pauline studies or New Testament studies but for the basic theology and practice of the church.My full (about 850 word) review of Simply Good News is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/simply-good-news/