Christianity Today

DATA

AGE
50

POSITION
Dean of Lichfield Cathedral (Staffordshire, England) until May 1999, after which he plans to return to academic life in an unnanounced position

NOTABLE BOOKS
The New Testament and the People of God (Fortress, 1992); Jesus and the Victory of God (Fortress, 1993); The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (with Marcus Borg) (Harper-SanFrancisco, 1999)

More popular works include The Crown and the Fire (Eerdmans, 1995); Who Was Jesus? (Eerdmans, 1992); The Lord and His Prayer (Eerdmans, 1997); for All God's Worth (Eerdmans, 1997); What St. Paul Really Said (Eerdmans, 1997); and The Climax of the Covenant (Fortress, 1993)

For a very long time, scholars have placed the "Christ of faith" and the "Christ of history" in opposing corners. Historical studies tend to discount claims of God at work on earth, supposing natural, human processes to be more likely explanations. Many have doubted whether the study of history can ever connect with a life of faith.

No evangelical has shown more courage in this contested field than N. T. Wright. He has waded into "ordinary" history to write a thorough, detailed study of Jesus as "The Victory of God," to quote from the title of Wright's principal, 700-page work. Beeson's Timothy George considers Wright "one of the most engaging and articulate New Testament scholars in the world." Greg Jones, dean of Duke Divinity School, notes that Wright has "a preacher's passion" in diving into the study of Jesus, perhaps the most contentious area of biblical study today. "He has shown remarkable courage and vision."

Wright is a big-hearted, friendly bear of a man, who loves to talk, loves to debate on television, loves to preach, and thoroughly enjoys being dean of Lichfield Cathedral near Birmingham, ...

This article is currently available to CT subscribers only.

To continue reading:

or