I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which is available for free through Hoopla.
N.T. Wright is a leading New Testament scholar who can also speak clearly to average people. His writing is eloquent, easy to read, and engaging,
Structure
The book has three parts, building a cumulative case for Christianity. Part One, “Echoes of a Voice,” explores four universal human longings—justice, spirituality, relationships, and beauty. Wright calls these “echoes” of God’s voice calling us toward something beyond the material world.
Part Two, “Staring at the Sun,” presents the core Christian story: the God of Israel, the overlapping of heaven and earth, the person and work of Jesus, and the role of the Holy Spirit.
Part Three, “Reflecting the Image,” examines how Christians are to live out this reality through worship, prayer, Scripture, and participation in God’s new creation.
Wright’s central argument is that Christianity uniquely makes sense of these human echoes by revealing a God who rescues and renews the world through Jesus, inviting us into a transformed life in the present and future kingdom.
Beauty
I read this book because I was interested in Part One. I found it very thought-provoking and helpful. He argues that our profound, often haunting response to beauty—in music, art, nature, or a sunset—is not mere subjective preference or evolutionary byproduct. It is a pointer to the Creator’s voice breaking into our world. Beauty evokes joy and longing that nothing in this world fully satisfies, hinting at the renewed creation God promises. Wright’s treatment here is both helpful and deeply interesting, drawing readers to see everyday aesthetic experiences as signposts to transcendence.
That said, the discussion of beauty is thinner than I hoped. At some points, he gives so many caveats that he seems to almost negate the point he’s making.
Problems
On the negative side, Wright seems to imply that debates over whether it contains errors are unimportant or even misguided—wrong-headed questions that miss the point of Scripture’s authority.
Wright’s treatment of Jesus’ death emphasizes victory over evil powers. This is both valid and important, but he omits clear articulation of penal substitutionary atonement—Christ bearing God’s wrath in our place. Wright’s soft presentation of the bad news of human lostness makes the good news less spectacularly good.
Wright also states that the Christian goal is not to go to heaven when we die. I would agree that’s not the only goal, but Scripture does present it as a significant goal. Is that not what Jesus promised the thief on the cross when he said, “This day you will be with me in paradise”? Isn’t it the reason Paul stated that it would be better by far for him to die and be with Christ rather than remain on the earth?
I highly recommend part 1 of this book. The rest has value but could be skipped without missing out on too much.
Links
If you are looking for a good book on Christian apologetics, see my review of Tactics by Gregory Koukl.
For a study on the Atonement, see my sermons on 1 John 2:1 and 2 John 2:2.
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