The book ends with two chapters on what the challenge of Jesus means for discipleship and again this demonstrates Wright’s concern that the church does not just know Jesus, but learns to follow him. Wright seeks to anchor his work in history as well as theology he is at pains to present the historical Jesus. To a Christianity that has often not really known what to do with Jesus’ teaching of the kingdom of God, Wright has been an important voice in recovering the challenge of Jesus, not just his death and resurrection, but his whole ministry. (SPCK has been issuing new editions of the majority of the Tom Wright back catalogue).įor those to whom this book is new, this is perhaps the best introduction to Wright’s understanding of Jesus, his ministry, his death and resurrection, some of which he has rehearsed in a new key in How God Became King (SPCK, 2014). If you have the previous edition, there is nothing really here to encourage you to buy the new edition. This new edition is unchanged from the first, apart from a new preface. The Challenge of Jesus was originally published in 2000 and provided a more accessible version of his larger work Jesus and the Victory of God. Tom Wright has published more books than I have had birthdays (35 so far) and at the rate he writes I am perhaps unlikely to have more birthdays than he will have books.

Wright, The Challenge of Jesus Essentially unchanged from the first edition in 2000, but still the best introduction to Wright’s understanding of Jesus, his ministry, his death and resurrection The Challenge of Jesus

The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright