N.T. Wright - Simply Christian

To Take Things Further

T his book has only been able to scratch the surface of a large number of exciting and intricate topics. For those who want to take things further, to follow up brief discussions and explore things more fully for themselves, there is a wide world of literature available at every level from beginner to scholar. One of the first essentials is a good modern translation of the Bible. Actually, having two different versions is even better, since no translation is perfect and its good to read different versions from time to time. The New Revised Standard Version is usually very reliable and readable; the New American Standard Version is widely used. The New International Version is popular but not always reliable, especially in its translation of Paul. The New English Bible and its successor the Revised English Bible are worthy, but idiosyncratic and unreliable in places; the Jerusalem Bible and its successor the New Jerusalem Bible are sometimes brilliant but sometimes misleading. But the important thing is to get a contemporary translation and start reading it.

There are several Bible dictionaries available to help as you read: among the recent ones are the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (revised edition), edited by Paul J. Achtemeier, and the Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, edited by D. N. Freedman. Two wonderful reference works which cover the massive field of the history and beliefs of the Christian church are the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (third edition), edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, and the Oxford Companion to Christian Thought, edited by Adrian Hastings.

When it comes to the central figure of Christianity, Jesus himself, I might perhaps mention my own book The Challenge of Jesus, which attempts to distill the themes which I and others have worked on at a more scholarly level and to show their relevance for the task of Jesuss followers in the contemporary world.

It would be wrong, though, to give the impression that taking things further after reading this book would consist simply of reading more books. The church, for all its faults, is at its heart the community of those who are trying to follow Jesus, and in whose company those who are starting to explore these things for themselves may find help, encouragement, and wisdom. As we might say to someone starting to enjoy music: dont just listen to it, find an instrument and an orchestra and join in.

I had a dream the other night, a powerful and interesting dream And the really frustrating thing about it is that I cant remember what it was about. I had a flash of it as I woke up, enough to make me think how extraordinary and meaningful it was; and then it was gone. And so, to misquote T. S. Eliot, I had the meaning but missed the experience.

Our passion for justice often seems like that. We dream the dream of justice. We glimpse, for a moment, a world at one, a world put to rights, a world where things work out, where societies function fairly and efficiently, where we not only know what we ought to do but actually do it. And then we wake up and come back to reality. But what are we hearing when were dreaming that dream?

Its as though we can hear, not perhaps a voice itself, but the echo of a voice: a voice speaking with calm, healing authority, speaking about justice, about things being put to rights, about peace and hope and prosperity for all. The voice continues to echo in our imagination, our subconscious. We want to go back and listen to it again, but having woken up we cant get back into the dream. Other people sometimes tell us it was just a fantasy, and were half-inclined to believe them, even though that condemns us to cynicism.

But the voice goes on, calling us, beckoning us, luring us to think that there might be such a thing as justice, as the world being put to rights, even though we find it so elusive. Were like moths trying to fly to the moon. We all know theres something called justice, but we cant quite get to it.

You can test this out easily. Go to any school or playgroup where the children are old enough to talk to each other. Listen to what they are saying. Pretty soon one child will say to another, or perhaps to a teacher: Thats not fair!

You dont have to teach children about fairness and unfairness. A sense of justice comes with the kit of being human. We know about it, as we say, in our bones.

You fall off your bicycle and break your leg. You go to the hospital and they fix it. You stagger around on crutches for a while. Then, rather gingerly, you start to walk normally again. Pretty soon youve forgotten about the whole thing. Youre back to normal. There is such a thing as putting something to rights, as fixing it, as getting it back on track. You can fix a broken leg, a broken toy, a broken television.

So why cant we fix injustice?

It isnt for want of trying. We have courts of law and magistrates and judges and lawyers in plenty. I used to live in a part of London where there was so much justice going on that it hurtlaw-makers, law enforcers, a Lord Chief Justice, a police headquarters, and, just a couple of miles away, enough barristers to run a battleship. (Though, since they would all be arguing with one another, the battleship might be going around in circles.) Other countries have similarly heavyweight organizations designed to make laws and implement them.

And yet we have a sense that justice itself slips through our fingers. Sometimes it works; often it doesnt. Innocent people get convicted; guilty people are let off. The bullies, and those who can bribe their way out of trouble, get away with wrongdoingnot always, but often enough for us to notice, and to wonder why. People hurt others badly and walk away laughing. Victims dont always get compensated. Sometimes they spend the rest of their lives coping with sorrow, hurt, and bitterness.

The same thing is going on in the wider world. Countries invade other countries and get away with it. The rich use the power of their money to get even richer while the poor, who cant do anything about it, get even poorer. Most of us scratch our heads and wonder why, and then go out and buy another product whose profit goes to the rich company.

I dont want to be too despondent. There is such a thing as justice, and sometimes it comes out on top. Brutal tyrannies are overthrown. Apartheid was dismantled. Sometimes wise and creative leaders arise and people follow them into good and just actions. Serious criminals are sometimes caught, brought to trial, convicted, and punished. Things that are seriously wrong in society are sometimes put splendidly to rights. New projects give hope to the poor. Diplomats achieve solid and lasting peace. But just when you think its safe to relaxit all goes wrong again.