Audiofile Magazine says:

Initially wanting to produce a work on the meaning of Jesus's crucifixion, Wright quickly realized that he first needed to address the problem of evil itself within a Christian paradigm. Simon Vance voices the Anglican bishop authoritatively, taking heady matter and bringing it--if not all the way down to basics--at least to the layman's level in a conversational tone at once friendly and instructive. Tackling major theological hurdles--with subtle nods toward his "Christus victor" view of Christ's atonement--Wright brings his decades of public speaking experience to the fore in crafting a work that works well as delivered by Vance. S.M.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine #

2 people found this review helpful. Do you agree?

Sign in to vote.

Casey Taylor says:

Do not theorize about evil; do something about it. That’s the gist of Anglican bishop and renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright’s book, "Evil and the Justice of God." Here Wright focuses his years of biblical study on the so-called “problem of evil.” Anyone who has read more than one of Wright’s books will recognize standard themes. The book, which emerged from a series of lectures, deviates from standard attempts in the fields of philosophy and theology that attempt to “solve” the problem of evil. In short, because Wright sticks so close to the teaching and imagery of the Bible, he doesn’t try to explain the origin of evil. Instead he focuses on what God is doing to counter evil in Jesus Christ, in the people of God and in the new creation which has begun in Jesus.

According to one text on the philosophy of religion, the problem of evil traditionally runs in either a logical argument or an evidential argument. Those who use the logical version say that it’s logically impossible to believe 1) that God exists, 2) God is good, 3) God is all-powerful and 4) that evil exists. Those who use the evidential version argue that events like 2010 Haiti earthquake or hurricane Katrina or the abuse of children make it unlikely that a good, all-powerful God exists in a world with such evil. In the late 20th century and now into the early 21st century, Christian philosophy has regained momentum and maturity, providing intriguing answers to nay-sayers who deny that a good, all-powerful God can exist side by side with evil.

But Wright avoids such philosophical debates, preferring instead to stick with the imagery of the Bible. Philosophers and theologians generally feel compelled to explore the origins and purpose of evil, but the Bible does not explicitly deal with these questions. Neither does Wright. Wright focuses on God “exhausting” evil in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Ultimately, Wright indicates that sin and death (the real world culprits of evil according to the Bible) will be abolished in God’s new creation (cf. Revelation 21). However, we can have a foretaste of that future day when justice and peace prevail. We should, in fact, Wright says, become agents of God’s kingdom through the Holy Spirit, confronting and combating evil now.

One of the key ways we do this is through forgiveness. Though it isn’t exactly clear what Wright means when he says that God “exhausts” evil in Christ, I take it that forgiveness must be essential to what he means. Wright engages several contemporary theologians on forgiveness, including Desmund Tutu, Miroslav Volf and I. Gregory Jones (and I highly recommend Volf’s “Exclusion and Embrace,” though it’s not for light readers).

I agree with some of Wright’s critics that his refusal to engage the origins and/or purpose of evil within Creation is frustrating. Christian philosophers obviously must go beyond the simple text of the Bible to piece together their arguments and conclusions, but that does not make them any less biblical or even necessary in thinking through such a major obstacle to faith in our time (Greg Boyd, William Lane Craig and Alvin Plantinga are notable Christian philosophers who have done so). But I wonder how much non-Christian criticism of Wright’s work in this book is the stumbling block of forgiveness. We all want other people to pay in kind for what they’ve done, especially to us, even if it’s petty and small.

Some within the Christian community criticize Wright for being “political.” They don’t like a Christian (much less a bishop) suggesting that the debt of developing countries sometimes be forgiven, or his criticism of American foreign policy. I’m not bothered by his convictions in the least. Jesus was definitely political just more so and in a different way then most Americans are used to thinking of “politics.”

"Evil and the Justice of God" is not the definite book on evil and Christian theology, but it is a valuable contribution. The work of philosophers and theologians is useful, but Christians can always use the reminder that the fullest revelation of God is in Jesus Christ. Bishop Wright grounds our discussion of evil thoroughly in Jesus and in Scripture. For that reason alone, it’s worth a read.

* This review refers to the audiobook version of Evil and the Justice of God available through christianaudio.com. Simon Vance provided the audiobook narration and did an excellent job. I love a good English accent, and Vance actually seems to have caught Wright’s inflection and nuance. Recommended!
#

Was this review helpful?

Sign in to vote.