Book Review: "Simply Christian" by N. T. Wright

Simply Christian (2006) by N. T. Wright  The goal of this book is to introduce the major themes of Christianity to someone who may not know the Christian message but is interested in more, or someone who has long been part of the church but is confused as to what the big deal is all about.  Wright does an amazing job of explaining difficult ideas in everyday, understandable language that is both accessible and easy while also being deep and expansive.  He starts the book by explaining four things all humans long for and likening them to an echo of a voice within our world, as the book unfolds he then goes to show how the Christian message explains all of these things, how they link to the working of God in (re)creation, specifically Jesus Christ, and how this all ties back into what it means to be a recreated one who is furthering the kingdom and work of God in the world.  At times Wright oversimplifies things, at times he forces the Christian view into Old Testament Judaism, at times he generalizes on points he perhaps could have been more specific on, but overall this is a book that I would recommend to anyone interested in Christianity but hesitant or unsure of what it's all about as well as anyone who has been in the church for a while but is not sure as to how to get involved.  This book is a great starting point as well as a great reminder to all.