N.T. Wright, (some of his books are written under the name Tom Wright) is a prolific author. He is a bishop in the Church of England, a prominent preacher and theologian. His writings span the whole gamut of Christian literature, some are for the scholar and pastor and others, such as this one, is “For Everyone.” His style in this book is easier, almost ‘chatty’, certainly using plenty of illustrations and anecdotes to assist the reader in understanding the basics of the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. This particular book deals with the four letters the apostle wrote from prison, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. Wright has taken on the formidable task of writing a full series covering the whole of the New Testament. He gives his own translation of the four letters and intends to do the same for the other volumes also. Bearing in mind that he is a New Testament scholar and a pastor/teacher the result is extremely helpful, especially for those who are prepared to read an epistle and go through his book alongside it and so work their way through the New Testament with N. T. Wright’s help. Although there are some who do not regard him as a thoroughgoing orthodox evangelical it does not appear to me that this should put us off from availing ourselves of the rich resources he contributes in these basic expositions. He unfolds the subject matter in a gracious way, without getting side tracked into unnecessary argumentation or putting a particular point of view. From what I have read of N.T. Wright it is obvious that he has a strong desire to encourage and help instruct the pastors and leaders of the churches and to feed the flock of God. Perhaps we can say that he does the former by his more scholastic writings and the latter by a book like this one where Paul’s mind and thought is opened up to us prayerfully and joyfully. These would be a good starting point for any younger Christian as they begin to read their New Testament.
