The Last Word
by N. T. Wright

a review by Kevin Binkley

In the opening section of the first chapter of The Last Word by N.T. Wright, he declares that the "authority of Scripture" can make Christian sense only if it is shorthand for "the authority of the Triune God exercised somehow through Scripture."

N.T. Wright spends the majority of the book defending that one statement and comes back to it again in the end of the book by declaring, "...as I have argued in this book, the authority of Scripture is really a shorthand of the authority of God exercised through Scripture." Wright expands this statement by declaring that "...God's authority is not merely His right to control and order the Church, but His sovereign power exercised in and through Jesus and the Spirit to bring all things in heaven and on earth into subjection to His judging and healing rule." Especially in this statement, I couldn't agree more with N.T. Wright's declaration of God's authority. He is absolutely correct.

N.T. Wright cautions the reader to understand that we bring our predispositions to the text as we study the Word of God. Especially in chapters 6 and 7, N.T. explains that misreading or misinterpretation of Scripture often is part of the predispositions that readers bring to the text.

I have to confess, that when I come to N.T. Wrights's book The Last Word, I bring my predispositions with me. Although I am aware of N.T. Wright's influence in the Kingdom of God and his wide acceptance as a brilliant Biblical scholar, my personal readings of his previous works made me skeptical of Wrights credibility. I came to the book planning to find things I disagreed with. Interestingly, I was disappointed and not disappointed at the same time. I planned to find questionable theology, so I was oddly disappointed that I didn't. Any honest Christian should be thrilled to find accurate theology on the part of others, and so I am as well, not disappointed.

I think generally N.T. Wright wrote a book on the authority of Scripture that will receive wide acceptance among evangelicals. Wright does, however, leave the door open in The Last Word for some explanations that make me uncomfortable. For example, it seems fair for Wright to say that the "...authority of Scripture can only make Christian sense if it's shorthand for the authority of the Triune God exercised somehow through Scripture..." But, it seems like the authority of Scripture, though it is a least that, is much more than that. When it comes down to the practical realities of the Word being lived out in the lives of believers, the authority of Scripture has the authority of God as a foundation, but it must mean much more than God exercising His authority through Scripture. My fear is not that N.T. Wright has missed the definition, but that he has limited it only to the authority of God and has failed to flesh out what it really means to see the authority of Scripture acting out in the lives of believers.

If my sense in this is correct, that is, that N.T. Wright doesn't go far enough, I also sense his reasoning behind it is to find the good in both the conservative (or traditional) and the liberal view points, in order to pull them together. My hunch is that N.T. Wright attempts to blend the best from both worlds. He attempts to find a viewpoint or a position that can be widely accepted by both sides of what often is a large chasm of argument and debate. If that is his goal, he does a great job. That might explain why I would like to see more definition, and Wright is so willing, if he was aware, to leave me hanging.

Wright develops and defends his position on Scripture by starting with Israel, the people of God, as the beginning point in the Kingdom of God. N.T. Wright declares that to understand what we mean by the authority of Scripture, we must understand what it means to be in God's Kingdom. In this time period, Wright contends that the authority of Scripture, at least the Scriptures the Israelites had at that time, formed the controlling story in which Israel struggled to find its identity, and that the authority of Scripture formed the call to obedience.

Wright then jumps to the time of Jesus in chapter 3. I was pleased by his disagreement with the members of the Jesus seminar who suggest some intolerable Biblical interpretations. Wright argues in this chapter that Jesus Himself insisted on the authority of Scripture and saw Himself as the fulfillment of it.

I think one of Wright's goals in writing the book is to show that we can still wrestle with interpretive issues while both sides stand on the authority of Scripture and the real issue isn't the authority of Scripture, but the interpretation of it.

This is precisely where Wright's final chapter comes in on how to get back on track. Wright's general conclusion appears to be a reemphasis on the Scripture's purpose and use in every part of life. Wright argues that we can honor the authority of Scripture and promote it by having a reading of Scripture that is "...a) totally contextual, b) liturgically grounded, c) privately studied, d) refreshed by appropriate scholarship, and e) taught by the church's accredited leaders." It is impossible to find fault with these suggestions.

What seems to be missing from these suggestions and in other parts of the book with regard to the authority of Scripture is how do we deal with those interpretations of Scripture which are clearly outside of an orthodox viewpoint. A valid component in honoring the authority of Scripture would have to be in pointing out and maintaining a dialogue about errors of interpretation.

Wright's conclusion must be applauded for his approach in honoring the authority of Scripture. A contextual reading of Scripture is certainly critical to interpretation and understanding. Wright also suggests that in our worship tradition, Scripture must take a central place. And Wright is correct when he says that the primary purpose in the reading of Scripture in itself is an act of worship as we celebrate God's story.

I knew before I read the book that I should elevate and honor Scripture in my life. I knew that my church should read Scripture and that I should read and study privately. But how do I come to terms with resolving interpretive challenges faced my life?

In the conclusion of the book, Wright suggests that the decline in numbers and resources in present churches indicates that the authority of Scripture is simply not functioning. He pleads for a return to an emphasis on the authority of Scripture in our churches.

Wright is ultimately contending that we reemphasize the significance of the Word of God in the life of the church and Christians. He believes we should stop debating the authority of scripture, and go back to interpreting it with clarity and conviction.

Here, Wright is right. I'm sure that Wright, in the final analysis, has not had "the last word." But, he has had a good one.