Every now and then I encounter an author whose every book I anticipate and then devour. N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, England, is one of them. A deep theological thinker and prolific writer, Wright has a knack for communicating the intricacies and wonders of the Christian faith in ways that facilitate understanding and application, along with leaving readers joyfully pondering the awesome wonders of God.

Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense (HarperCollins, 2006, ISBN # 10:0-06-050715-2), fits that description as Wright has aimed “to describe what Christianity is all about, both to commend it to those outside the faith and to explain it to those inside.” Readers raising or relating to postmodern young people will find Simply Christian to contain a wealth of information communicated with missional sensitivity to our emerging postmodern cultural context. In many ways, the book is not only filled with valuable content, but contains a paradigm for communicating to postmoderns that runs as a thread from cover to cover.

Divided into three sections, the book begins with an exploration of four areas in today’s world that Wright calls “echoes of a voice:” the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships and the delight in beauty. Part two lays out the central Christian beliefs about God, and part three describes what it looks like to follow Jesus and advance His Kingdom, all while taking one’s place in God’s story.

Wright has issued a simple yet profound call to those who need to hear Jesus’ summons to “come and follow me,” and a straightforward call explaining just what it means to “follow” for those who have already answered the former invitation. For youth workers and parents, this is a valuable book about the substance of faith that can shape your life and what you communicate to your kids.

—Walt Mueller

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