After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters Top Quality

I love to read books that challenge me to grow in my faith, provoke me to consideration of spiritual topics, and help me understand what it means to be a Christian in this day and age. However, if you are anything like me, books on theology can seem...well...a little dry or difficult to read.
Enter the Bishop of Durham, England, N.T. Wright.

I first encountered the writings of Bishop Wright a number of years ago before I re-dedicated my heart to Christ and was reading books by more liberal theologians such as Marcus Borg and Elaine Pagels. At one point I picked up a book Marcus Borg had co-authored with N.T. Wright called The Meaning of Jesus, a kind of written debate between their disparate views of scripture, Wright's being the traditional.

I remember that even though I was more in line with Marcus Borg's thinking at the time, I was intrigued by N.T. Wright's ability to present theology in such a way that someone who's never stepped foot in a seminary could understand some of the deeper meanings he was trying to get across. Eventually I began reading more of N.T Wright's work and he quickly became one of my favorite theologians. So it was with great pleasure I snapped up the opportunity to review "After You Believe" by N.T. Wright.

In this book, Bishop Wright tackles the idea of what is our purpose once we've accepted Christ as Savior on our lives. How are we meant to live. Making a study of "virtue", N. T. Wright explores what it means to live as a Christian, and how changes to our character are part and parcel of the transformation which is meant to take place in our lives and impact our world in a positive way. Drawing upon the Sermon on the Mount as well as the letters of Paul, Bishop Wright explores what it means for the Christian to live the Kingdom of God here on earth, renew our minds, live in love, etc. He challenges the reader to practice godly, virtuous character in our choices and daily lives until it becomes as second nature.

This book, unlike some of his other more recent works such as "Simply Christian" or "Surprised by Hope", is definitely NOT a quick or easy read. There is a lot of territory to explore when it comes to virtue and Christian character, and Bishop Wright does so with elegance, practicality, and depth, but it does take time to digest everything upon which he expounds. Having said that, an examination of virtue, morality, and what it means to live the Christian life with integrity is a vital issue for our day which needs to be explored, especially when the number one complaint against the church is hypocrisy.

While this book is certainly not light evening reading, in my opinion, "After You Believe" is worth the effort.Get more detail about After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters.