Quietly. Stunned.

N.T. Wright is an Anglican Bishop, theologian and author that has heretofore escaped my perusal. For the last twelve or so years it has been my practice to scour the bookstores' religious sections for Christian books with an orthodox (little O) view, those more in line with my beliefs. Mere Christianity was among the first and many other by C.S. Lewis as well as Chesterton followed. Our priest from down South recommended Newbegin as well as other classic Anglican authors. But it has been since the first book mentioned above that an author has, in my humble opinion, cut so quickly to the simplicity and complexity that is Christianity.
Wright's Simply Christian has done just that. Having just finished the 238 page book, it is as if a whole new world, previously contemplated but not perceived , is possible. No, he does not lay out some kind of 12-step guide to entering the Christian life; the joy and difficulty are lain out 'warts and all'. Bishop Wright instead describes the mystery and philosophy of the life that is at once awe-inspiring and desperately needed in this and every age. This is not an I'm-okay-you're-okay type of feel good book that would rocket it to the top of the NYT Non-fiction or Oprah's list. Were we more true to our true Judeo-Christian roots you would not be able to purchase it for it would be sold out. But that is not now. That being said, it is not a polemic against the left nor a prop for the right of the political spectrum. It's beauty is in the fact that it transcends this type of mundane sniping while remaining grounded in everyday life.
Bishop Wright examines how some are hit with a bolt out of the blue such as Paul on the road to Damascus. Others will take decades to grasp the true meaning of God and the Church. This book may well have taken years off of my search.