Christianbook.com Academics

In part two (read part one) of our interview with N.T. Wright, we transition from discussing his recent works, and discuss his recent decision to step down as Bishop of Durham, his new academic responsibilities at St. Andrews University (including whether or not he is taking doctoral candidates), and his upcoming volume on Paul in his renowned Christian Origins series. Also, be sure to come back on June 15th as the Christianbook.com/academicblog talks, baseball , Barth, and what it means to be Hannah’s Child with Stanley Hauerwas.

Recent Decisions

Matthew: Recently you announced that you were stepping down as Bishop of Durham. What were the motivations behind this decision?

Wright: I could no longer envisage the possibility of continuing serious academic work in this position. What alerted me to this was my sabbatical term in Princeton, during which I wrote a good deal of the big book on Paul. When I returned it was obvious I wasn’t going to get nearly enough time to finish it.

Matthew: Do you see yourself undertaking ecclesiastical roles in the future?

Wright: We shall see! I expect I shall preach from time to time. I am looking forward to attending church with my wife; it has been quite a bereavement for the last seventeen years to go dashing around the diocese without her. ‘Once a bishop always a bishop’, of course, and perhaps I shall be invited now and then to do bishoppy things like confirmations.

But just as I half-abandoned my scholarly vocation for the last 17 years, so I will be balancing this out now with some real renunciation of something that has been very precious and personal to me.

Matthew: How did your time as Bishop change/influence your understanding of the relationship between church and academy?

Wright: I have always had the sense that the church and the academy had drifted too far apart and needed to be held together. I have tried to do that personally, not always with great success. One of the wonderful things about Durham is having a world-class theology faculty right beside the Cathedral, and I’ve been very grateful for the friendship and collegiality I have received there.

Part of the trouble is that we’re all so busy these days – academic work has become more and more demanding, and church work likewise – that even those of us who passionately believe in holding them together find there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why friendships and collegiality across the divide are so important – we need at least to keep in touch. I suspect things in America are even more polarized than here.

Matthew: You decided to take an Academic post at St. Andrews University. What will your primary duties be in this position?

Wright: Supervising doctoral students; being part of the biblical studies graduate seminar; teaching one undergraduate final-year Honours course.

Christin Origins & Other Books

Matthew: During your time as Bishop you completed commentaries on almost every NT book in the “For Everyone” Series What would you like to see the series accomplish?

Wright: I would love to think that a new generation who might be scared of getting into Bible reading for themselves would discover that they can do it, that it’s for them, and that they would become biblically literate members of their congregations…I still have two to do, James/Peter/John/Jude, and Revelation! I hope to finish soon.

Matthew: As you know, you have received quite a bit of push back from the Reformed community for your views on justification. Have you received similar push back from the Lutheran community? Why do you think you have/have not?

Wright: Not really, no. I have no idea why that is. I think in a sense the Reformed folk who have opposed me see me in a kind of sibling rivalry, because basically I’m a Reformed theologian as well! When The Climax of the Covenant was published nearly 20 years ago some Lutherans objected to Fortress Press, a Lutheran house, doing a book with ‘Covenant’ in the title… which shows how much they had misunderstood it; but also shows that maybe I don’t get as close to pressing their hot buttons.

Matthew: Can you give us an update on your upcoming volume on Paul in the Christian Origins series?

Wright: Work in progress. I hope to finish it next year and have it published in 2012. Say your prayers!

Matthew: Any interesting and/or surprising revelation you would like to share?

Wright: All sorts of things, but it would take too long to spell them out. Sorry!

Matthew: What books have played a significant role in shaping the upcoming volume?

Wright: Again, all kinds… I have been fascinated by the way in which J.L. Martyn’s commentary on Galatians has had such a big influence in America, when it seems to me so obviously flawed . . . I love Mike Gorman’s work, though again I have significant questions to ask him. Richard Hays, of course, continues to be an inspiration. David Horrell’s splendid book Solidarity and Difference, though I think quite misleading in some respects, is an astonishing achievement of exploration on many levels.

Matthew: If people were to read only one N.T. Wright book (whether for academics or laity), which book would you have them read?

Wright: Hard to say. Perhaps Surprised by Hope. Or perhaps, The Crown and the Fire. But I have been delighted at how many people, by no means all ‘academics’, have told me that Jesus and the Victory of God has changed their lives.

Matthew: Will you come back for another interview when your volume in the Origins series on Paul is published?

Wright: Sure. Look forward to it.

Matthew: For the final question, it’s a bit of a serious issue here in the US, and it may be a bit polarizing. What is Stephen Colbert really like?

Wright: He is a great guy. America suffers from a severe irony deficiency, and he is the one-man answer to the problem . . .

Read part one of this interview.

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Tags: After You Believe, Christian Origins, For Everyone, N.T. Wright, Reformed Theology