A Good Read...

I've been trying to read more lately.  (One of my excuses for already getting slack on blogging.)  I just finished two books, the first one is N.T. Wright's "Scripture and the Authority of God".  This book is deep but very interesting.  I'll warn you, its not one of those books you can read in front of the TV or while half way checking your email.  Wright makes a lot of interesting points throughout his book with the main theme being on God's authority and how it is exercised through scripture (hence the title).

Wright explains that Scripture's authority is a derivative or delegated authority, for all authority truly belongs to God.  Wright sees Scripture as God's unfinished story in which we are to act out the final scene, which requires an active participation and not a passive reception of the Word of God, which is all too common among Christians.  

Wright talks about our "experience" being where we stand as we hear God's word and know His love which is different from "God's authority" in our lives.  This is explained further by this analogy used.

                 We could put it like this. "Experience" is what grows

                 by itself in the garden. "Authority" is what happens 

                 when the gardener wants to affirm the goodness 

                 of the genuine flowers and vegetables by uprooting 

                 the weeds in order to let beauty and fruitfulness 

                 triumph over chaos, thorns and thistles.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding on the bible as a whole and our role as followers and image bearers of Christ.  It may not be the easiest read but it is well worth it.  I liked that is wasn't too long either:)