The Great Story and the Great Commission

Christopher J.H. Wright is easily one of my favorite theologians. There are very few like him who are able to so deftly integrate theology and practice. On the one hand you have theologians who can wax eloquent about the nature and character of God and yet scarcely seem to realize that the work of theology is supposed to relate to how human beings live their lives on this planet. On the other hand you have theologians who are so invested in being practical and concrete that they barely have any time for theological anything.

Still others try to uphold the importance of both right doctrine and right practice, and yet it's as if the left hand isn't aware of the right. It's as if they'd love to go on and on about divine truths but we need to cut that short so that we can get to this other thing God commanded us to care about: mission. Wright was the first theologian I read who seemed to see past this dichotomy. I read his book The Mission of God's People years ago and it was the first time I saw the concept of mission not as a kind of interim necessity imposed upon the New Testament Church, but as the defining trait running all the way through Scripture. First and foremost, God himself is on a mission to bring life where there is no life, and only secondarily does he graciously invite his people into that mission. It's such a good book that I've read it multiple times. The problem is that it's pretty intimidating for most readers.

Wright's newest work, The Great Story and the Great Commission, is aimed less at breaking new ground and is much more about synthesizing and distilling some of his key ideas down into a more accessible work. Weighing in at only 9 chapters, his goal is to provide a quick overview of how to read Scripture with a "Missional Hermeneutic" and then show how viewing Scripture as one single, cohesive narrative of God's mission illuminates the why behind what the people of God are called to do in this world. As you can tell from the title, he views the work of biblical theology and the missional work of the Great Commission as intimately linked together.

Though the word "mission" often conjures up a specific image in people's minds, Wright takes great pains to explain the breadth of the mission God is inviting his people to join him in. Though it involves what is traditionally thought of as "missions" and evangelism overseas, it also involves the work of teaching theology in the Church. It also involves the doing of compassionate social justice. It involves cultivating and caring for creation. The people of God engage in the mission of God in many diverse ways, but at the end of the day they all are ways that we participate in his work of bringing life to the world.

There are certainly parts of the book that I could quibble with but for the most part I found it to be an extremely encouraging, helpful work. More than anything it's his ability to integrate aspects of the Christian life that feel disparate that I find most useful. He thinks in ways that masterfully cut through all the nonsense of the Evangelical world by bringing his theology to bear. A good example is his reorientation of how we think about mission: "It is not so much that God has a mission for the church as that God has the church for his mission." I'd heartily recommend this book to ministry leaders and even church members who want to get a clearer understanding of how to think about mission in a holistic, integrative way.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of a fair, unbiased review.

There are a small number of authors that I try to read everything they release. Chris Wright is one of them. Wright's understanding of the Bible, Biblical theology, mission, and the Church, makes his writing essential reading for anyone who desires to learn more and grow in their own understanding of these subjects.

Wright begins by describing a Missional Hermeneutic of Scripture. This may sound technical and tediously academic but the author's writing is clear, accessible and practical. Missional hermeneutics is a way of reading Scripture as one unified narrative, a grand story, that reveals the mission of God. Using this framework, the Bible tells the single mission of God - to cleanse the entire cosmos of evil and form a people redeemed from every tribe, tongue and nation. The narrative not only helps us the mission of God, but it also reveals our identity and mission as the people of God.

In the second chapter, Wright outlines the grand narrative of Scripture as a "Drama in Seven Acts". This framework builds on the work of Craig Batholomew and Michael Goheen in their book, The Drama of Scripture, which in turn, was developed from an analogy proposed by N. T. Wright. The third chapter is about how followers of Jesus Christ can live in, or "inhabit", the whole story of Scripture. These chapters are essential and enjoyable reading for every Christian!

The rest of the book focuses on the Church and five aspects of the mission. Wright paints a picture of mission that is both broad and balanced, embracing evangelism, service, justice, and creation care. In discussing mission, the author addresses God's redemptive purpose in Creation, which includes an excellent exposition of 2 Peter 3.

While he summarises much of his earlier academic books on mission, this book is more accessible to the average reader. It would be excellent for ministry students and church leadership discussion groups to think about mission and the focus of a local church.