Simply Christian - Tom Wright

Published by Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK): London, 2011 (2006).

Back in 2018 I read three books by Tom Wright: Simply Jesus, How God Became King and this one, Simply Christian. Each of them had similar themes, and really interested me. In fact, they interested and impacted me enough that when I made a post called "The 5th Year 5 Top 5s" I included Simply Jesus as one of my top 5 theology books, despite admitting that I didn't remember the specific focus of that particular book... rather, acknowledging that all three books together had meant something to me. I also acknowledged that "I will eventually reread these books and give a more detailed review."

Now, four years after writing those words and seven years after last reading a Tom Wright book, I have finally reread Simply Christian. Whereas last time around I started with Simply Jesus due to it being the first Tom Wright book I had come across, I made the choice to start with Simply Christian this time as it was the first of the three that Wright had written, chronologically.

The first thing that might stand out to a curious reader is that Simply Christian has a cover-quote from Anne Rice, whom the back cover clarifies to be the same Anne Rice that is the "international bestselling author of The Vampire Chronicles." That is the first hint that this book will not be a dry theological work. Yes, Anne Rice has in recent years become a Christian, but the choice to feature her on the cover seems to be a statement of sorts: this book is not just for your typical Christian reader.

This is supported with the opening four chapters - which I feel are the strongest part of the book. In these, Wright looks at universal concepts that he feels point towards the idea of God: justice, spirituality, relationship and beauty. Each of these chapters digs a little below the surface and challenges the reader to think about the way the world is, using anecdotes and extended metaphors. It's the sort of book that could be given to a non-Christian to help them question the assumptions they make about life.

The second section moves into an unpacking of some basic Christian ideas in response to these concepts: God in general, the place of Israel, the work of Jesus... each of these builds off the opening chapters, painting a picture of how Wright sees Christianity in action. 

And the book carries on from there to introduce Wright's slightly more controversial take on the future of the Church and the world: Wright believes God will redeem and renew this world rather than replace it. This does fit within the broader scope of Christian theology, but it will raise some eyebrows, particularly of those that Wright suggests are more wedded to a "escape to heaven" type mentality.

Whether you agree with these conclusions or not, Wright does present a very readable and persuasive argument for why Christianity is important, why the work of Jesus is vital, and how the Church can be effective in the wider world.

It definitely earns its place as an influential thought-provoker.

Completed 5 November 2025.

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