Review of The Last Word by N. T. Wright

N. T. Wright. The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005. 160pp. $19.95.

I appreciate Bishop N. T. Wright’s willingness to address the church through writing popular books. Wright is the consummate scholar and is perfectly capable of producing the kind of work that would only be accessible to specialists in the field of New Testament studies. Yet over the years he has included among his prolific output books addressed to the interested layman. His recent short work, The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture, is one such book.

The main thrust of Wright’s argument in The Last Word is that Christians must understand the “authority of Scripture” as

Don’t Get in Peggy Noonan’s Doghouse!

Readers of this blog know that I am a big fan of Peggy Noonan’s weekly column in the Wall Street Journal (previous posts). I look forward to it every Thursday.

Her piece this morning is a wry, free-wheeling commentary on sundry topics in the news and pop culture. One thing I take away from this article is that I never want to be in Noonan’s doghouse. She takes a whack at several personalities who she thinks are attempting to “spin” and manipulate Americans. Here’s a sampling:

Al Mohler and the XXX ‘Church’ on ABC News

Just to follow-up on my previous post about the XXX ‘Church,’ I wanted to let you know that Dr. Albert Mohler was included in a segment on ABC News about the so-called XXX ‘Church.’ You can read the story here, or watch the video here.

Farewell to a Great Champion, Andre Agassi

You know you’re getting old when sports stars your age begin to slow down and retire. I was reminded of this last week during the NBA finals as the commentators noted that the “elder” Shaq doesn’t play like he used to.

XXX ‘Church’ Is Back in the News

The XXX ‘Church’ is back in the News this week. I wrote a series of posts on the XXX ‘Church’ last summer and questioned the wisdom of attending porn conventions in order to do evangelism.

On Wednesday, Dr. Albert Mohler raised the same question about the XXX ‘Church’s’ ministry methods at this summer’s erotica convention in Los Angeles. On the program, Dr. Mohler said, “I can tell you, I don’t think I could be at this convention without sin. Think I can pretty much promise you that” (source).

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION FOUND IN IRAQ

If you were wondering whether the Mainstream Media (MSM) are biased in their coverage of the Iraq War, wonder no more. The MSM have been largely silent on the biggest Iraq War story since the capture of Saddam Hussein.

On Wednesday John Negroponte, the Director of National Intelligence, provided “an unclassified overview of chemical munitions recovered in Iraq since May 2004.” The following is direct quotation from the overview:

The Refs Close-out the Mavs, 95-92

The story coming out of this depressing series will be all about Dwayne Wade’s rising star, but the real story should be about how the referees handed some close games to the Miami Heat. The Mavericks had their hands full with the Heat, and it’s a shame that they had to compete against the refs as well. I have to say that the officiating was disgusting at some critical moments, and it cost the Mavs a championship.

That being said, the Mavs were not on top of their game. They could have played much better. If they had, their fortunes would not have been determined by the poor officiating.

Congratulations to the Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade is an amazing player, and they couldn’t have done it without him. Also (and I mean this with all sincerity), I am always happy when great players in the twilight of their careers win a championship. I am thrilled that both Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning will leave the league with a championship under their belt. Well done.

Nevertheless, I am now going to put on my sackcloth and ashes. If anyone needs me, I’ll be crying myself to sleep.

Just When I Thought It Couldn’t Get Any Worse

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse than the fact that the Mavs lost last night, I came across this story in the Dallas Morning News: “Pastor turns service into pep rally for God, Mavs.”

Apparently, this pastor in this Dallas area doesn’t know the difference between a worship service and a pep rally. Can you guess what his justification is for profaning Sunday morning worship? It’s pretty predictable.

“We put God in a box. Why can’t we bring life into the house of worship? More people will come to church if you have these kinds of things.”

Mavs 100, Heat 101

I am way too emotionally invested in this series. I am dejected. What a heartbreaker.

Though Dirk Nowitzki didn’t seem to be channeling David Hasselhoff (see previous post), Josh Howard seemed to be channeling Chris Webber. Josh Howard really messed up in calling the time-out when he did.

Anyway, here’s the coverage of game 5 of the NBA Finals in the Dallas Morning News: “Burned: Heat outlasts Mavs, 101-100.”

P.S. The officiating was horrible. Wade didn’t deserve that last foul. He went in clean and just missed a lay-up.

Can Nowitzki Channel Hasselhoff While Shooting Jump Shots?

I am a sucker for the underdog, and therefore I am a sucker for our hometeam, the Dallas Mavericks. I was a manager at the Mavericks’ practice facility back in the bad old days when they used to lose all the time. It was really sad back then when they just couldn’t get a break.

But now things have changed, and all of us here in Dallas have our hopes set on a championship. Yet after watching the Mavs lose a heartbreaker on Tuesday and an ego-crusher on Thursday, many of us are beginning to feel that sinking feeling in our stomachs again.