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The God I Don't Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith
Many Christians believe that they have to understand everything about their faith for that faith to be genuine. This isn't true. There are many things we don't understand about God, His Word, and His works. And this is actually one of the greatest things about the Christian that there are areas of mystery that lie beyond the keenest scholarship or even the most profound spiritual exercises. Sadly, for many people these problems raise so many questions and uncertainties that faith itself becomes a struggle. But questions, and even doubts, are part of faith. Chris Wright encourages us to face the limitations of our understanding and to acknowledge the pain and grief they can often cause. In The God I Don't Understand , he focuses on four of the most mysterious subjects in the Bible and reflects upon why it's important to ask questions without having to provide the "However strongly we believe in divine revelation, we must acknowledge both that God has not revealed everything and that much of what he has revealed is not plain. It is because Dr. Wright confronts biblical problems with a combination of honesty and humility that I warmly commend this book." —John Stott
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 27, 2008
210 people are currently reading
999 people want to read
About the author
Christopher J.H. Wright
102 books205 followersChristopher J.H. Wright, (born 1947) is a Anglican clergyman and an Old Testament scholar. He is currently the director of Langham Partnership International. He was the principal of All Nations Christian College. He is an honorary member of the All Souls Church, Langham Place in London, UK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
November 12, 2013
Gee.... Goodreads should have a half star. 3 stars would seem to many and yet 2 stars seemed to few, I wish I could have given it two and half stars.
But yeah, The first part of the book deals a little with suffering. He believes we can't understand and likely never will, and coming from what seems a theistic evolutionist persuasion, there is even more mystery. Indeed the curse doesn't easily explain all natural evil, it only explains thorns.
Wright shows how the bible is filled with angry outburst, laments and complaining towards God, so God must be pretty cool with us expressing our hurt and confusion. So I suppose I need not burn my art and stop writing songs. :) One of the main points he makes is that God is sovereign and will fix everything in the end. I do get the impression he is coming more from a Reformed theological perspective, yet he is nothing so fierce as John Piper.
The section on God commanding the slaughter of the Canaanites was my favorite part of the book. He primarily tried to show what the bible itself says about the event. Rather then concocting some philosophical explanation. He point was it was not genocide, not racially driven, not a holy war. It it must be understood that it was judgment and God chose Israel to be his belt. The story starts with God sparing Rahab the Canaanite because of her faith. God repeatedly tells Israel it was not because they were special or righteous that he drove out the Canaanites, but that it was because of the Canaanites wickedness. We see later God using evil nations to be his tool of judgment on the Israelites.
Now this does not soften the ugly fact that God uses terrible means to bring about his end, as in the crucifixion of Christ. He rarely rains down fire and brimstone, typically he uses evil men to do wicked stuff, in order to discipline. Its a very unsettling mystery. How can the God who is good and is never the author of evil and who does not tempt anyone to sin, at the same time be behind every imaginable war and monstrosity, in order to bring about His ultimate good end? It seems to God that the end justifies the means. God seems to be the cosmic utilitarian, its hard to get around it, God's ethics scare the poop out of me. Its one of the things I don't understand and I don't like about God.
After these first few chapters, the book just meanders into random areas that don't seem to have much at all with tough questions of faith, the rest of the book did not belong if you ask me. He writes about the death and resurrection of Christ, the final judgment, the new heaven and new earth, and he dishes all the end time garbage. That was one thing that humored me, from his perspective, we should want to be "Left behind"!!! Because its the wicked the are swept away and Jesus comes to earth and the righteous welcome him here.
"The Canaanite" By John Martindale (Inspired by this book)
"So how would You want Israel to take the babies lives?
Perhaps bash their little heads against a rock?
Or quickly slice their throats with a knife?
Or crowd them in a building and burn them all alive?
Oh I wish you had just rained fire and brimstone down
You who alone have the right to strike one to the ground
Oh I could have stomach this, it would have even seemed nice
Compared to using your people to do your dirty work in the night
Sometimes God I do not like You
What kind of God are you anyways?
Is this not the poison sprinkled in the lake
Corrupting the whole making it unfit to drink?
Is this not the stain on the front of the garment
Though small in size, making going out in it unfit
But maybe I should only focus on the good
And sing happy songs like Christian should
But this is hard when I don't like you
What kind of God are you anyways?
Sometimes God I cannot like You
But Lord still I won't walk away
Oh God right now I do not like you
But still I cannot turn away"
But yeah, The first part of the book deals a little with suffering. He believes we can't understand and likely never will, and coming from what seems a theistic evolutionist persuasion, there is even more mystery. Indeed the curse doesn't easily explain all natural evil, it only explains thorns.
Wright shows how the bible is filled with angry outburst, laments and complaining towards God, so God must be pretty cool with us expressing our hurt and confusion. So I suppose I need not burn my art and stop writing songs. :) One of the main points he makes is that God is sovereign and will fix everything in the end. I do get the impression he is coming more from a Reformed theological perspective, yet he is nothing so fierce as John Piper.
The section on God commanding the slaughter of the Canaanites was my favorite part of the book. He primarily tried to show what the bible itself says about the event. Rather then concocting some philosophical explanation. He point was it was not genocide, not racially driven, not a holy war. It it must be understood that it was judgment and God chose Israel to be his belt. The story starts with God sparing Rahab the Canaanite because of her faith. God repeatedly tells Israel it was not because they were special or righteous that he drove out the Canaanites, but that it was because of the Canaanites wickedness. We see later God using evil nations to be his tool of judgment on the Israelites.
Now this does not soften the ugly fact that God uses terrible means to bring about his end, as in the crucifixion of Christ. He rarely rains down fire and brimstone, typically he uses evil men to do wicked stuff, in order to discipline. Its a very unsettling mystery. How can the God who is good and is never the author of evil and who does not tempt anyone to sin, at the same time be behind every imaginable war and monstrosity, in order to bring about His ultimate good end? It seems to God that the end justifies the means. God seems to be the cosmic utilitarian, its hard to get around it, God's ethics scare the poop out of me. Its one of the things I don't understand and I don't like about God.
After these first few chapters, the book just meanders into random areas that don't seem to have much at all with tough questions of faith, the rest of the book did not belong if you ask me. He writes about the death and resurrection of Christ, the final judgment, the new heaven and new earth, and he dishes all the end time garbage. That was one thing that humored me, from his perspective, we should want to be "Left behind"!!! Because its the wicked the are swept away and Jesus comes to earth and the righteous welcome him here.
"The Canaanite" By John Martindale (Inspired by this book)
"So how would You want Israel to take the babies lives?
Perhaps bash their little heads against a rock?
Or quickly slice their throats with a knife?
Or crowd them in a building and burn them all alive?
Oh I wish you had just rained fire and brimstone down
You who alone have the right to strike one to the ground
Oh I could have stomach this, it would have even seemed nice
Compared to using your people to do your dirty work in the night
Sometimes God I do not like You
What kind of God are you anyways?
Is this not the poison sprinkled in the lake
Corrupting the whole making it unfit to drink?
Is this not the stain on the front of the garment
Though small in size, making going out in it unfit
But maybe I should only focus on the good
And sing happy songs like Christian should
But this is hard when I don't like you
What kind of God are you anyways?
Sometimes God I cannot like You
But Lord still I won't walk away
Oh God right now I do not like you
But still I cannot turn away"
February 16, 2017
Christopher Wright is now alongside NT Wright as a favorite, must-read Bible scholar! Wright is right (I know, that's cheesy).
In this book Wright discusses things about God he does not understand. These are not just intellectual difficulties. When he discusses the work of Christ on the cross he does not fully grasp the majesty and beauty of it (who can?).
Each chapter is readable,thorough and brilliant. I have read other books on these same topics and Wright comes at them from a slightly different angle. First he talks about evil and brings the reader to focus on the Biblical truth, what we can know, that evil will be defeated by God. The second part is on the question of how a loving God could ordain the extermination of the Canaanites in the Old Testament story. Third he discusses the cross, looking at the what, why and how. Finally, and my favorite part, he looks at the "end times", helping us move past so much of the garbage out there and get to what the Bible really says in all its wonder.
Highly recommended.
In this book Wright discusses things about God he does not understand. These are not just intellectual difficulties. When he discusses the work of Christ on the cross he does not fully grasp the majesty and beauty of it (who can?).
Each chapter is readable,thorough and brilliant. I have read other books on these same topics and Wright comes at them from a slightly different angle. First he talks about evil and brings the reader to focus on the Biblical truth, what we can know, that evil will be defeated by God. The second part is on the question of how a loving God could ordain the extermination of the Canaanites in the Old Testament story. Third he discusses the cross, looking at the what, why and how. Finally, and my favorite part, he looks at the "end times", helping us move past so much of the garbage out there and get to what the Bible really says in all its wonder.
Highly recommended.
February 28, 2009
first, this book was good in that it made me want to read the bible. wright quotes extensively from the bible, especially the old testament, and provides just enough context to make me want to read the story (instead of seeing isolated quotes).
equally important, it helps me think about some of the sticking points of christianity (why is there evil in the world? why did the old testament god help israel demolish the canaanites?) without presuming to have some kind of neat solution.
i would recommend this book to christians who are troubled by some of these sticky points. i think it might be frustrating for people less familiar with christianity and, in particular, the bible. he writes to an audience he expects to be somewhat familiar with the bible -- it was even a little hard for me, and i've been christian all my life.
equally important, it helps me think about some of the sticking points of christianity (why is there evil in the world? why did the old testament god help israel demolish the canaanites?) without presuming to have some kind of neat solution.
i would recommend this book to christians who are troubled by some of these sticky points. i think it might be frustrating for people less familiar with christianity and, in particular, the bible. he writes to an audience he expects to be somewhat familiar with the bible -- it was even a little hard for me, and i've been christian all my life.
October 19, 2021
My pastor recommended this to our Bible study group, particularly as a resource for those of us whose hearts are troubled by the violence of the Old Testament. Wright provides a really helpful framework for understanding the conquest narratives in light of the character and mission of God, while still leaving us some room for lingering grief or discomfort. There’s also a section on the problem of evil that doesn’t really try to explain anything, but is surprisingly helpful nonetheless. Best of all is a section on the new Earth that is lovely in its affirmation that we belong here, and what we do in this life matters. Really good book!
June 26, 2022
Excellent read. Did a great job tackling some difficult questions but also describing the new creation in an exciting way.
January 20, 2023
I read about half of the book and skimmed about the other half. It had some interesting points but also discussed topics I knew well.
May 28, 2024
A THEOLOGIAN RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST “SUFFERING”
Christopher J. H. Wright taught in India for five years, then at a missionary training school in England; he is now the international director of the Langham Partnership International.
He wrote in the Preface to this 2008 book, “This is a more personal kind of book than most I have written, since my own struggles are apparent at times. I was going to say that this is not a book of theology, but that would be wrong. It is not a book of systematic theological construction. But it is a book that tries to bring biblical teaching, personal faith, pressing questions, and life experience together---and that ought to be what theology does. My hope is that it does so with a healthy balance of honesty (where I don’t understand) and clarity (where I think there are things we can and should understand) of biblical truth and Christian humility.”
In the Introduction, he recalls how at dinner one night, he told a friend, “it seems to me that the older I get the less I really understand God. Which is not to say that I don’t love and trust him. On the contrary, as life goes on, my love and trust go deeper, but my struggle with what God does or allows grows deeper too.” He continues, “This train of thought began, then, with the problem of suffering… But that conversation led me to reflect that there are several other ways in which, if I’m honest, I don’t understand God. None of these causes me to doubt God’s existence or to fall into unbelief or rebellion. None of them threatens the deep, lifelong love for the Lord and his Word that has shaped my life since my childhood. But I am aware that for many people, these problems can be a real stumbling block.” (Pg. 15-16)
He outlines, “There are things I don’t understand about God that leave me morally disturbed. Some of these are things that happen in the Bible itself, and especially in the Old Testament… There are things I don’t understand about God because they are so PUZZLING. Why did God say and do things in the Bible that have been so misunderstood in later generations?... There are things I don’t understand about God, but they flood me with GRATITUDE because I couldn’t live without the reality of their truth, accepted by faith… There are things I don’t understand about God, but they fill me with HOPE in the midst of the depressing destruction of the earth and its inhabitants… These, then, are some of the things that I found I did not really understand about God---not all of the same kind, nor all of the same emotional of spiritual burdensomeness… I will try to show why some kinds of answers that are given to the troubling questions are not really helpful at all.” (Pg. 18-19)
About the devil, he explains, “I feel the need to make a qualified ‘yes and no’ answer. Yes, I believe in the existence of the devil as an objective, intelligent and ‘quasi-personal’ power, utterly opposed to God, creation, ourselves, and life itself. But no, I do not ‘believe IN the devil’ in any way that would concede to him power and authority beyond the limits God has set. The Bible calls us not so much to believe in the devil as to believe AGAINST the devil. We are to put all our faith in God through Christ and to exercise that faith against all that the devil is and does---whatever he may be.” (Pg. 38)
He suggests, “God… for reasons known only to himself, knows that we finite human beings cannot, indeed MUST NOT, ‘make sense’ of evil. For the final truth is that evil does NOT make sense. ‘Sense’ is part of our rationality that in itself is part of God’s good creation and God’s image in us. So evil can have no sense, since sense itself is a good thing. Evil has no proper place within creation… It cannot and must not be integrated into the universe as a rational, legitimated, justified part of reality. Evil is not there to be understood, but to be resisted and ultimately expelled…. God has withheld its secrets from his own revelation and our research.” (Pg. 42)
He argues, “There are those who believe that natural disasters like the tsunami are all part of God’s curse on the earth as a result of the fall… We brought God’s curse on the earth by our sin, and this is part of the result. I personally find this improbable… Genesis 3:17 says that God cursed the ‘ground’ because of human sin… The word… most often refers to the ground or soil… rather than the created planet…. So God’s words seem most naturally to describe the struggle that humans will have to wrench their bread from the earth in toil and sweat… So I am inclined to view the curse on the earth as FUNCTIONAL. That is, it consists in the breakdown in the relationship between humanity and the soil, in our lives as workers. Human life on earth stands under God’s curse in all that affects our engagement with the earth itself.” (Pg. 46)
He suggests, “If we place the conquest of Canaan within the framework of punishment for wrongdoing, as the Bible clearly does, it makes a categorical difference to the nature of the violence inflicted. It does not make it less violent. Nor does it suddenly become ‘nice’ or ‘OK.’ But it does make a difference. The punishment on a wicked society, using Israel as the human agent, must be taken seriously by those who wish to take the Bible’s own testimony seriously…. Punishment changes the moral context of violence.” (Pg. 93)
He asserts, “people have built whole timetables, theologies, and complicated schemes of interpreting the rest of the Bible upon their understanding of a phrase [‘thousand years’] that comes just six times in its final book… Now this is not the place to solve these disputes… My point is simply that we need to avoid getting sidetracked into a whole jungle of arcane interpretations, build on shaky assumptions about a term that occurs in one single short passage and nowhere else in the Bible… the millennium probably is not such a central part of what we need to focus on when thinking about the end of the world as some people make it out to be.” (Pg. 164)
He argues, “no single land or city on earth has a special or holly significance for Christians. The centre of our faith is not a place but a person... Some ‘end times’ scenarios … affect powerful political agendas… They give a privileged place in God’s alleged final agenda for world history to the modern state of Israel on the basis of some questionable interpretations of Scripture… For some Christians, the modern Israeli state is excused from any moral or international accountability because it is ‘fulfilling prophecy.’ Such an attitude of blind ‘support for Israel’ stands in jarring contrast to the words of most of the actual biblical prophets themselves, and even of Jesus.” (Pg. 169-170)
He concludes, “nobody will be condemned for what they did NOT know or could NOT do. Rather, we will be judged by how we responded to the light we received… We will be judged by what we DID or DID NOT Do, in response to what we DID know… the day of judgment is a day for God’s verdict based on evidence, not a day for hearing faith claims. So what will be the EVIDENCE of my faith? Not just that I SAY I had faith, but that my life has shown it… I will be judged on the evidence (my works), and they will show publicly and beyond doubt whether or not my life has been built on trust in Christ (my faith).” (Pg. 189-190)
Some of Wright’s views may “turn off” some Christians; but in the main, this book will be of considerable interest to those wrestling with such difficult questions.
Christopher J. H. Wright taught in India for five years, then at a missionary training school in England; he is now the international director of the Langham Partnership International.
He wrote in the Preface to this 2008 book, “This is a more personal kind of book than most I have written, since my own struggles are apparent at times. I was going to say that this is not a book of theology, but that would be wrong. It is not a book of systematic theological construction. But it is a book that tries to bring biblical teaching, personal faith, pressing questions, and life experience together---and that ought to be what theology does. My hope is that it does so with a healthy balance of honesty (where I don’t understand) and clarity (where I think there are things we can and should understand) of biblical truth and Christian humility.”
In the Introduction, he recalls how at dinner one night, he told a friend, “it seems to me that the older I get the less I really understand God. Which is not to say that I don’t love and trust him. On the contrary, as life goes on, my love and trust go deeper, but my struggle with what God does or allows grows deeper too.” He continues, “This train of thought began, then, with the problem of suffering… But that conversation led me to reflect that there are several other ways in which, if I’m honest, I don’t understand God. None of these causes me to doubt God’s existence or to fall into unbelief or rebellion. None of them threatens the deep, lifelong love for the Lord and his Word that has shaped my life since my childhood. But I am aware that for many people, these problems can be a real stumbling block.” (Pg. 15-16)
He outlines, “There are things I don’t understand about God that leave me morally disturbed. Some of these are things that happen in the Bible itself, and especially in the Old Testament… There are things I don’t understand about God because they are so PUZZLING. Why did God say and do things in the Bible that have been so misunderstood in later generations?... There are things I don’t understand about God, but they flood me with GRATITUDE because I couldn’t live without the reality of their truth, accepted by faith… There are things I don’t understand about God, but they fill me with HOPE in the midst of the depressing destruction of the earth and its inhabitants… These, then, are some of the things that I found I did not really understand about God---not all of the same kind, nor all of the same emotional of spiritual burdensomeness… I will try to show why some kinds of answers that are given to the troubling questions are not really helpful at all.” (Pg. 18-19)
About the devil, he explains, “I feel the need to make a qualified ‘yes and no’ answer. Yes, I believe in the existence of the devil as an objective, intelligent and ‘quasi-personal’ power, utterly opposed to God, creation, ourselves, and life itself. But no, I do not ‘believe IN the devil’ in any way that would concede to him power and authority beyond the limits God has set. The Bible calls us not so much to believe in the devil as to believe AGAINST the devil. We are to put all our faith in God through Christ and to exercise that faith against all that the devil is and does---whatever he may be.” (Pg. 38)
He suggests, “God… for reasons known only to himself, knows that we finite human beings cannot, indeed MUST NOT, ‘make sense’ of evil. For the final truth is that evil does NOT make sense. ‘Sense’ is part of our rationality that in itself is part of God’s good creation and God’s image in us. So evil can have no sense, since sense itself is a good thing. Evil has no proper place within creation… It cannot and must not be integrated into the universe as a rational, legitimated, justified part of reality. Evil is not there to be understood, but to be resisted and ultimately expelled…. God has withheld its secrets from his own revelation and our research.” (Pg. 42)
He argues, “There are those who believe that natural disasters like the tsunami are all part of God’s curse on the earth as a result of the fall… We brought God’s curse on the earth by our sin, and this is part of the result. I personally find this improbable… Genesis 3:17 says that God cursed the ‘ground’ because of human sin… The word… most often refers to the ground or soil… rather than the created planet…. So God’s words seem most naturally to describe the struggle that humans will have to wrench their bread from the earth in toil and sweat… So I am inclined to view the curse on the earth as FUNCTIONAL. That is, it consists in the breakdown in the relationship between humanity and the soil, in our lives as workers. Human life on earth stands under God’s curse in all that affects our engagement with the earth itself.” (Pg. 46)
He suggests, “If we place the conquest of Canaan within the framework of punishment for wrongdoing, as the Bible clearly does, it makes a categorical difference to the nature of the violence inflicted. It does not make it less violent. Nor does it suddenly become ‘nice’ or ‘OK.’ But it does make a difference. The punishment on a wicked society, using Israel as the human agent, must be taken seriously by those who wish to take the Bible’s own testimony seriously…. Punishment changes the moral context of violence.” (Pg. 93)
He asserts, “people have built whole timetables, theologies, and complicated schemes of interpreting the rest of the Bible upon their understanding of a phrase [‘thousand years’] that comes just six times in its final book… Now this is not the place to solve these disputes… My point is simply that we need to avoid getting sidetracked into a whole jungle of arcane interpretations, build on shaky assumptions about a term that occurs in one single short passage and nowhere else in the Bible… the millennium probably is not such a central part of what we need to focus on when thinking about the end of the world as some people make it out to be.” (Pg. 164)
He argues, “no single land or city on earth has a special or holly significance for Christians. The centre of our faith is not a place but a person... Some ‘end times’ scenarios … affect powerful political agendas… They give a privileged place in God’s alleged final agenda for world history to the modern state of Israel on the basis of some questionable interpretations of Scripture… For some Christians, the modern Israeli state is excused from any moral or international accountability because it is ‘fulfilling prophecy.’ Such an attitude of blind ‘support for Israel’ stands in jarring contrast to the words of most of the actual biblical prophets themselves, and even of Jesus.” (Pg. 169-170)
He concludes, “nobody will be condemned for what they did NOT know or could NOT do. Rather, we will be judged by how we responded to the light we received… We will be judged by what we DID or DID NOT Do, in response to what we DID know… the day of judgment is a day for God’s verdict based on evidence, not a day for hearing faith claims. So what will be the EVIDENCE of my faith? Not just that I SAY I had faith, but that my life has shown it… I will be judged on the evidence (my works), and they will show publicly and beyond doubt whether or not my life has been built on trust in Christ (my faith).” (Pg. 189-190)
Some of Wright’s views may “turn off” some Christians; but in the main, this book will be of considerable interest to those wrestling with such difficult questions.
December 15, 2011
Short review: This is the second of Christopher Wright's books I have read recently and I will be reading more. This is a very pastoral book focused on showing us how to read scripture and understand both the limits of our knowledge and correct common misunderstandings about God. He takes four areas, 1) the problems of evil, 2) understanding how/why God destroyed Israel's neighbors in the Old Testament, 3) what we can know and understand about the crucifixion and 4) how to understand heaven, revelations and the after-life.
In some ways, the particular topics matter less than the way that Wright teaches us how to understand scripture and the limits of human knowledge. The end result is that Wright clearly says there are many things that he does not understand about God and that is OK. We will not understand God fully because he is God. That does not mean we should not strive after knowing God, but it does mean we should set up some boundaries about what it is possible to know about God.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/understand/
In some ways, the particular topics matter less than the way that Wright teaches us how to understand scripture and the limits of human knowledge. The end result is that Wright clearly says there are many things that he does not understand about God and that is OK. We will not understand God fully because he is God. That does not mean we should not strive after knowing God, but it does mean we should set up some boundaries about what it is possible to know about God.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/understand/
February 10, 2016
Honest yet hopeful.
Openly honest about what he doesn't understand about God and yet still full faith in the God he doesn't understand. Well written and personally helpful for me. Love his appreciation of all of scripture and his cross-cultural insight.
Openly honest about what he doesn't understand about God and yet still full faith in the God he doesn't understand. Well written and personally helpful for me. Love his appreciation of all of scripture and his cross-cultural insight.
August 16, 2020
We need to see the Canaan conquest in the framework of OT history/story, God’ sovereign justice, and God’s whole plan of salvation.
The blessing of the nations is God’s ultimate eschatological purpose, but it doesn’t mean God has to be nice, because God is the moral judge including wicked nations.
Bible college student approaching exams, I don’t know much about eschatology, but it’s not the end of the world.
In these last days (Heb. 1:2, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 John 2:18). The last days were launched by Jesus and we’ve been living in them since the NT.
End times is a whole speculation industry. In spite of Jesus’ warning that we wouldn’t know the day or hour or time or year of his return, since he did not. And in spite of Jesus telling us that our prime task is to be ready for it, and getting on with faithfully doing what he’s told us to do, people still insist on defying Jesus, producing theories, timetables, fictions about how and when the world will end, how it will happen and where it will all take place! Then people go on to build layers of fantasy and fiction on top of the speculation producing very popular books read more voraciously than the Bible. There’s always a surge around stress and panic. (wars, plagues, pandemics) Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth. 2000 had the Y2K frenzy.
“In the end, God will expose all wrongs, there will be no hiding places, secret accounts, concealed exploitation, tight security, bulletproof cars, safe houses, excuses for ourselves or others, no more skilled lawyers pleading technicalities, no more sentimental allowance for old age, no more escape at all. The day of judgement will reveal everything, assess everything, and deal with everything, and all unrepentant and persistent wickedness will be met with the verdict of god’s perfect justice. It will be public, validated by the evidence, indisputably vindicated beyond complaint or appeal, irreversible, inescapable. God will put things right. That is a matter of rejoicing for all creation.” C. Wright
The question then is, has the person embraced the light of God’s revelation/knowledge insofar as they’ve understood it, or did they reject it, shrink from it, preferring to stay in darkness. God’s judgment will take into account what we knew, and what we did with what we knew.
If you’re on a flight, and you have a layover or connection in a city, the pilot will come on and say. If this is your final destination, we hope you have a good stay and enjoy Stay seated, we haven’t reached our final destination. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey onward to your final destination. What is it, our final destination according to the Bible? It’s not heaven.
New Jerusalem: 200 foot thick walls (total security) infinite spaciousness (1500 mile cube) breathtaking beauty (precious stones and metals). The new creation will be rich in all the things we long for in our cities, while all the things we deplore will be eradicated forever.
garden city of God, new creation.
Fire is not the earth itself, but all that is sinful in it. Peter says, In light of the coming destruction we are not to try and escape out of the world (or trash the world), but to live morally good lives within it (3:11) in preparation for the new creation where righteousness dwells. It’s not an obliteration of the universe, but a cleansing/purging of the presence and effects of sin and evil.
Vegetarian lion. No more death is promise for animals and humans.
If the earliest Christians would have gone around saying they believed in the immortality of the soul, almost no one would have noticed. That’s what and is the commonest belief in cultures. It’s the resurrection of the body that’s surprising and countercultural.
It’s not us with God in heaven, but God with us on earth. Heaven and earth come together at last! It’s a busy place, filled with people transformed humanity empowered by the Spirit, there is serving and reigning to be done! People are doing what they’ve been created and redeemed for, but without tears, death, pain, curse, but with the unmediated presence of GOD among us, living in light of his face.
Isaiah 65:17-25
The blessing of the nations is God’s ultimate eschatological purpose, but it doesn’t mean God has to be nice, because God is the moral judge including wicked nations.
Bible college student approaching exams, I don’t know much about eschatology, but it’s not the end of the world.
In these last days (Heb. 1:2, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 John 2:18). The last days were launched by Jesus and we’ve been living in them since the NT.
End times is a whole speculation industry. In spite of Jesus’ warning that we wouldn’t know the day or hour or time or year of his return, since he did not. And in spite of Jesus telling us that our prime task is to be ready for it, and getting on with faithfully doing what he’s told us to do, people still insist on defying Jesus, producing theories, timetables, fictions about how and when the world will end, how it will happen and where it will all take place! Then people go on to build layers of fantasy and fiction on top of the speculation producing very popular books read more voraciously than the Bible. There’s always a surge around stress and panic. (wars, plagues, pandemics) Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth. 2000 had the Y2K frenzy.
“In the end, God will expose all wrongs, there will be no hiding places, secret accounts, concealed exploitation, tight security, bulletproof cars, safe houses, excuses for ourselves or others, no more skilled lawyers pleading technicalities, no more sentimental allowance for old age, no more escape at all. The day of judgement will reveal everything, assess everything, and deal with everything, and all unrepentant and persistent wickedness will be met with the verdict of god’s perfect justice. It will be public, validated by the evidence, indisputably vindicated beyond complaint or appeal, irreversible, inescapable. God will put things right. That is a matter of rejoicing for all creation.” C. Wright
The question then is, has the person embraced the light of God’s revelation/knowledge insofar as they’ve understood it, or did they reject it, shrink from it, preferring to stay in darkness. God’s judgment will take into account what we knew, and what we did with what we knew.
If you’re on a flight, and you have a layover or connection in a city, the pilot will come on and say. If this is your final destination, we hope you have a good stay and enjoy Stay seated, we haven’t reached our final destination. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey onward to your final destination. What is it, our final destination according to the Bible? It’s not heaven.
New Jerusalem: 200 foot thick walls (total security) infinite spaciousness (1500 mile cube) breathtaking beauty (precious stones and metals). The new creation will be rich in all the things we long for in our cities, while all the things we deplore will be eradicated forever.
garden city of God, new creation.
Fire is not the earth itself, but all that is sinful in it. Peter says, In light of the coming destruction we are not to try and escape out of the world (or trash the world), but to live morally good lives within it (3:11) in preparation for the new creation where righteousness dwells. It’s not an obliteration of the universe, but a cleansing/purging of the presence and effects of sin and evil.
Vegetarian lion. No more death is promise for animals and humans.
If the earliest Christians would have gone around saying they believed in the immortality of the soul, almost no one would have noticed. That’s what and is the commonest belief in cultures. It’s the resurrection of the body that’s surprising and countercultural.
It’s not us with God in heaven, but God with us on earth. Heaven and earth come together at last! It’s a busy place, filled with people transformed humanity empowered by the Spirit, there is serving and reigning to be done! People are doing what they’ve been created and redeemed for, but without tears, death, pain, curse, but with the unmediated presence of GOD among us, living in light of his face.
Isaiah 65:17-25
November 9, 2023
Exploring Christian doubt. A well-spoken & interesting yet oddly double-talking book, which seems to repeatedly sidestep the very questions it purports to address. I agree wholeheartedly w/the questions he poses; they align w/some of my own. But his answers seem weak; even flippant at times (ie; we should be glad not to be able to understand the mystery of evil)?! Other times the author approaches a subject only to feint back from it (ie; defines God's Will vs God's Permissive Will; but then says this isn't the time/place to get into the finer points of that. .. well then, when is??). He seems to have no new answers to the perennial questions which challenge our faith. Offers the basics of Christianity, revolving around Jesus' sacrificial death, but again seems to be dancing around the essential questions suggested by the book's title. Ultimately, in the chapter about the Canaanites, the author finally admits there are things in the Bible he'll never understand & even wishes they weren't so (the Canaanite extermination being one of them). He acknowledges that he loves & believes in God; yet wishes He had gone about certain things differently. There's relief in not feeling alone in these kinds of confused reflections; but still, the author fails provide much enlightenment, prompting me to wonder: What was the purpose of his writing this book then? Began skimming the audio-book, by setting the reading-speed faster & skipping over areas where he became redundant or repeatedly failed to address these faith questions. I enjoyed the narrator's voice & British accent. Some of the areas he covered, although not answering the central questions, were still intrigung & occasionally comforting, especially the segments about the End Times, taken primarily from Revelations. If you want to gain some fundamental knowledge of the Bible's basic precepts, this book may be sufficient for you. If you're actually looking for answers to clarify the very hard, disturbing questions of faith, then you may want to keep looking.
February 7, 2020
Christopher Wright has established himself among evangelical readers as a leading OT scholar with books like 'The Mission of God' and 'OT Ethics for the People of God'. Now, this is a lighter reading than the other two even as he attempts to struggle with some of the hardest questions Christians (and yes, Atheists too) have asked concerning the God of the bible - the problem of evil, divinely sanctioned violence, the mystery of the cross and the end times. Having dispelled the dead-end solutions people have come up with, he carefully suggests some way forward by putting these 'problems' in the proper biblical framework. Framework is very important because it sets the proper context within which the questions are understood. The literary conventions, the historical contexts and the overarching story of God's progressive revelation are important considerations for our study. Yet, at the end, having given us very helpful perspectives and background insights to chew on, Wright stops where the bible provides no further clues. He invites us to wonder what it will be like for eyes that are only capable of perceiving black and white to imagine a world of colors. And what will it be like for three dimensional creatures like us to imagine a world with 4-5 or 500 dimensions?
That is what the bible does, revealing to us what we can at best approximate with our finite minds and pointing to a deeper mystery that no man has yet seen, touched or imagined. Wright achieves a delicate balance between solid biblical understanding and epistemic humility. Definitely a good, edifying and informative read!
That is what the bible does, revealing to us what we can at best approximate with our finite minds and pointing to a deeper mystery that no man has yet seen, touched or imagined. Wright achieves a delicate balance between solid biblical understanding and epistemic humility. Definitely a good, edifying and informative read!
March 10, 2024
It’s great! Wright hits a lot of great points while not sounding pretentious at all. He is an Old Testament Scholar but his insights stretch well into the New Testament. It was a great read and full of insight. It’s difficult to say much of anything else. It’s kind of an apologetic work which I typically have some disdain for. If not for the repetitive nature of the content then for the abrasive nature of the content. But I felt very little repetition or pretentious attitude in the book which automatically appeals to me.
Doctrinally I think there are a few things I would potentially argue against. However, he has great insights into so many things that I would hate to focus on the doctrinal disagreements we had. Especially when on the whole I enjoyed the book and his insights so much.
Overall I enjoyed a biblical scholar admitting to not understanding all the ways of God and talking so openly about the issues he may have in his understanding while maintaining a certain level of reverence and respect. It really is a fine line and difficult particularly in books to do. Regardless I appreciated so many of his insights and thoughts that it’s difficult to not give it rave reviews!!! It really is great but it is dense!
Doctrinally I think there are a few things I would potentially argue against. However, he has great insights into so many things that I would hate to focus on the doctrinal disagreements we had. Especially when on the whole I enjoyed the book and his insights so much.
Overall I enjoyed a biblical scholar admitting to not understanding all the ways of God and talking so openly about the issues he may have in his understanding while maintaining a certain level of reverence and respect. It really is a fine line and difficult particularly in books to do. Regardless I appreciated so many of his insights and thoughts that it’s difficult to not give it rave reviews!!! It really is great but it is dense!
May 22, 2021
I have to admit that I’m something of a latecomer to the writings of Christopher J. H. Wright. Just last year, I read “Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament”, which I thought was such a well-written, clear, and engaging exposition of how to read the Old Testament through a Christological/Christotelic lens.
This book, “The God I Don’t Understand”, tackles four topics that both Christians and non-Christians often struggle to make sense of: 1.) The existence of evil in the world, 2.) God’s command to wipe out the Canaanites, 3.) The Cross and how we understand what Jesus did there, and 4.) The Resurrection of the Dead and the New Creation.
All throughout the book, Wright is thoroughly biblical, pastoral, balanced, and willing to deal gently and fairly with views that he disagrees with. There may a few minor points I would disagree with, but overall this is an excellent read and a great book to give people who are wrestling through these issues. What’s best is that you don’t need a degree in theology to understand his arguments.
This book, “The God I Don’t Understand”, tackles four topics that both Christians and non-Christians often struggle to make sense of: 1.) The existence of evil in the world, 2.) God’s command to wipe out the Canaanites, 3.) The Cross and how we understand what Jesus did there, and 4.) The Resurrection of the Dead and the New Creation.
All throughout the book, Wright is thoroughly biblical, pastoral, balanced, and willing to deal gently and fairly with views that he disagrees with. There may a few minor points I would disagree with, but overall this is an excellent read and a great book to give people who are wrestling through these issues. What’s best is that you don’t need a degree in theology to understand his arguments.
June 29, 2022
As rational beings, we're frequently tempted to dig deeper to the things we don't understand. We attempt to excel beyond our intellectual capacity and try to explain things in a convincing way. It's daring and demotivating to realize the limitations of our perception and accept the fact that we cannot be omniscient.
Chris Wright's writing is honest and engaging. He calls us to the core of biblical imperative to trust in God amidst the confusions, ambiguities and perplexing realities. It takes a lot of courage to be so counter-cultural in our generation where reasoning is the measuring rod of our faith. Although the sequence of thought shifts from the original topic in the third and fourth parts, Chris Wright does not fail to keep us engaging to the end.
I heartfully recommend to read this book for all those who are struggling, specifically, with the questions of evil, and the issues arising from the biblical story of the conquest of Canaan.
Chris Wright's writing is honest and engaging. He calls us to the core of biblical imperative to trust in God amidst the confusions, ambiguities and perplexing realities. It takes a lot of courage to be so counter-cultural in our generation where reasoning is the measuring rod of our faith. Although the sequence of thought shifts from the original topic in the third and fourth parts, Chris Wright does not fail to keep us engaging to the end.
I heartfully recommend to read this book for all those who are struggling, specifically, with the questions of evil, and the issues arising from the biblical story of the conquest of Canaan.
February 4, 2025
I really liked the section on the conquest of Canaan and the creation story because Wright had the most unanswered questions there. After that, with the discussion of the cross, atonement theory, and eschatology, the "I don't understand [blank]" formula became more of a "The Bible says [blank] and we know that for certain, but the specifics are what I don't understand." It became much more didactic... which is not bad!!! But the draw for this book, at least for me, was about how there would be a lot of time spent on talking about the tensions of faith, like Kierkegaard in "Fear and Trembling".
That's what brought this book from a 5-star to a 4-star. I will probably refer to the first two parts of this book from time to time for my own sake, and recommending it to others. However, there are other books on the Cross and atonement theory that I would probably recommend alongside this to others, particularly "The Wood Between the Worlds," "The Crucified God," and "Survival in Auschwitz" (at least tangentially).
That's what brought this book from a 5-star to a 4-star. I will probably refer to the first two parts of this book from time to time for my own sake, and recommending it to others. However, there are other books on the Cross and atonement theory that I would probably recommend alongside this to others, particularly "The Wood Between the Worlds," "The Crucified God," and "Survival in Auschwitz" (at least tangentially).
August 14, 2018
Very accessible theological reflection on four "tough questions" of faith - the issue of evil and suffering; God's wrath, especially in relationship to the Canaanites (God's command for their destruction); the cross of Christ itself; and what happens in the last days. These are admittedly four of the author's big concerns (and not necessarily the 'hardest' of all issues), but they generally represent some of the pressing stumbling blocks that concern people of faith (and those without faith) when it comes to understanding God and God's plan for the world. A key take-away is that God, being God, is not always understandable. But what we do need for life and salvation (even more than we need) has been given to us by God. If you like to sincerely wrestle with issues that seem inscrutible, this book is a good staring point for discussion.
November 27, 2021
I found the framework for explaining the slaughter of the Canaanites helpful. I also appreciate the humble approach of the author who admits we don't have and won't have all the answers. For example he writes:
"So I am willing to live with the understanding that the God I don’t understand has chosen not to explain the origin of evil, but rather wants to concentrate my attention on what he has done to defeat and destroy it."
The reason for the three stars is I felt the second half of the book left the original question. It seemed like he was focused on dismantling some traditional dispensational views of the end times. While I found it interesting and didn't disagree I wished he had focused more on the original idea.
"So I am willing to live with the understanding that the God I don’t understand has chosen not to explain the origin of evil, but rather wants to concentrate my attention on what he has done to defeat and destroy it."
The reason for the three stars is I felt the second half of the book left the original question. It seemed like he was focused on dismantling some traditional dispensational views of the end times. While I found it interesting and didn't disagree I wished he had focused more on the original idea.
March 2, 2021
2.5 stars, my partner thinks 3 is fair, the first two sections were great but it went downhill the second part of the book going on tangents not drawn back to the point being made logically or with scripture. Mor Eid a book review within the book? Wright also /often/ speaks in absolutes which I don’t think is fair in a book discussing G-D’s mystery, because the point is the author doesn’t know everything. This drove my partner absolutely bonkers and frustrated me each time he wrote like his answer was true, but never even always gave scripture or tradition to back it up.
March 17, 2020
Honest and helpful attempt to make sense of some things about the Bible that Christians have trouble with. It doesn't supply that many actual answers but goes a fair way towards showing why these questions are hard and what we might do about it with regard to keeping faithful. I wish he had covered a few more subjects that are hard for us.
December 9, 2021
As brilliant as Wright is, the humility to write this book and the manner in which it is written makes it shine. He admits lack of understanding but then fills with helpful steps that help minimize doubt in the midst of the missing answers. This is an extremely helpful book, and his winsome tone makes it easier to receive his help. Thanks again Christopher J.H. Wright for adding to my life.
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December 25, 2025Great very readable contribution to understanding the Problem of evil, penal substitutionary atonement of the cross, the Canaanite “conquests”, and the end of the world- or more accurately- the renewal of all things.
Really appreciate and share many of Wright’s views.
Really appreciate and share many of Wright’s views.
July 27, 2018
Refreshingly open and challenging.
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October 8, 2019The God I Don't Understand is available as a print book from Seattle Public Library and can be accessed here:
https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/ite...
https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/ite...
October 31, 2020
Excellent, well balanced and a helpful read if you're already following Jesus.
November 23, 2020
The author tackles the difficult questions and tries to answer some and tell you how to deal with not understanding. A very valuable book. Highly recommended.
August 19, 2021
Very helpful for anyone pursuing orthodoxy and asking hard questions
January 23, 2022
4.5 stars. Well written and thoughtful book on 4 areas of misunderstanding/struggle
September 7, 2024
A good primer on four difficult topics, well connected and thought through
April 21, 2025
This was such a wonderful book! Having last year done my first cover to cover read of the entire Bible and starting my second this year, with a now basic understanding of the Scriptures, this provided so much help with questions that played on my mind during my first read.
I loved how Wright is so forthcoming and honest in what he doesn't understand, and how he doesn't let it break his faith, but actually strengthens it, much like myself. This was a very insightful and reassuring read.
I loved how Wright is so forthcoming and honest in what he doesn't understand, and how he doesn't let it break his faith, but actually strengthens it, much like myself. This was a very insightful and reassuring read.
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