The Challenge of Acts

"There is a lot to be said for verse-by-verse exegesis and exposition of the New Testament, but there is also a lot to be said for, on occasion, standing back and seeing the larger sweep of thought and noting the way certain themes are highlighted and developed. This is the latter sort of book. Acts is a page-turner. Thirty years or more of early church history flash before our eyes: full of interest, lessons to be learned, characters to ponder. It’s easy to cherry-pick parts that seem to speak to us directly; the danger then is that we miss themes that emerge in a more overarching way. Some of those are powerfully relevant to the challenging life and work to which the followers of Jesus are called today."

This is vintage Wright. Based on a lifetime of theological reflection on Paul and his world, Tom Wright gives us a vigorous and exhilarating exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. Wright brings out not only the key points of the story of Acts but also (and more importantly) the theological ideas embodied in the story. In this “brief but not shallow” bird’s-eye view of Acts, Wright invites us to journey with Paul and the other apostles as they set out on the adventure of witnessing to the risen Jesus in the sophisticated cultures of the Greek and Roman worlds — and at the same time to reflect on the challenges faced by followers of Christ today. 
—Loveday Alexander, professor emerita of biblical studies, University of Sheffield

N. T. Wright’s Challenge of Acts is neither a light devotional nor a dense scholarly tome, but an easy-to-read summary of the Acts of the Apostles. Wright doesn’t scrutinize every fact, but like a good tour guide in Jerusalem, Ephesus, or Corinth, he takes us to the biggest highlights, shows us some artifacts that most might miss, and ably explains why it should matter to us today. A great way to read the story about the beginnings of the early church.
—Rev. Dr. Michael F. Bird, deputy principal, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia, coauthor, The New Testament in Its World

Tom Wright describes Acts as “a page-turner.” The same could be said for Wright’s interpretive reflections on Acts, as he explores its twists of plot and overarching themes. From insightful analysis to thoughtful contextualization, The Challenge of Acts invites readers into a fresh encounter with this fascinating narrative of the earliest days of the church. Readers of all kinds, whether seasoned or new to the Bible, will benefit from this engaging study.
—Jeannine K. Brown, The David Price Professor of Biblical and Theological Foundations, Bethel Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota

This little book is a retelling of the story of the New Testament book of Acts with the Wright spin. Unsurprisingly, this retelling is accomplished in the light of Wright’s other extensive work in New Testament studies and research into Second Temple Judaism. For readers so inclined, footnotes point to Wright’s fuller explanations in his other publications. Of course, readers who disagree with some of Wright’s conclusions in other realms might chafe a bit at seeing how those ideas are brought over into his reading of Acts. But one must nevertheless appreciate Wright’s willingness to sketch out the ramifications of his reading of Paul (for instance) on his reading of Luke. Thus, with this brief survey of Acts, Wright continues his attempt to demonstrate that the New Testament is better understood in light of its own first-century historical situation than it is when filtered through a Reformation grid from the sixteenth century. This might be a blinding glimpse of the obvious for some, but Wright’s persistence in making and extending this argument will be seen as helpful—if not also necessary—for many. Following Luke's lead, Wright regularly makes connections with the Old Testament. What God had announced in the Scriptures of Israel, Luke acknowledges in Acts as having reached a climactic turning point in the complex of the first-century Jesus-and-Spirit event. Much of what Wright says is familiar, and yet his connections of familiar with familiar have their own enlightening aha moments. At times Wright can subtly state the obvious, and at other times he obviously states the more subtle. Sometimes what the reader might have wanted Luke to mean in a favored section of Acts becomes less important because Wright takes Luke’s nuanced way of saying things and clarifies that Luke intends something totally other than what has been produced by our preferential and oftentimes too narrow and atomized efforts at interpretation. The Challenge of Acts is an informative read.
—Douglas S. Huffman, professor of New Testament and dean of academic programs, Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, author of The Story of Jesus Continues: A Survey of the Acts of the Apostles

As always, Wright presents his insights in a highly readable, engaging, and often witty way, developing pervasive themes in Acts. Challenging many points of secular philosophies and popular fads along the way, he articulates a coherent theological picture that also challenges our hearts and lives in today’s world.
—Craig S. Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary, author of Acts: An Exegetical Commentary (4 vols.)

Wright’s very readable overview of Acts reflects the breathless wonder and challenge of Luke’s account of the early spread of the good news that the risen and ascended Jesus now reigns as God’s appointed king. This brief and accessible commentary not only charts a clear course through the twists and turns of Luke’s action-packed narrative but also offers numerous insights into the practical and theological relevance of Acts for Christians today. 
—David M. Moffitt, reader in New Testament Studies, University of St. Andrews

N. T. Wright's lectures on the Book of Acts are a deeply informed study for the general reader that deepens our understanding of Luke's historical record of the first thirty years of the proclamation, worship, theology, and missionary work of the earliest followers of Jesus Messiah. Anyone who thinks that studying historical events is a dry, deadening exercise that is best avoided will be forced to think again as Wright demonstrates the significance of Luke's second part of his long historical monograph on Jesus and his followers for Christian faith, and, not the least, for an increasingly secular world. Wright's newest book is a welcome study guide that deserves to be used widely.
—Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mary F. Rockefeller Emeritus Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, author of Acts in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

In this short yet substantive commentary, Tom Wright skillfully guides readers through the expansive and exciting Acts of the Apostles. Wright highlights several leading themes that animate Acts. He also helpfully focuses on the progress of the gospel as it advances—obstacles and opposition notwithstanding—from the Holy City to the Capital City by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the courageous witness of those who would come to be called “Christians.” Acts challenges us, as does The Challenge of Acts, to an uncommon devotion to the Lord of heaven and earth, who is no less Lord of the church.    
—Todd D. Still, Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean & William M. Hinson Professor of Christian Scriptures, Baylor University, Truett Seminary, coauthor of Thinking through Paul: A Survey of His Life, Letters, and Theology

Tom Wright here gives us a good, accessible study of Acts that will help lots of people to engage with Acts better and with greater understanding. His “big picture” approach to the overall story of Acts is illuminating, beautifully written, and rooted in good scholarship. It will inform and help church members and those who preach and teach from Acts. Read it—you will benefit.
—Steve Walton, senior research fellow in New Testament, Trinity College, Bristol, author of Acts 1–9:2 in the Word Biblical Commentary series