Broken Signposts Tom Wright (SPCK, 2020) 198pp, RRP hardback £16.99, paperback £12.99 Autumn 2021
It is with some trepidation that I write this review, knowing that Tom Wright is highly respected as a New Testament scholar in academic circles and has over 80 publications to his name. What makes a great theologian? Not just depth of study and analysis, but original thought and an ability to explain ideas clearly to others. Wright has all these credentials. Added to that, as one-time Bishop of Durham, his deep Christian faith shines through as he relates his ideas to everyday life, making his works really useful for preachers.
This book is not, as I had mistakenly assumed, a study of the seven ‘signs’ (miracles) in John’s gospel. The ‘signposts’ are what Wright identifies as major Johannine themes. These seven signposts of justice, love, spirituality, beauty, freedom, truth and power are shown to be fundamental human longings that should point us to the good Creator God; but which are so often corrupted or ‘broken’ in human society. We see how Jesus reinterprets each theme, setting us an example of what ‘made in the image of God’ really means. Hence the subtitle to the book: How Christianity makes sense of the world.
