NT Wright on Caesar and Christ, the Pandemic, and Social Justice

Esteemed New Testament scholar and Anglican bishop NT Wright joins David Gornoski to discuss the pandemic and Christ’s role in shaping governance and justice. The iconic theologian puts the pandemic into perspective from what Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, especially chapter 8 of that letter. Doctor Wright points to how the early church revolutionized the way we think about our fellow human beings by caring for the poor and downtrodden and how those actions must be emulated in our current age as well. But what about some of the questions that split the churches right down the middle? Questions like: Should we employ coercion in our attempt to care for the poor and educate people? Can we implement the Sermon on the Mount in the world of politics?

“When God wants to transform this world, he doesn’t send in the tanks, he sends in the meek, the pure in heart, the hungry-for-justice people, the mourners, and the peacemakers, and by the time the bullies and the bad guys have woken up from what’s going on, the mourners, the hungry-for-justice people, and the meek have built hospitals and schools, looking after the poor, and are inculcating people’s imagination the idea that there is a different way to be human and it involves caring for one another.”

On the rise of groups like Black Lives Matter, Wright says: “If the church has left out a big gap in its agenda, namely fostering a multi-cultural, multi-lingual community of brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t be surprised if other people with other agendas try to fill the gap of what we should’ve been doing all along.”

What does Wright have to say on Criminal Justice Reform and the Church’s role in shaping our justice system? Listen to the full podcast to find out.

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Buy N.T. Wright’s latest book ‘God and the Pandemic’ on Amazon.