How God Became King

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright reveals how we have been misreading the Gospels for centuries, powerfully restoring the lost central story of the Scripture: the powerful arrival of the kingdom of God, where the coronation of God through the acts of Jesus was the climax of human history. Wright fills the gaps that centuries of misdirection have opened up in our collective spiritual story, tracing a narrative from Eden, to Jesus, to today. Wright’s powerful re-reading of the Gospels, a landmark work of Christian theology, helps us re-align the focus of our spiritual beliefs, which have for too long been focused on the afterlife. Instead, the forgotten story of the Gospels reveals why we should understand that our real charge is to sustain and cooperate with God's kingdom here and now as part of our Christian mission. Echoing the triumphs of Simply Christian and The Meaning of Jesus, Wright’s How God Became King is required reading for any Christian searching to understand their mission in the world today. How has the modern church forgotten the central story of its own Scriptures—and what can be done to recover it? The Kingdom and the Cross: Discover why the Gospels tell a single, powerful story of God’s victory, not a “kingdom” message that ends in failure or a “cross” message detached from Jesus’s life. A Radical Re-Reading: Challenge the assumption that the Gospels are primarily about “going to heaven” and uncover their true, world-changing message for our lives and mission on earth. The Story of Israel: Understand how the life and work of Jesus serves as the astonishing climax to the long, unfinished story of Israel and what that means for the entire world. Your Mission in the World: Move beyond a passive faith by grasping your active role in cooperating with God’s kingdom in the here and now, transforming the world around you.