two "paths" of thought

the following quote is from simply christian by nt wright, in describing what christianity is NOT about - brother george had it on his website:

Christianity is not about a new moral teaching as though we were morally clueless and in need of some fresh or clearer guidelines. … Christianity isn’t about Jesus offering a wonderful moral example, as though our principal need was to see what a life of utter love and devotion to God and to other people would look like, so that we could try to copy it. … Nor is Christianity about Jesus offering, demonstrating, or even accomplishing a new route by which people can “go to heaven when they die.” … Finally, Christianity isn’t about giving the world fresh teaching about God himself though clearly, if the Christian claim is true, we do indeed learn a great deal about who God is by looking at Jesus.

what is christianity about according to nt wright?

Christianity is all about the belief that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises and as the climax of the story of Israel, has accomplished all this … the finding, the saving, the giving of new life in Jesus. He has done it. With Jesus, God’s rescue operation has been put into effect once and for all. A great door has swung open in the cosmos which can never again be shut. It’s the door to the prison where we’ve been kept chained up. We are offered freedom: freedom to experience God’s rescue for ourselves, to go through the open door and explore the new world to which we now have access. In particular, we are all invited, summoned, actually, to discover, through following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty, and that we are not only to enjoy it as such but to work at bringing it to birth on earth as in heaven.

many christians understand christianity to be the first description of what nt wright claims christianity is NOT. but as i read through and studied luke 7:36-50 over this past week, i see what wright is talking about. the story of a prostitute who seeks out christ at a religious party to anoint his feet with her tears. a woman who encountered god in the flesh - and experienced first hand the radiant, magnificent love of god for herself and because of that encounter subjected herself to more judgement and condemnation just to express her love and adoration to the "god-man" who gave her, her very life back. the gospel is full of this type of "good news." the types of stories we read over and over, and totally miss the depth and scandal to be uncovered. reading the gospels has lead me to agree with nt wright, and begin to encounter this god, on his rescue mission, in my daily life. and every now and then, he allows me to even be used by him..........