Staff Review: Few scholars explore the diverse terrain of contemporary thought and its significance for the church as deftly as N. T. Wright. Unfortunately, despite numerous dead-on critiques of modern and postmodern positions, The Last Word fails to keep the sub-titles' promise of moving "beyond the Bible wars." Emphasizing the narratival flow, or story, of Scripture, Wright addresses shortcomings prevalent in both "conservative" and "liberal" approaches to the Bible. The Last Word highlights several ways that the richness of God's redemptive activity in Jesus Christ can be lost.

Disappointingly, Wright fails to demonstrate how the reiteration of his five-act approach to Scriptural authority provides a unique path through any specific challenge currently facing the church. Instead, prescriptive suggestions fall largely upon "Left Behind" fundamentalism or the liberal "Christianity" of John Shelby Spong. If you fall in the rather large section of the spectrum between such poles, you should thoughtfully read and enjoy Wright's insights. However, the doctrinal and ethical challenges facing the contemporary church, both liberal and evangelical, require a more rigorous understanding of authority. - Matthew Harmon, WTS Bookstore Staff, January 2006.

Review of The Last Word by former Westminster Theological Seminary professor John Frame.