In After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters, N. T. Wright considers how people who believe that Jesus is God’s offer of redemption should respond to this belief. He writes primarily to Western Christians, steeped in the mistaken idea that Christianity is about getting into heaven after dying. He suggests replacing this belief with a question, What is Christianity for right now and does it impact life today? To understand his answer, readers need to understand three words: character, virtue, and wisdom.
Character is molding and sculpting the habits of life. It forms a behavioural standard. It is a pattern of thought and action, making rules unnecessary. Virtue comes from good character. It uses this pattern automatically after a life of making many good small decisions to develop character. Wisdom is knowing God. It helps people understand both God and neighbour and it places Christians in the gospel story.
After You Believe follows Simply Christian and Surprised By Hope. In these books, Wright discusses a future new creation where God joins heaven and earth. God’s mechanism for unveiling this creation is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Hope is not “going to heaven.” Hope is a future physical resurrection into this new creation. After You Believe continues along this line. Wright argues that the best way to understand the Christian life is to view our present lives as preparation for our future lives in God’s new creation. This preparation comes by proper Christian behaviour, worship, and mission.
Such preparation is about how we understand what it means to be human. If we want develop a uniquely Christian character, the New Testament understanding of what it is to be human should shape our understanding. By adopting the New Testament’s definition of human, Christians accept it as a guide to form their character.
People often have mistaken assumptions about Christian behaviour. The first mistaken assumption is that Christians must meet a list of obligations that they do not to always understand. This assumption misunderstands the purpose of rules. The second is that Christians can simply be themselves, because if our heart says something is OK it is good. This assumption neglects the hard work of forming our hearts to reflect the New Testament understanding of a human. The third is that Christians only need character to meet significant challenges. This assumption misses that character is important during all of life, rather than only in challenging times.
Wright responds to these mistakes by explaining character transformation. First, identify and aim at a proper goal. Second, identify the steps necessary to reach this goal. Third, follow these steps until they become second nature. Throughout After You Believe, Wright anticipates and answers reader’s questions about this process.
Why is it important for Christians to develop character? Simply put, Christians have a task, or mission. While only one part of creation, people have a unique role as stewards. As God’s image bearers, people need to reflect him to the rest of creation. When we develop character, Christians demonstrate how to reflect God.
Isn’t developing character, optimistically, no different from following rules, or, pessimistically, no different from being hypocritical and image conscious? In both cases, the reality of sin means that the answer is no. Rules serve as a reminder. Rules help people avoid sin while we are working on our character development. As character development increases, the need for rules decreases. Similarly, recognizing that sin is a reality is why working to develop character is not the same as hypocrisy. Acknowledging and then countering our sinful impulses is not a mask. Instead, it is a demonstration that we recognize and submit to an authority greater than our own.
What makes Christian virtue different from other ideas about virtue? These ideas actually are similar because Jesus and the church’s earliest teachers adapted an already good idea to reflect their own beliefs. This answer has two parts. First is the admission that recognizing value in other worldviews will not shake Christianity. Aristotle first suggested that virtue is evidence of character transformation. Courage, justice, prudence, and temperance are the four “cardinal” virtues. To achieve the cardinal virtues is to reach the peak of personal development. The goal of strong character is personal fulfillment. Second is the understanding that while early Christian teachers saw good in the idea of cardinal virtues and character, they needed to adapt the teaching if it was to help Christians grow in their faith. The difference in what Jesus and other early church teachers taught about virtue and character is that they are not sources of personal fulfillment. Instead, they are sources of humility. The goal of strong character is to ensure that the welfare of others.
To conclude After You Believe, Wright suggests several guides for Christians who are working on character transformation. Such guides do not provide this transformation. Instead, each provides an opportunity to make intentional choices that change life patterns. The first guide is scripture. Reading and studying scripture acknowledges our need to hear from God and our need to understand where we fit in God’s narrative. The second guide is stories. Stories – whether from scripture, history, or art – help us to understand our God, our neighbours, and our selves. The third guide is examples, which show us the consequences of good and bad choices. The fourth guide is the community of people who follow God. This includes Christians everywhere, a local congregation, and smaller groups. The fifth guide is the practices of the community. There are several practices, including communion, baptism, prayer, giving money, and reading scripture together.
I am beginning to look at books of Christian ethics for more input on what it means to be a social justice Christian. I expect that these books will also expand my understanding about politics in light of my faith. After You Believe is an excellent start to this project. Three bits in particular were helpful.
First, I see value in our political system and see democracy as a tool available to social justice Christians. Wright’s reminder that I need to think about how my faith co-exists with democracy therefore impressed me.[1] I considered this reminder in light of Wright’s idea that Christian character limits the value of rules. How can I demonstrate Christian character in a pluralistic political system that depends on rules to protect people? The answer must recognize a tension: rules inadequately protect freedom, but having absolutely no rules corrupts freedom.
I also appreciate Wright’s idea about repentance. The essence of Wright’s argument in the book is that Christian life should reflect Kingdom life. This reflection will be a “Spirit-led, habit-forming, truly human practice of faith, hope, and love.”[2] Not everyone – not even all Christians – is on this path. This is why a change of direction is necessary. I like that Wright’s idea of character can affect social change. The character that he describes can therefore address injustice. If we want justice, a good deal of it will come when those of us on the top repent and stop stepping on those of us on the bottom. As I come up with my schemes for justice, perhaps I should ask, “Does this help people repent?”
Finally, I am happy that Wright sees social justice as the responsibility of the whole church. He explains that over the last two centuries, Western societies have attempted to separate social justice and God. The last two centuries have also seen war, totalitarianism, and revolution to address evil. Clearly, eliminating God from the discussion did not help. It is up to the church to demonstrate how God is relevant to social justice.[3] I am happy that Wright acknowledges the need of the whole church to participate, rather than just small pockets. I am a bit nervous though. He made it clear that the need for repentance is absolute. Is the church ready to confess and turn away from our own guilt in social injustice? I expect this guilt is partly why people seek justice apart from God.
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[1] See page 11.
[2] See page 67.
[3] See page 231.
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