Response to N.T. Wright & Owen Strachan: Where Both Got It Right & Wrong
I recently read N.T. Wright’s article, “Christianity Offers No Answers About the Coronavirus. It’s Not Supposed To” and Owen Strachan’s response critique, “NT Wright Is Wrong: Hope in a Time of Pandemic”. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with both. I’m posing my blog in response to Owen’s because his is the latter. In no way am I defending Wright’s article. As I said, I agree and disagree with both men’s articles. Yet, in no way am I trying to be disrespectful to either men nor more noise in the social wind. I value context, objectivity, sensibility, and the humility to reason together, which is how I attempted to approach these articles in my response. My hope is that others who read these articles (mine included) will approach them the same and walk away with something beneficial to their faith in this time.
Here are my thoughts:
Owen’s first assertion critique, I disagree with.
If you read Wright’s statement in context with the paragraph, he’s addressing “the knee-jerk would-be Christian reactions” that are not helpful at all during this time—e.g. COVID19 is a punishment, or a warning, or a sign. The “everything must have an explanation” statement is not completely incorrect. As Owen himself points out, “though we may not know the particular contextual answer, we do know the general truth of such a tragic event.” But Wright isn’t addressing the “general”. He is speaking to a “particular contextual explanation” of this current global crisis. And on that point he is not necessarily wrong. Do we truly have to have an explanation for COVID19? No we don’t, if we do not have a direct explanation for this current crisis. It is completely okay, and honest, for Christians to say, “I don’t know why.”
Owen’s second assertion critique, is stretched out of context.
Wright clarifies his comment on “wait without hope” with “because we’d be hoping in the wrong thing.” To leave that part out is wrong on Owen’s part and misconstrues Wright’s point for his statement. Wright didn’t say hope itself is bad. He’s articulating that “hoping in the wrong thing” is what’s bad, because hoping in the wrong thing isn’t true hope, it’s false hope—which Owen agreed with, “This doesn’t mean we should “hope for the wrong thing,” of course.” So that is not an unbiblical point from Wright, if read in context.
Owen’s third assertion critique, I agree with.
It’s hard to try to explain away that Wright’s statement is not questioning God’s complete sovereignty when he writes,
“Some Christians like to think of God as...knowing everything, in charge of everything.... That’s not the picture we get in the Bible.”
I get part of what Wright was trying to address in that God is not detached from the pain and trouble His people experience in this world. But to throw in there “knowing everything, in charge of everything” was unnecessary, which makes it appear intentional. And in that I agree with Owen,
“Wright seems to think that one is faced with one of two options: either one affirms that God’s perfections dispose him to react him with love for humanity and displeasure with evil or one affirms that God is absolutely sovereign over creation. This is a false choice. In truth, we can affirm a version of both of these biblical realities.”
Owen’s fourth assertion critique, I partially agree & disagree with.
I agree that if Christians can explain what’s happening and why with biblical accuracy & clarity, then we should; which is why Wright’s statement that “not” being able to explain “is part of the Christian vocation” is an incorrect exaggeration. However, there are times where we don’t have a direct explanation to why something is happening, even with what Owen calls “general knowledge” doesn’t always cut it in answering why something is happening. So, if I give Wright the benefit of the doubt here, I believe that’s the point he is trying to make. His statement appears to apply strictly to COVID19. It doesn’t appear to be generally applied to all circumstances. And if this is the case, he’s not wrong to claim that it is not part of our vocation to be able to explain what’s happening in this current global crisis or why.
Owen’s conclusion…
Even though I disagree with two and a half of Owen’s four assertion critiques, I do not disagree with his conclusion. I believe I get the point from Wright’s article, “Christian, now is not the time to try and offer explanations to what’s happening or why with this current global crisis. Just lament with people.” And while there is nothing wrong with this overall point (if that is what Wright was trying to communicate), he still offers no hope for the people of God nor those separated from God and in desperate need of the hope-filled gospel of Jesus. This, as Owen states, is “where Wright has missed his chance”.