One of my 10 Emergent/Missional/Post-Evangelical predictions for '09 was that N.T. Wright would release the 4th volume in his Christian Origins and the Question of God series (and Trevin Wax would review the hell out of it).

Well, leave it to Bishop Wright to hit us with a surprise early in '09. Although, given the speed with which he cranks out brilliant book after brilliant book (it's been said that he can write faster than you and I can read), it shouldn't have come as that big a surprise.

Next month in the UK, and in July is the US, N.T. Wright strikes back at his critics with Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision. As I demonstrated in '08 in my first installment of the Surprised by Hope Pirate Review Series, I'm not one to let pesky international treaties and patriotic bishops stand in my way. So I'll be getting my copy from Amazon.uk (in February). I smell another Pirate Review series in the horizon.

From what I understand, this book is a response to many of Wright's North American critics and to John Piper's The Future of Justification in particular. It is not a point for point reply to Piper but a general articulation of what Wright really thinks about justification with some hand-to-hand combat with Piper (as well as others such as Carson and Seifrid) along the way.

I had some things to say about Piper's book during the fledgling first months of Parables back in late '07. You can check those out here, here, here and here. And I'm more than curious as to whether Wright's counter-punch will touch on any of those issues.

In any event, I wouldn't want to be John Piper come February/July. Or, from one of my favorite '80's movies: "Mess with the bull, you get the horns...ya know what I'm sayin?"

Grace and Peace,
Raffi