Ask NT Wright Anything

Is building God’s kingdom basically the same thing as secular humanism? Should Christians pray directly to the Holy Spirit? And how do you relearn biblical Greek after years away from it?
In this episode, Tom Wright and Mike Bird explore the deep difference between Christian hope and secular progress, giving practical advice for recovering New Testament Greek, and explain how the Trinity shapes Christian prayer.
A thoughtful conversation about theology, language, and the presence of God.
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In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Mike Bird and Tom Wright tackle three very different but deeply connected questions about faithfulness in a confused age today. First, they address the growing entanglement of MAGA politics, nationalism and parts of white evangelical culture, asking how Christians can resist ideological capture and recover the way of Jesus. They then respond pastorally to a listener wrestling with chronic illness, suffering and the search for meaning, offering compassion, prayer and a cross-shaped vision of purpose. Finally, they explore how to teach a more biblical hope in church: not escapist ideas of souls flying to heaven, but resurrection, new creation and God dwelling with his people. A thoughtful, searching and timely conversation about politics, pain and Christian hope in our present moment together.
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What happened to the “lost tribes” of Israel, and do they matter today?
In this episode, Tom Wright explores the mystery of Israel’s northern tribes, the meaning of exile, and how the New Testament reframes restoration.
They also dive into the debate around penal substitution, asking whether it truly reflects the biblical story. Finally, Mike and Tom tackle a practical question: which Old Testament should Christians read: the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint? We hope you find today's episode a deep and clarifying episode on Scripture, history, and theology.
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What does the Bible really mean by “soul” and “spirit”? Are they the same thing, or something very different?
In this episode, Tom Wright unpacks key biblical words like psuchē, pneuma, and ekklesia, showing how modern misunderstandings can distort Christian theology.
They also tackle a profound question: Does God “repent”? How do we reconcile passages where God seems to change his mind with the idea that God is unchanging?
This episode is all about getting back to Scripture and avoiding the confusion that comes from some biblical terms and words.
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Recorded in the Anglican calendar's Holy Week this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Michael Bird and Tom Wright begin with Easter traditions, from Bach’s St Matthew Passion to smashing chocolate Humpty Dumpty eggs. Then they tackle three rich questions. 
First: did Paul “convert” from Judaism to Christianity, or did his encounter with Jesus radically reframe his identity as a child of Abraham and member of God’s covenant people? 
Next: did Jesus make mistakes? Tom reflects on Hebrews, Gethsemane, and the Syrophoenician woman to explore what it means that Jesus “learned obedience” without implying sin or error. 
And finally, they discuss apostolic succession, asking whether continuity with the apostles rests mainly in bishops, priests, and deacons, or more deeply in Scripture, sacrament, prayer, and the church’s visible unity across time and space. 
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In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright responds to listener questions about attending churches across denominational lines, the meaning of key biblical terms, and puzzling moments in the life of the Apostle Paul.
Tom explores whether Protestants can attend Catholic churches, reflecting on how Christian unity should be lived out despite real theological differences. He also explains why some Bible translations use “Judeans” instead of “Jews,” and why this matters for understanding the New Testament without importing modern assumptions.
Finally, Tom tackles a challenging question about Paul: why did he circumcise Timothy but refuse to circumcise Titus? Through this, he unpacks Paul’s mission strategy, his commitment to unity, and what it means to be faithful to the gospel in different cultural contexts.
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In this deeply pastoral episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle some of the most sensitive and difficult questions Christians face.
How should believers respond when heartfelt prayers seem unanswered, especially in the tragedy of miscarriage and pregnancy loss? Tom reflects on grief, prayer, and the mysterious work of the Spirit in the midst of suffering.
The conversation then turns to the Eucharist: what really happens in Holy Communion? Is it merely symbolic, or does something deeper occur when the church shares the bread and wine?
Finally, Tom and Mike explore a question often raised in modern discussions about the Bible: did the characters of scripture, figures like Moses, Jonah, or Job, actually exist?
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In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright answers listener questions about John’s Gospel, worship music, and the relationship between Jesus and Paul.
Tom explains how the miracle at Cana reveals Jesus’ glory and points forward to the cross. He also reflects on the theology embedded in Christian hymnody and why some lyrics may need updating. Finally, he addresses the long-standing claim that Paul distorted Jesus’ message and shows how Paul’s mission actually grows directly out of Jesus’ kingdom movement.
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In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird explore three significant questions facing the church today:
• Can Christians remain in a church that disagrees about women in leadership?
• How can the global church move toward deeper unity across traditions?
• Did the Apostle Paul wrongly expect Jesus to return within his lifetime?
Tom reflects on the revolutionary role of women in the early church, the biblical vision of unity in Ephesians, and why Paul’s language about the Lord’s return has often been misunderstood.
Rather than predicting the end of the world, Tom explains that the New Testament speaks of the fulfillment of God’s purposes for creation, the arrival of new creation.
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Today on Ask NT Wright Anything, N.T. Wright and Mike Bird tackle three major theological questions: Can Christians lose their salvation? What did Jesus actually mean when he spoke about hell? Is hyper-Calvinism a distortion of biblical teaching?
Tom explores how the New Testament holds together both assurance and warning, why many modern ideas about hell owe more to medieval imagery than the Bible, and why philosophical systems about predestination often miss the central narrative of Scripture.
Instead of abstract speculation about who is “in” or “out,” Tom argues that the Bible consistently tells the story of God choosing people in order to bless the world through them.

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