Ask NT Wright Anything

Another three thorny questions tackled with clarity and depth by Tom Wright and Mike Bird this week. Grab a coffee and prepare for vintage NT Wright. First, they explore the difference between biblical theology and systematic theology, asking when each is most useful and why keeping close to the biblical text really matters. Next, Tom unpacks the much-debated “I” the "Wretched Man" in Romans 7, ex...

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 Ch...

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...

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 Testamen...

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 i...

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...

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...

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 conversatio...

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...

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 i...

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 Bibl...

In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle three fascinating theological questions: What actually happens at the Second Coming? Were Moses and Elijah resurrected at the Transfiguration? How should Christians understand the “unseen realm” of angels and spiritual beings? Tom explains why many popular readings of “rapture” passages misunderstand Jesus’ teaching, clarif...

How did Judas really die, by hanging or by falling and bursting open? Does the Bible contain contradictions? And what does it really mean to “set your mind on things above”?In this episode of Ask N.T. Wright Anything, Tom Wright, and Mike Bird tackle three challenging questions: Reconciling Matthew and Acts on the death of Judas Whether “biblical inerrancy” is the best way to speak about Scripture...

In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle three profound theological questions that sit right at the heart of Christian hope. Is our suffering somehow “redemptive”? What does Paul mean when he says he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”? Tom explains how our suffering participates in Christ’s mission — without adding to the finished work of the...

What do you get from Church that you cant get from another community? Does the church actually offer a unique spiritual protection? And how should Christians navigate salvation, infant baptism, and bad teaching across different denominations? Today on Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle some of the tricky questions facing the church today. They look at why Christian community m...

Can Christians work within unjust governments? What actually changes with the New Covenant? And what does the future hold for Anglicanism amid global shifts and internal tensions? Today on the podcast, Tom Wright and Mike Bird are answering your questions on faith, politics, and church life. How should Christians think about power and conscience? How did Jesus approach to political authority? How...

Does your everyday work really matter to God? Why did Jesus have to be fully human and fully divine? And how should Christians live faithfully while waiting for Jesus’ return? In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird explore how ordinary life fits into God’s extraordinary purposes. They discuss how all kinds of work, from manual labor to data analysis, can participate in...

Who can be saved? What about those who have never heard the gospel? Do Christians earn rewards in heaven and what does God’s wrath really mean at the cross? Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle some of the most challenging and emotionally charged questions in Christian theology. They explore whether Salvation is limited by geography or history, how God’s justice and mercy relate to those outside the Ch...

Was Christianity bad for the world? How should we talk honestly about the Crusades, colonialism, slavery, sectarian wars — and the church’s failures — without pretending the record is clean? In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird respond to three big questions: Is Christianity bad? Tom argues we must acknowledge the church’s worst moments without defensiveness, while a...

Why does the Old Testament sometimes appear to treat women unfairly in cases of adultery? What was the purpose of the Nazirite vow, and why would anyone choose it? And what does it really mean to say that Christ is “present” in the Eucharist? Today, N.T. Wright and Mike Bird dive in on Ask NT Wright Anything to answer your three challenging and deeply human questions about law, holiness, and sacra...

Do ordained ministers have “more” of the Holy Spirit than lay people? What exactly was John the Baptist doing when he baptised Jews before Jesus’ ministry began? And are the Thirty-Nine Articles still fit for purpose today? Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle three questions that sit at the heart of church life, theology, and Christian identity in today's episode of Ask NT Wright Anything. Tom explain...

Where is the Garden of Eden? What did Paul mean by our “earthly tent”? And does Genesis contain later edits, and if so, does that undermine Scripture? In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle three of the most frequently misunderstood biblical questions. Tom explains why Paul’s language in 2 Corinthians 5 isn’t Platonic escapism but robust resurrection hope; why t...

Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem, or did the gospel writers “invent” the story to fit prophecy? Did a Roman census ever force people to travel back to their ancestral towns? And what about Herod’s massacre of the innocents – pure theology, or plausible history? In this special Advent episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird respond to challenges raised by historian Tom Holland...

N.T. Wright and Mike Bird and reunited together in person in Premier’s new London studios for a big Ask NT Wright Anything episode. Tom tackles a huge listener question: has Christianity actually done more harm than good? From crusades, slavery and abuse scandals to hospitals, human rights and the end of infanticide, he explains how to face church failures honestly without ditching Jesus. They the...

Demonic activity in the New Testament, the surprising rise of “high church” worship, and whether Christians should be keeping Saturday as the Sabbath…This week on Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom and Mike tackle three big and very different questions. First: Did Jesus’ arrival trigger a surge in demonic activity, and should Christians today expect to encounter the demonic? Tom draws on decades of pasto...