On page 3 of the opening chapter, N.T. "Tom" Wright- the former Bishop of Durham- captures the essence of much of what is askew in modern Western Christianity. It's actually a quote from a colleague and I've abbreviated it some here-

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"Many Christians have so emphasized the need for conversion, for the opening act of faith and commitment, for the initial statement of that faith ("believing that Jesus died for me" or whatever) that they have this big gap in their version of what being a Christian is all about."
"If we're not careful, wrote my friend, this opening act of belief can become simply a matter of assent to a proposition (Jesus is the Son of God, etc.) with no need for transformation".
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Today, so much of what passes for Christianity seems to be exactly this- an assertion to a proposition that, once affirmed, offers the "newly minted" Christian admission into an elite club; one that too often emphasizes anti-intellectualism and discourages true introspection and therefore offers no real theological framework to its practitioners whatsoever. This version of Christianity is rendered in a loosely cobbled system of beliefs, based primarily on cultural influences and the most superficial of theologies and therefore simply adopts, by proxy, the legalism of both the Old and New Testaments as its primary bylaws.

The real draw of this type of Christianity, whether it is manifested in the prosperity gospel movement, in Sunday morning television programming or in the quasi-political realm of the "culture wars", is that it doesn't really cost the practitioner anything- no transformation is required. They may continue along their way with the same character flaws, the same prejudices, the same belief that those who don't share their views are somehow beneath them; and all the while these very worldly and unChrist-like traits not only go unchallenged by this superficial brand of Christianity; they are ultimately codified within it. This is the "cheap grace" so often mentioned in the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

In this book, Tom Wright poses the question "What Am I Here For?" and emphasizes the need for an authentic transformation of character that goes beyond merely "trying to do the right thing" (whatever that is) and rather (re)opens the view of the world to the practitioner through the eyes of Christ. Wright goes on to pose that even such a fundamental transformation of character, however, can be fleeting and may soon succumb to the demands of the world if it does not also adhere to a system that follows true Christian virtue.

Wright then uses much of the book to flesh out, through both illustration and exegesis, these two key concepts- Christian Character and Christian Virtue. Rather than following a roadmap of legalism on the one hand, or the aimless wanderings of unstructured, personal spiritual experience on the other; Wright proposes a third way based essentially on a Christian moral compass that, self-correcting in nature, continuously seeks to apply the filter of Christ to its view of the world. This allows for adherence to doctrine while also encouraging proactive compassion, forgiveness and empathy.

This book, the third in a series, is the capstone for an arc emphasizing the development of Christian Character that begins in and carries through the first two books- "Simply Christian" and in particular "Surprised by Hope". This is not merely a spiritual exercise; Wright goes into great detail around such pertinent topics as the psychology of habit formation as it relates the development of character. All of Wright's writings eventually do, however, hearken back to his one central theological proposition- that we do not earn our way "into" heaven by being good or even by doing good in God's name; but rather should be sufficiently transformed by the spirit HERE and NOW that we covet and are allowed to participate in God's ultimate plan; the binding together of a new heaven and a new earth as described in scripture.

This book is first and foremost a description of that participation and, while I don't always agree with every one of Wright's conclusions, I do believe he continues to offer us one of the best working hypotheses out there around the "Nature of Things" and God's expectations for us as Christians- here on this earth and now at this moment.