While blogging through N. T. Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision, Douglas Wilson pithily observes,
Wright is like a wonderful three-point shooter in American basketball, but one who can’t be troubled to find out who is wearing what uniform, or which team is supposed to be going in what direction, so when he takes to the floor, he scores a dazzling series of points—sixteen for the home team, and twenty-four for the visitors. One can be simultaneously impressed and wish that he would just stop it.
What’s even more sad is that many people don’t take theology as seriously as they take sports (though, granted, the analogy breaks down on several levels when applied to theology). To recall an extreme (and unfortunate) example, do you remember what happened to the soccer player Andrés Escobar after he accidentally scored a goal for the opposing team in the 1994 World Cup?
Which is more destructive – a fool running up and down the court scoring at whichever basket is closest to him (Wright), or a cunning deceiver disguised in the other team’s jersey (Wilson)? …Or to use more biblical language, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I love the analogy. And this is spooky: I think I can behave like Wright: is it a lack of scholarship? Better yet: lack of concern for scholarship? Scholarship demands patience. I’m impatient. Perhaps Wright is too.