Overview of Ask NT Wright Anything
In this episode, Mike Bird and Tom Wright answer listener questions about three related themes: the disturbing story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, whether Christianity is experiencing a “quiet revival” in the UK, and why Jesus’ call for unity and love among believers remains so difficult for the church to fulfill. Tom Wright frames all three topics around the seriousness of life before the living God, the nature of the church as a covenant community, and the need to measure spiritual health by more than attendance numbers.
Ananias and Sapphira: Why Acts 5 Is So Severe
Main explanation
Tom Wright argues that Acts 5 is not an arbitrary or isolated act of divine punishment, but a dramatic warning at the beginning of the church’s life.
- Ananias and Sapphira are not condemned simply for not giving everything.
- Their deeper sin is deception: they pretend to offer the whole amount while secretly withholding part.
- The issue is covenant faithfulness and integrity before God, not just money.
Biblical parallels
Wright compares the episode to Joshua 7 and Achan, where hidden disobedience undermines Israel’s mission. In the same way:
- the early church is presented as a new holy people,
- mutual sharing is not optional generosity but a symbolic act of belonging,
- lying about gifts is effectively a rejection of the covenant community.
Key takeaway
The story shows that the early church was not merely a friendly association; it was the place where the living God was present. That makes dishonesty and hypocrisy especially serious.
Quiet Revival, Church Attendance, and What Really Shows Spiritual Health
On the UK “quiet revival”
Wright acknowledges that some data on church attendance were flawed, but he also says there are still signs of renewed interest in Christianity:
- rising Bible and theology book sales,
- increased seminary enrollment in some places,
- signs of spiritual curiosity among people who have grown tired of “new atheism” and shallow secularism,
- renewed interest even outside evangelical circles, including Anglican and liberal churches.
Is attendance enough?
He says church attendance matters, but it is not the full measure of revival.
- Attendance can be inflated by cultural fashion or curiosity.
- Genuine revival is about people actually gathering to seek God, pray, and live as a community.
- Christianity is inherently communal; it is not just private spirituality.
What health should look like
Wright emphasizes that a healthy church should show:
- worship and prayer,
- shared life,
- care for the vulnerable,
- justice, peace, and reconciliation,
- visible evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work.
He also warns that Christianity has often been reduced to private moral comfort, when the New Testament presents it as a public, communal way of life.
Unity and Love: Why Jesus’ Prayer for One Church Matters
Jesus’ vision
The final question centers on Jesus’ prayer in John that his followers “may be one.” Wright treats this as a serious command, not an idealistic suggestion.
Why unity is so hard
He identifies several reasons the church struggles with unity:
- denominational habits and inherited traditions,
- people assuming “unity” means others should agree with them,
- historical divisions such as the Filioque controversy and the Reformation,
- local church cultures being mistaken for essential doctrine.
Ecumenical progress
Wright notes that there has actually been substantial ecumenical work over the last generation:
- many mainstream churches agree on core doctrines,
- major disagreements often remain, but there is more common ground than many assume,
- figures like Walter Kasper have documented these shared convictions.
The biblical argument for unity
Wright draws especially from:
- John 17 — unity is meant to persuade the world,
- Romans 14–15 — the church should not treat secondary differences as central,
- Isaiah 11 — the joining of diverse peoples in peace is a sign of new creation.
For Wright, church unity is not just organizational efficiency. It is part of the church’s witness to the world and a sign that the new creation has begun.
Key Themes and Takeaways
1. God takes the church seriously
Acts 5 shows that the church is not a casual social club. It is a covenant people living before the holy God.
2. Revival is more than numbers
Attendance can be a sign of renewal, but the real indicators are spiritual hunger, prayer, communal life, and transformed behavior.
3. Unity is central, not optional
Jesus’ prayer for oneness is foundational to Christian identity and public witness.
4. The church should embody new creation
When believers from different backgrounds live together in love and truth, they give the world a preview of God’s coming kingdom.
Notable Insight
“Christianity is a team sport.”
Wright’s point is that faith is not primarily an individual, private pursuit. It is a shared life of worship, accountability, generosity, and reconciliation.
Practical Implications
- Take honesty in church life seriously, especially around money, status, and public appearances.
- Don’t equate spiritual vitality with attendance alone.
- Look for signs of revival in prayer, generosity, justice, peace, and community.
- Work actively toward Christian unity without flattening genuine doctrinal differences.
- Treat the church as a visible sign of God’s new creation in the world.