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Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense Hardcover – 9 February 2010
by Fellow and Chaplain N T Wright (Author)
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Not since C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity has such a wise and informed leader taken the time to explain what Christianity is and how it is practiced. In Simply Christian, renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop N.T. Wright makes a case for Christianity from the ground up. Walking the reader through the Christian faith step-by-step and question by question, Wright's Simply Christian offers explanations for even the toughest doubt-filled skeptics, leaving believers with a reason for renewed faith.
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256 pages
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Review
"No one living today is writing more thoughtfully and compellingly about Christian theology."--Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America
"The book demonstrates that it is still possible in the 21st century to represent the Christian tradition in a persuasive way that speaks to the human heart."--National Catholic Reporter
"We are in Mere Christianity territory here [...] Bound to be a classic."--Rob Bell, author of Love Wins
"Simply Christian is simply outstanding. It will confirm, challenge, and deepen your grasp of Christian faith and practice."--Christianity Today
"[No one] has done more to clarify what [...] Christianity looks like in our day than Tom Wright."--John Ortberg, teaching pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
"Brilliant Bishop Wright is one of God's best gifts to our decaying Western church..."--J.I. Packer, professor of theology, Regent College
"Fresh, engaging, and highly readable...Simply Christian [is] an invaluable guide for seekers and doubters as well as believers."--Os Guinness, author of Unspeakable: Facing Up to the Challenge of Faith
"N.T. Wright is simply crucial; his writing can transform one's life."--Anne Rice, author of CHRIST THE LORD
"N.T. Wright is uniquely qualified to convey the enduring substance of Christian life and thought to contemporary people."--Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy, University of Southern California, and author of The Divine Conspiracy
"Readers will welcome such ready access to one of the fine teachers of the church."--Walter Brueggemann
"Simply Christian is an amazing testimony to the vitality...of the Christian faith--and to the skill of N. T. Wright."--Will Willimon, Bishop, North Alabama Conference, United Methodist Church
"Wright attempts a 21st-century counterpart to Lewis's Mere Christianity. . . . notably clear, readable and thought-provoking."--Richard Ostling, AP
"Wright offers...[an] intelligent view of Christianity, and his title invites us to compare his work with Lewis's [...] Mere Christianity."--Washington Post
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From the Back Cover
Why is justice fair? Why are so many people pursuing spirituality? Why do we crave relationship? And why is beauty so beautiful? N. T. Wright argues that each of these questions takes us into the mystery of who God is and what he wants from us. For two thousand years Christianity has claimed to answer these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still does today. Like C. S. Lewis did in his classic Mere Christianity, Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader is starting from ground zero with no predisposition to and perhaps even some negativity toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. His goal is to describe Christianity in as simple and accessible, yet hopefully attractive and exciting, a way as possible, both to say to outsides ôYou might want to look at this further, ö and to say to insiders ôYou may not have quite understood this bit clearly yet.ö
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About the Author
N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world's leading Bible scholars. He serves as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews as well as Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of many books, including Paul: A Biography, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Simply Jesus, After You Believe, and Scripture and the Authority of God.
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Hardcover : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 0061920622
Reading age : 18 years and up
Dimensions : 2.29 x 16.66 x 23.52 cm
Best Sellers Rank: 553,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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simon
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent book, passionate, warm and heartfelt however....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2020
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He does write from a perspective I view as blind faith convincement, despite all his learning. I also think that as a reputed new testament scholar (and I am not totally ignorant in this regard) he is ignoring what the historical record really tells us! Are the gospel writers really as unbiased and idealistic as he would happily portray them? Can you really rule out the Q source so casually and all of the higher criticism in understanding the synoptic gospels and their biased message? Is John's gospel and the Johannine dualism it recycles from the ancient Persian faith of Zoroastrianism not crucial to our understanding of these texts. was Paul not creating a religion palatable to imperial Rome! Did all members of the early Church believe in the divinity of Christ, or was a nice Trinitarian-divinity deal struck at the council of Nice a several hundred years later? And the arguments go on and they require explanation and a strong counterargument to be discounted, which is not offered here. I have read and remain convinced by the strong evidence based arguments of Vermes and Ehrmann whose valid arguments he doesn't counter argue. When you look at the gospels and Paul's letters they are clearly propagandist. Here are individuals expecting their leader back imminently and here we are two thousand years later, post Darwin and natural selection knowing only full well that the second coming never occurred. God yes, Jesus as messiah, maybe, resurrection, miracles...really? A lovely scholar and genuine, but blinded by faith,not history as he would claim. I'm going to give his Paul's teachings book a go though, anything to counterbalance my intense dislike of this apostle. I do recommend, the book and it's a good read, but I remain unconvinced by his arguments. It did nothing to dispel my dislike of Anglicanism (the Tory party at prayer) and I would have loved a chapter on how Tories who claim to be Chritian can justify their party's treatment of the poor and disenfranchised and its promotion of inequality, selfishness, consumerism and greed since 1979.
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2 people found this helpful
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crimefan
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely challenging and worthy of careful, considered study
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2017
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It may even be worth five stars, as I haven't yet quite finished reading it! As usual with Tom Wright, it verges on the dense in places, but each premise is thoroughly explored and justified. It has opened my mind to a number of alternative interpretations of scripture that I thought I was familiar with. There are also some statements that have been challenging. For example, at the beginning of Chapter 11, Worship, Tom writes "When you begin to glimpse the reality of God, the natural reaction is to worship him. Not to have that reaction is a fairly sure sign that you haven't yet really understood who he is or what he's done." That stopped me in my tracks! Having reread it several times and pondered, I see what he is driving at, but I am not sure I totally agree. Maybe because my reaction to knowledge of God is yet to compel me to worship him in the ongoing, unrestrained manner that Tom continues in the chapter to imply by reference to and quotes from Revelation chapters 4 and 5. I am certainly glad I bought the book and I recommend others to do the same and give it the careful study and consideration that I believe it merits. I think just about anyone will get some worthwhile fresh perspectives on Christian living.
3 people found this helpful
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S. Meadows
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2010
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I was reminded about the existence of this book recently when I read an extract from it that was used in Francis Collins' compilation of the writings of others, entitled Belief. The extract from Simply Christian was included at the start of this anthology and was taken from the first part of the book.
What I anticipated was a more modern version of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, being a outline of apologetic reasoning with some, though not many, sources being cited as evidence. Given the difference in backgrounds between C.S. Lewis (a pretty ordinary bloke with a gift for clear writing) and Tom Wright (one of the world's foremost New Testament scholars), I was expecting this to be a little more scholarly, but that the discussions would follow a broadly similar path. This turned out not to be the case.
It was very refreshing to see a new approach to apologetics where the book wasn't written in direct response to an atheistic polemic, but it felt far more like it was addressing an unfulfilled need. The book is beautifully written and a large amount of credit is owed to the author for being such a clear and down-to-earth writer.
It was also good to see the author tackle some difficult topics head-on, which all too often many christian writers either avoid or give cursory answers that do little but enrage the critics.
There are frequent glimpses of the breadth and depth of study that have gone into this book though if there is to one criticism of it, it would have to be the lack of references.
This is not a book that I would recommend for dyed-in-the-wool atheists. I think the matter-of-fact presentation is not designed to be persuasive - it just states the case clearly. This is far more helpful for those wanting to investigate Christianity (e.g. those who may be thinking of going on, or have just done, an Alpha course - or something similar) and it serves as a useful reminder for those of us who are Christians about what it's all about. It can be easy to get sidetracked by various issues at one time or another, and this serves as a good reminder to tell us "this is what's all about. Don't ever forget it."
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10 people found this helpful
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Harm Hilvers
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Christians and non-Christians about what it's like to be Christian
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2011
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A few years ago I took up a master in Christian Philosophy. One of the first things I learned and that have stayed with me ever since is that God's redemptive work through Jesus Christ holds a promise for the whole of creation, namely that a renewal (or re-creation) according to His standards is possible right now and will happen in full through the Second Coming of Christ. In other words: God wants his followers and believers - we fellow Christians - to make a more right and a more beautiful place where people can live in good relation with one selves, each other, the creation and God.
This is the same premise on which Tom Wright starts. His book starts by describing four things everybody experiences in his or her life: that there is a lot of unjustness in the world, that the world contains a lot of spirituality and searching for real and true answers to life's questions, that people want to live in good harmony with each other but that this goes wrong much of the time, and a certain longing for beauty. These four topics are described through anecdotes and are recognizable for all.
In the second part of the book Wright describes God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and how God's Kingdom has progressed through the ages. Every believing Christian should already know all of this. Nevertheless it's interesting to read it all again, because Wright presents a number of themes that can be found in the development of God's Kingdom, thereby showing that He wanted to make it all right again ever since it went wrong. When Adam and Eve sinned, for example, it was no longer possible that the sacral and the secular could intertwine, but through the Tabernacle, later the Temple and ultimately Christ's sacrifice, this was made possible again.
The third section of the book starts with a beautiful chapter on worship, in which Wright makes perfectly clear that worship is not just singing and dancing for the Lord, but that it is a way of life: giving praise and being grateful to the Lord in all one does. See for example Romans 12,1 (ESV): "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." In the remaining chapters of this section he moves in on the question what it's like to live like a Christian, for example by describing what a healthy prayer life entails or what it's like to read in the Bible.
In his final chapter he returns to the four topics that he described in the first section of the book, showing that it's our job as Christians to make the world a bit more just, to make it a bit more beautiful and to work on healthy relations. That a better world contains a lot of God over against vague spirituality is of course out of the question.
There is more to say about this book. It clearly shows that Wright knows what he is talking about. The way he describes different and sometimes conflicting theological and biblical ideas and interpretations is absolutely great. Moreover, the way he overcomes these differences is even better, for example when he discusses the different and partially conflicting views on the Holy Supper. This book does not presuppose a lot of knowledge about Christianity, which is a good thing, because it makes the book - which is not difficult to read or that long - easier to read.
I have read quite some books of Tim Keller, who works on showing - among many other things - that being a Christian is being someone who has a message for the world: a message of hope and a message of (social) justice (see for example his Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just ). This spoke to me, since I have been long looking for an answer to the question what it means in practice to be a Christian. This book of Tom Wright has essentially the same message, but has it backed up by a good set of ideas that form the basis or foundation of one's personal and communal believes in God.
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4 people found this helpful
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Mr. P. Gardiner
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important and Inspiring introduction to Christian Beliefs
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2014
Verified Purchase
I think that this book would be perfect for personal and small group study among Christians. I'm sure that most Christians will be surprised and challenged by some of the ideas put forward in the book, but even if you don't agree with everything you have to admire his passion for uniting the church and helping us to rediscover our mission. He doesn't hide his views on subjects that have divided Christians, but I believe he is right to do so whilst at the same time showing understanding of other opinions. At a more academic level, his three volume work on Jesus and the resurrection has certainly helped my own understanding of Jesus but I think that Wright is more than able to distill his insights down in a way that most people can understand. This is a book to read, digest and read again!
One person found this helpful
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Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
by N.T. Wright
3.99 · Rating details · 10,019 ratings · 506 reviews
Why do we expect justice? Why do we crave spirituality? Why are we attracted to beauty? Why are relationships often so painful? And how will the world be made right? These are not simply perennial questions all generations must struggle with, but, according to N. T. Wright, are the very echoes of a voice we dimly perceive but deeply long to hear. In fact, these questions take us to the heart of who God is and what He wants from us.
For two thousand years, Christianity has claimed to solve these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still can today. Not since C. S. Lewis's classic summary of the faith, Mere Christianity, has such a wise and thorough scholar taken the time to explain to anyone who wants to know what Christianity really is and how it is practiced. Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader has no knowledge of (and perhaps even some aversion to) religion in general and Christianity in particular.
Simply Christian walks the reader through the Christian faith step by step and question by question. With simple yet exciting and accessible prose, Wright challenges skeptics by offering explanations for even the toughest doubt-filled dilemmas, leaving believers with a reason for renewed faith. For anyone who wants to travel beyond the controversies that can obscure what the Christian faith really stands for, this simple book is the perfect vehicle for that journey. (less)
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Published March 14th 2006 by HarperOne (first published January 1st 2006)
Original TitleSimply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
ISBN0060507152 (ISBN13: 9780060507152)
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Skylar Burris
May 22, 2008Skylar Burris rated it liked it
Recommends it for: Practicing Christians only
Shelves: christianity
N.T. Wright never seems to settle on a single audience or a single purpose for this book, which makes it appear disorganized and ultimately renders it ineffective. He begins Simply Christians as a seeming apologetic, speaking of our longings for justice, truth, and beauty the same way C.S. Lewis argued from the existence of a moral sense to the existence of God, but he doesn't ever bring these arguments to convincing culmination.
Despite the book's subtitle "Why Christianity Makes Sense," Wright never really tells the reader why it does, and he often addresses the reader as though he or she has already assumed Christianity is more or less true. As an apologetic, therefore, the book is quite weak, and Wright seems to abandon this apologetic style part way through in order to switch to an introduction, finally wending his way back to the subtitle by the end of the book.
As an introduction to Christianity, however, the book is also inadequate, because it is not an organized overview and it is highly selective in what it covers; at times, the introductory portions seem also to take on a Sunday School tone.
Then Wright changes audiences and purposes yet again: he goes from apologetic for the non-Christian to and introduction for the uninformed Christian to admonishment for the practicing Christian. When he writes for this third audience, I think he is at his best. He addresses the problem of petty internal squabbles among Christians: are liturgical prayers or spontaneous prayers better? Is communion symbolic or more than symbolic? Is the Bible literal or figurative? How should we worship? Here Wright argues for a "simply Christian" attitude that would aim to transcend the differences between denominations and congregations. Here I think he makes his best points and says things Christian need to hear to understand that it is possible to differ on these issues without necessarily being divided as Christians. "It's time to give ourselves a shake," he says, "to recognize that different people need different kinds of help at different stages of their lives – and get on with it." If Wright had written this third book – this book addressed to squabbling Christians (each of whom thinks his way is the right way to "do" Christianity) – I would probably have given "Simply Christian" four stars. Unfortunately, he has at least three audience and at least three purposes, and therefore he never does a through job at any of them. A better book would have been "Simply Christian: Why denominational differences don't have to divide Christians." But if I did not _already_ believe Christianity made sense, I would not be one step closer to thinking it did after reading "Simply Christian."
This is not to say I didn't get anything out of the book. I highlighted several penetrating insights; I like what he has to say about heaven (and look forward to reading his book focused on that subject) and what he had to say about the misuse of the word "literal" when talking about the Bible. He did have one annoying habit I will pinpoint: he kept telling the reader what he was going to tell the reader later but wasn't quite ready to tell the reader yet. (We'll get to that later; but we can't address that right now; that's in chapter five…and so forth.) (less)
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Elizabeth
Aug 24, 2007Elizabeth rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: Christians
Shelves: already-read
I went into this a little wary, just because the book (and the author) has received a lot of hype-- Anne Rice went so far as to call it better than the C.S. Lewis classic Mere Christianity. I might not go that far, but it is a very solid, inspiring book. I hesitate to call anything so new a "classic", but I truly believe that this will be a classic, someday. One thing that I liked is the way that Wright (who is an Anglican bishop) explained the continuity (or cohesion) of the Bible. He just explained the Old Testament-New Testament connection in a different way from what I have heard before. One thing I didn't like was the way he talked around some of the main arguments in Christianity today (I see what you did, there). Like, setting out the way that Catholics and Protestants view each other's beliefs on the Eucharist, but then never actually coming down on either side. In any case, this is a book I now want to own. Highly recommended. (less)
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Mark Jr.
Jun 05, 2013Mark Jr. rated it liked it
Shelves: 2013, kindle
The main value of this book for me was probably the arresting one- to five-liners. Like these:
It’s no part of Christian belief to say that the followers of Jesus have always got everything right. Jesus himself taught his followers a prayer which includes a clause asking God for forgiveness. He must have thought we would go on needing it.
human beings have been so seriously damaged by evil that what they need isn’t simply better self-knowledge, or better social conditions, but help, and indeed rescue, from outside themselves
One of the regular tactics the skeptic employs at this point is relativism. I vividly remember a school friend saying to me in exasperation, at the end of a conversation about Christian faith, “It’s obviously true for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s true for anybody else.” Many people today take exactly that line. Saying “It’s true for you” sounds fine and tolerant. But it only works because it’s twisting the word “true” to mean, not “a true revelation of the way things are in the real world,” but “something that is genuinely happening inside you.” In fact, saying “It’s true for you” in this sense is more or less equivalent to saying “It’s not true for you,” because the “it” in question—the spiritual sense or awareness or experience—is conveying, very powerfully, a message (that there is a loving God) which the challenger is reducing to something else (that you are having strong feelings which you misinterpret in that sense).
Beauty, like justice, slips through our fingers. We photograph the sunset, but all we get is the memory of the moment, not the moment itself. We buy the recording, but the symphony says something different when we listen to it at home. We climb the mountain, and though the view from the summit is indeed magnificent, it leaves us wanting more; even if we could build a house there and gaze all day at the scene, the itch wouldn’t go away. Indeed, the beauty sometimes seems to be in the itching itself, the sense of longing, the kind of pleasure which is exquisite and yet leaves us unsatisfied.
The beauty of the natural world is, at best, the echo of a voice, not the voice itself. And if we try to pin it down—literally, in the case of a butterfly-collector with a specimen—we find that the key thing itself, the elusive beauty which keeps us always looking further, is precisely what you lose when the pin goes in.
A great many arguments about God—God’s existence, God’s nature, God’s actions in the world—run the risk of being like pointing a flashlight toward the sky to see if the sun is shining. It is all too easy to make the mistake of speaking and thinking as though God (if there is a God) might be a being, an entity, within our world, accessible to our interested study in the same sort of way we might study music or mathematics, open to our investigation by the same sort of techniques we use for objects and entities within our world.
I had a little trouble keeping the thread throughout the book, because I read it at widely disparate times. But the idea that "heaven and earth meet" or "interlock" or "overlap" in this current age was a recurring one, and a good one. This is the already/not-yet idea put in more lay-friendly language, I think. I think what Wright says is important and, more to the point, biblical:
God’s plan is not to abandon this world, the world which he said was “very good.” Rather, he intends to remake it. And when he does, he will raise all his people to new bodily life to live in it. That is the promise of the Christian gospel.
I could not call this book Mere Christianity for today's generation. It simply doesn't rise to that level; it's not handling objections to Christianity quite like Lewis does. (I think Keller's Reason for God makes a much better bid as Mere Christianity's heir.) And I do get tired of his above-the-fray way of speaking, his claims that his approach is "fresh" (and the implication that others unnamed are not so fresh).
But Wright is a gifted writer who has facility with and knowledge of Scripture. When it comes to one issue where you might have expected a world-renowned Anglican to hedge—human sexuality—he is extremely forthright and directly quotes the Bible at length. He has caught hold of some truths neglected by evangelicalism (and a few falsehoods rejected by evangelicalism!). For these qualities and for many little insights in the book I am thankful.
I read the book on my Kindle and therefore have no page numbers for you. (less)
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Ben De Bono
Apr 30, 2011Ben De Bono rated it really liked it
Shelves: theology
In Simply Christian, N.T. Wright makes the case for Christianity and outlines, at a basic level, what believing in Jesus is all about. The book has been compared to Mere Christianity. There are definitely some comparisons between the two (including their titles), but I wouldn't take it too far. Mere Christianity reads as an apologetic for the foundations of Christian faith while Simply Christian reads as an entry level primer into Wright's thought.
Overall, I got quite a bit less out of this one than I have Wright's other work. Many of the themes and ideas he lays out in brief here, he develops in detail elsewhere. Because I've read quite a bit of his other work, there wasn't a lot here that was new or surprising.
That doesn't mean I don't recommend the book. I do, especially to those who haven't read Wright. The book is a great introduction to his theology and will give you a great foundation for exploring his other work. If this was the first book of his I'd read, I probably would have been blown away. Coming at it the way I did, I found the book well written and interesting but not as hard hitting as it would have been if I wasn't already familiar with much of the content. (less)
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David
May 30, 2009David rated it it was ok
Wright has some interesting things to say about the intersection of heaven and earth - that they don't exist in separate places and times but are overlapping in various ways. And his discussions of social justice and church-building reflect obvious passion. There are a lot of sections, though, which either weakly reflect C.S. Lewis (the "echoes of a voice" section) or bring up knotty debates only to dismiss them summarily (the discussions of apocryphal gospels). The book doesn't make up its mind whether it's directed at Christians or at a wider audience, and loses focus attempting to resolve every major theological debate in one volume. (less)
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Brett Balsley
Jan 21, 2020Brett Balsley rated it it was amazing
I believe that N.T. Wright is a modern day C.S. Lewis. His work is thoughtful and eloquent. He writes with much care. This book will help Christians and non Christians understand what Christianity is all about, while being encouraging and uplifting. He doesn’t pick a side, but clearly lays out the faith as it is. A great read! I suggest it to Christians and non Christians alike!
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Nurullah Doğan
Jan 30, 2020Nurullah Doğan rated it really liked it
4.5
This is a brilliant book and I loved it!
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because at some points, it left me craving to hear more and go into more detail. I understand that this is not the point of the book as the title "Simple" suggests, but I wouldn't mind 50 more pages.
P.S. Also, I recommend that you read Simply Jesus right after reading this or vice versa. (less)
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Eliseo Magallon
Oct 11, 2019Eliseo Magallon rated it it was amazing
It took me some time to finish this book. The ideas presented in this book with stretch you and make you think about how your faith as a Christian fits into everyday life. Recommend fer sure!
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톰 라이트와 함께하는 기독교 여행
톰 라이트 (지은이),김재영 (옮긴이)IVP2007-10-11원제 : Simply Christian
책소개
<예수>, <신약성서와 하나님의 백성> 등의 저작으로 국내에서도 널리 알려진 신약학자 톰 라이트의 저작.
'기독교가 사람들의 갈망이나 의문에 진정한 답이 될 수 있을까? 왜 정의가 필요한가? 왜 그렇게 많은 사람이 영성을 추구하는가?' 등의 질문과 그 질문에 대답해 온 역사를 고찰하면서, 기독교 신앙의 가치를 역설한 책.
톰 라이트는 앞서 언급한 질문들이 우리를 하나님의 존재에 대한 신비, 그분이 우리에게 원하시는 것이 무엇인가에 대한 질문으로 이끈다고 주장하면서, 이천 년 동안 기독교는 이런 질문들에 답해 왔고, 오늘날도 여전히 그렇다는 사실을 입증하고 있다.
목차
들어가는 말
제1부 한 목소리의 메아리들
1장 세상을 바로잡는 일
2장 숨겨진 샘
3장 서로를 위해 태어나다
4장 세상의 아름다움을 위해
제2부 태양을 응시하기
5장 하나님
6장 이스라엘
7장 예수와 하나님 나라의 도래
8장 예수: 구원과 갱신
9장 하나님의 생명의 숨
10장 성령을 의지하는 삶
제3부 그분의 형상대로
11장 예배
12장 기도
13장 하나님의 숨으로 만든 책
14장 이야기와 임무
15장 믿는다는 것과 속한다는 것
16장 새 창조의 시작
몇 걸음 더 나아가려면
색인
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저자 및 역자소개
톰 라이트 (Nicholas Thomas Wright) (지은이)
영국 모페트 태생으로 옥스퍼드 대학교의 엑스터 칼리지에서 신학을 공부했으며, 옥스퍼드 위클리프 홀에서 성공회 사목(Anglican ministry)을 공부했다. 옥스퍼드 대학교에서 신약성서학을 가르쳤고, 웨스트민스터사원의 참사회원 신학자(Canon Theologian)로도 활동한 그는, 학문적 저술과 대중적 저술 모두에서 호평을 받고 있다. 지난 수십 년 동안 ‘기독교의 기원과 하나님에 대한 탐구’라는 연구 프로젝트를 통해 신학계에 큰 영향을 미쳤으며, 역사적 예수 탐구와 바울 신학 분야의 선두 주자로 인정받았다. 또한 ‘21세기의 C. S. 루이스’라고도 불리며 가장 주목받는 변증가로 자리 잡았고, 영국 더럼의 주교를 역임하였으며, 2010년 주교직 사임 후 영국 스코틀랜드 소재 세인트앤드루스 대학교에서 신약성서학과 초기 기독교 역사를 가르치고 있다. 『톰 라이트와 함께하는 기독교 여행』, 『악의 문제와 하나님의 정의』, 『마침내 드러난 하나님 나라』(이상 IVP)를 통해 대중 독자들에게 한 발짝 다가셨던 그는 ‘에브리원 주석 시리즈’(New Testament for Everyone)에서 학자이자 설교자로서의 역량을 발휘하여 신약성경을 편안하게 풀어 냄으로써 모든 독자로부터 사랑받는 저자가 되었다. 접기
최근작 : <모든 사람을 위한 마가복음>,<모든 사람을 위한 목회서신>,<모든 사람을 위한 고린도후서> … 총 450종 (모두보기)
김재영 (옮긴이)
총신대학교 신학과를 졸업하고 미국 커버넌트 신학교, 컬럼비아 신학교, 에모리 대학교 등에서 공부했다. 현재 LA에 있는 국제신학교의 조직신학, 실천신학 교수로 일한다. 저서로는 『하나님 나라의 자유를 찾다』(국제제자훈련원)가 있고, 역서로는 『신론』 『그리스도의 위격』 『이 텍스트에 의미가 있는가』 『하나님의 계시』 『현대를 위한 구약윤리』 『제일신학』 『IVP 성경난제주석』(이상 IVP), 『성령과 은사』 『철학자들의 신과 성서의 하나님』(이상 새물결플러스), 『하나님을 맛보는 묵상』(좋은씨앗) 등 50여 권이 있다.
최근작 : <전도로 부흥하는 교회만들기>,<하나님 나라의 자유를 찾다> … 총 48종 (모두보기)
출판사 제공 책소개
탁월한 저술가 톰 라이트가 안내하는 기독교의 모든 것!
기독교가 사람들의 갈망이나 의문에 진정한 답이 될 수 있을까? 왜 정의가 필요한가? 왜 그렇게 많은 사람이 영성을 추구하는가? 우리는 왜 친밀한 관계를 갈망하는가? 왜 아름다운 세상을 꿈꾸는가?
톰 라이트는 이런 질문들이 우리를 하나님의 존재에 대한 신비, 그분이 우리에게 원하시는 것이 무엇인가에 대한 질문으로 이끈다고 주장한다. 이천 년 동안 기독교는 이런 질문들에 답해 왔고, 라이트는 오늘날도 여전히 그렇다는 사실을 입증한다. 라이트는 독자들이 종교에 대한 어떠한 편견이나 부정적인 시각도 없는 상태에 있다고 전제하고, 기독교 신앙을 깨끗한 바닥에 두고 그것이 무엇인지 설명하기 시작한다. 이렇게 함으로써 라이트는 기독교가 정말로 매력적인 것임을 보여 준다.
평점분포 8.4
구매자 (3)
전체 (4)
공감순
어렵다. 하지만 꼭 필요한 책이다. 구매
책을보자 2007-12-29 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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번역체 문장들 때문에 읽기 정말 힘드네요 구매
michelle 2010-07-22 공감 (0) 댓글 (0)
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여행갈 때 어떤 책을 한권 들고 갈까 고민하다가 자그마한 사이즈가 맘에 집어 들고간 책이었습니다. 심심풀이로 읽혀질만한 내용은 아니었지만, 가벼운 여행속에서 때때로 고민을 안겨주기도 했던 이야기들이었습니다. 구매
the WAY 2016-07-19 공감 (0) 댓글 (0)
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마이리뷰=
하늘과 땅이 만나는 신앙, 기독교 새창으로 보기 구매
<톰 라이트와 함께하는 기독교 영행>은 비기독교인들을 대상으로 기독교 신앙을 설명하는 일종의 변증서이다. 톰 라이트는 구체적으로 정의, 영성, 아름다움 등을 고찰하면서 기독교 신앙의 핵심을 설명하고 “교회의 존재 이유”를 탐구한다. 그리고 세속이원론의 극단을 피하면서 하늘과 땅이 하나됨을 추구하는 순전한 기독교의 신앙을 설명한다. 책은 총 3부로 구성되어있는데, 각 파트가 한 흐름으로 연결되어서 가급적이면 서문부터 읽을 것을 추천한다.
톰 라이트는 인간에게 보편적으로 내재해있는 정의에 대한 목마름을 지적한다. 그것이 너무나 충족하기 어려워 정의가 마치 꿈처럼 아예 없는 것으로 생각할 수 있지만, 그는 정의, 선, 영성, 진리 등은 분명히 있음을 확언한다. 그런데 정의에 대한 요구에서, 범신론적 접근과 극단적인 세속이원론은 충분한 대답이 되지 못한다. 범신론은 만물이 신성하다고 인정해버림으로써 악의 문제에 대항할 가능성이 사라져버렸다. 세상의 부조리와 악에 대해 범신론적 관점에서 할 수 있는 최선의 방법은 자살일 뿐이다. 한편, 이신론이나 현실도피적 신앙도 정의를 향한 갈증을 채워줄 수 없다. 신을 이 세상과 전혀 무관한 존재로 만듦으로써 세상 변혁에 대한 열망 대신 죽어서 갈 내세에 더 기대게 된다. 고통받는 자는 고통받는 그대로 남아있을 뿐이다.위 두 가지의 관점을 거부한 뒤, 톰 라이트는 전통적인 기독교의 입장은 그 자신이 직접 역사 속으로 들어오는 “하나님의 친밀한 임재”에 있음을 강조한다. 그에 의하면, 하나님 나라는 죽어서 갈 어떤 공간, 이른바 내세가 아니다. 기독교는 내세 지향적 신앙이 아니라, 바로 직접 역사에 참여하는 하늘에 계신 하나님과 하늘의 대립어인 땅이 서로 만나는 것에 있다. 그리고 정의의 문제와 관련한다면, 정의를 세울 유일한 길도 바로 여기에 있는 것이다.
이러한 전제에서 톰 라이트는 2부 ‘태양을 응시하기’로 넘어간다. 이 장은 신구약에 대한 해설로써, 저명한 성서학자인 톰 라이트의 능력이 빛을 발하는 부분이다. 그는 성경은 하나의 이야기를 제시한다고 말하는데, 어긋난 창조 세계를 바로잡기 위해 직접 그 창조 세계에 깊숙이 관여하고 구속하는 이야기가 그것이다. 여기서 “유배와 귀환”이라는 틀이 성경 전체 이야기의 핵심 틀로써 제시된다. 아담과 하와의 범죄로 인류는 에덴동산에서 추방당했으며 동시에 창조계는 온갖 죄악으로 인해 왜곡되기 시작했다. 하나님은 이 문제를 해결하기 위해 세상 속으로 임재하시며, 이는 톰 라이트식으로 말하자면 “하늘과 땅이 만나는” 중요한 일이다. 그리고 궁극적으로는 인간은 다시 낙원으로 “귀환”할 것이다. 구약에서 이스라엘 백성들의 출애굽, 다윗 왕, 예루살렘 성전 분열왕국의 서사는 큰 틀에서 추방과 귀환의 내러티브를 담고 있으며, 이 서사의 절정은 예수님에게서 발견된다(참고로 마이클 하우저의 <보이지 않는 세계>도 톰 라이트의 관점과 유사한 궤적을 그리고 있다). 인간이 되신 하나님 예수는 땅으로 들어오는 하나님 임재의 절정이다. 그가 선포한 하나님 나라도 흔히 생각하는 극락정토가 아니다. 그것은 “하나님의 미래가 현재 속으로 침투”한 것이며 “하늘이 땅에 도래”했음을 알리는 것이었다. 그의 비유나 치유 사역도 “하늘을 땅으로 이끌어 임하게 하고, 그 둘이 영원히 결합하도록 만들며, 하나님의 미래가 현재 가운데 진입하게 만들고 그 자리에 계속해서 거하도록(158p)” 하는 데에 있었으며, 신약 성경의 저자들은 예수님의 부활이야말로 (죽음 이후의 삶이 아닌) 진정한 하나님 나라의 임재로 생각하였다.
성령은 “살아계신 하나님의 기이한 인격적 임재”이자 “하나님의 미래를 현재로 이끌어 오시는 분”이며, “장래에 임할 것에 대한 보증 혹은 계약금(191p)”이다. 바울은 성령을 얘기할 때, 출애굽 사건을 염두에 두었는데, 즉 출애굽이 유월절에서 시작하여 약속의 땅에서 끝나듯이, “전세계가 하나님의 거룩한 땅”으로 나아가는 것에 대한 보증인 셈이다. 이 지점에서 그가 서두에 언급한 “교회의 존재 이유”가 드러난다. “성령이 들어와 사는 사람들은 하나님의 새로운 성전”이며 “개인적으로나 집단적으로나 하늘과 땅이 만나는 장소”이다. 하나님이 성령을 통하여, 성령이 내주하는 사람들을 통하여 세상을 바로잡을 것이라는 소망이 기독교 신앙과 교회의 핵심인 것이다. 그리고 성령의 삶 가운데에서, 기독교는 떨어질 수 없는 사랑으로 단단히 묶인 삼위일체 하나님을 알게 된다. 하나님을 아는 자들의 자연스러운 반응인 예배도, 기도도 "하나님의 미래와 하나님의 과거가 현재로(238p)" 들어오는 데에 핵심이 있다. 특히"삼위일체 하나님의 삼중 정체성"과 "하늘과 땅이 구별되면서도 만나는 단층선"인 기독교의 기도는 다른 어떤 종교의 내면의 소리를 듣는 기도나 기복적 기도와는 의미가 완전히 다르다.
이 책은 비기독교인들을 대상으로 썼다고 하지만, "예수천국/불신지옥" 등 내세지향적 성격이 강한 한국 기독교계에도 생각할만한 거리를 던져주는 좋은 책이라고 생각한다. 여담으로, 책 곳곳에서 C.S.루이스의 향기를 느낄 수 있었다. 우선 본서의 원제인 ‘Simply Christian’는 루이스의 대표적인 기독교 변증서 ‘Merely Christianity’(한국어 제목: 순전한 기독교)를 연상시킨다. 또한, “‘성공회’도, ‘로마 가톨릭 교회’도, ‘개신교’도, ‘정교회’도 아닌 순전한 기독교를 다룹니다”라는 부분은 루이스도 <순전한 기독교> 서문에서 똑같이 말했다. 마지막으로 책의 1부에서 나오는 논증 방식(정의 등 선에 대한 열망에서 신의 존재를 이끌어내는 논증)도 C.S.루이스가 <순전한 기독교>와 <고통의 문제>에서 사용한 그것과 상당히 유사하다. 톰 라이트의 이 책을 인상적으로 읽었다면, C.S.루이스의 <순전한 기독교>도 읽어볼 것을 강력히 권한다.
- 접기
김민우 2020-09-23 공감(8) 댓글(0)
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공감
책장 끝까지 꽉 채워낸 책 새창으로 보기 구매
1. 요약 。。。。。。。
저자는 모든 사람들에게 기본적으로 내재되어 있는 ‘정의’에 대한 욕구로 시작해, ‘관계’, ‘아름다움’ 같은 주제로 논의를 이어간다. 인간에게 이런 요소들이 있는 이유는 무엇일까. 저자는 이 세계의 깊은 곳에서 울려오는 일종의 메아리 같은 것이며, 그 소리가 울려나오는 근원을 찾아갈 때 만족스러운 답을 얻을 수 있다.(1부, “순전한 기독교”에서의 C. S. 루이스의 도입과도 유사하다)
기독교는 그 대답으로 어떤 이론적 틀보다는 일종의 ‘이야기’를 제시한다. 바로 기독교의 이야기, 혹은 성경의 이야기가 그것. 저자는 자연스럽게 구약과 신약 속에서 만날 수 있는 하나님과 이스라엘 백성들, 예수 그리스도와 그분을 따르는 사람들에게 주어진 구속의 이야기로 넘어간다.(2부)
이 모든 일을 행하시는 하나님을 제대로 알게 된다면, 그는 당연히 ‘예배’라는 반응을 보이게 된다. 기도와 성경을 읽는 삶, 교회로 모이는 것, 나아가 하늘과 땅이 만나는 비전을 품고 세상을 그에 어울리는 곳으로 만들어가기 위한 노력 역시, 그분을 알 때(만날 때) 가능해진다. 저자가 말하는 기독교란 바로 이런 비전을 바탕으로 새창조에 참여하는 삶의 방식을 말하는 것이다.
2. 감상평 。。。。。。。
책의 판형이 좀 작다. 그런데 책 두께는 얇지 않다. 여기에 면의 여백도 좁다. 한 마디로 말해, 적지 않은 내용을 타이트하게 꽉 채워낸 느낌. 그런데 단지 글자의 배치만이 아니라 책의 내용도 그렇다. 오랫동안 우려낸 고기국물처럼 짙은맛이 느껴지는 글이다.
저자는 예배, 기도, 성경읽기 같은, 어떻게 보면 관행적으로 이루어질 수도 있는 신앙의 각 요소들에 담긴 깊은 의미들을 잘 풀어낸다. 이 개념들을 ‘하늘과 땅이 만나는 지점’이라는 하나님 나라 개념 아래 효과적으로 종합해 내고 있다. 큰 그림에서도, 각론에서도 묵직한 책.
우리말 번역 책 제목은 ‘기독교 여행’이지만, 원제목은 'Simply Christian'이다. 둘 다 이 책이 어려운 신학책 보다는 신앙서적에 가깝다는 점을 어필하는 듯하다. 하지만 물론 이 책에서 다루고 있는 주요 개념들이 신앙생활을 시작했다면 익숙하게 접할 수 있는 것들이긴 하지만, 책에서 설명하고 있는 논지들은 가볍게 읽기에는 좀 무리지 않을까 싶다.
책의 전개 방식에서도, 저자는 일단 기독교를 이해하기 위해서는 그것을 받아들이고(혹은 받아들이겠다고 전제하고) 이야기를 들어봐야 한다는 ‘전제(前提)주의적 입장’을 취하는데, 이 부분에 불만을 품는 이들도 있지 않을까 싶다.(반 틸의 주장에 대해 그랬던 것처럼) 하지만 어차피 자연주의적 입장을 가진 이들 역시 그런 전제를 강요한 채 이론을 펼치고 있으니 피장파장이긴 하다.
이런 종류의 책읽기에 익숙하다면 추천할 만한 책.
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노란가방 2018-08-27 공감(4) 댓글(0)
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가슴벅참.. 새창으로 보기 구매
톰 라이트를 주목하게 만든 책이다. 오밀조밀한 짜임새 속에 발랄한 이야기들이 생동감을 부여하며 한 편의 멋진 드라마를 본 듯한 느낌이다. 그가 소개한 기독교 드라마는 네 가지 영역에 대한 질문 속에서 시작된다. 정의, 영성, 관계, 아름다움. 이 네 가지 영역은 인간의 삶 한 가운데서 언제나 갈급함을 일으키는 '그 무엇들'이다. 해결되지 않을 것만 같은 이 영역들, 무언가 희미하게만 들려오는 질문들, 그래서 그는 이것을 '메아리'라고 말했다. 그리고 그는 바로 이 메아리들이 한 곳으로 모아지며 새로운 세계를 그려내는 것을 기독교라고 말하기 시작한다. 이것을 단순히 종교적 체계라고 치부하기에는 그 역동성이 상당하다. 그 곳은 "하늘과 땅이 겹치고 맞물리는 곳"이기 때문이다. 이 곳은 하늘과 땅이 단순히 하나로 합쳐진 범신론, 범재신론의 세계나 혹은 하늘과 땅이 간단하게 두 개로 나뉘어져 있는 이신론, 영지주의의 세계과 구별되면서, 상상할 수 없는, 그래서 제대로 보고 표현하기 힘든 저 너머의 그러나 바로 이곳의 기이하고 신비한 "임재"를 드러낸다. 그것은 약속된 것이기도 했다. 저 멀리 이스라엘 시대를 건너와 예수에게 이르기까지, 그리고 예수의 죽음과 부활을 통해 마침내 이 땅에 드러난 하나님 나라였기 때문이다. 그것은 완전히 새로운 세계였다. 이 세계를 본 예수의 제자들, 그리고 그들을 이어 이 세계를 향해 뛰어든 이들의 삶은 그래서 쉽게 이해될 수 없다. 그러나 그들을 통해서 그 세계에 숨어있는 힘, 그들을 이끌어가는 손길을 발견하게 된다. 성령이다. 이렇게 이 곳을 펼쳐내는 톰 라이트의 이야기는 숨 쉴틈 없이 그 속으로 빨려들어가게 했다. 드라마의 절정부분으로 숨가쁘게 올라가는 듯한 느낌이라고 해야 할까. 그러면서 그는 점점 이 이야기를 통해 기독교 신앙의 삶으로 유쾌하게 초대하고 있었다. 이제 그 삶이 잔잔한 음악처럼 펼쳐진다. 그것은 예배, 기도, 성서읽기, 선교, 교회에 대한 것으로서 전혀 식상하지 않게 제시된다. 그것은 기독교 신앙의 폭과 깊이, 그것을 품고 사는 사람들의 일상적이지만 특별한 삶의 방법이다. 그리고 마침내 그것은 처음에 해결되지 않을 것만 같았던 질문들, 갈급함이 가득했던 정의, 영성, 관계, 아름다움의 세계를 완전히 새로운 차원에서 열어내어 보고 만지고 듣고 실제적으로 살아가게 한다. 여기서 "하늘과 땅이 겹쳐지는 임재의 장소"가 단지 꿈이 아니라 구체적인 삶의 자리로 펼쳐짐을 발견할 수 있게 된다. 그리스도인이 되는 것은 그 진리의 깊이와 신비를 오롯이 마음에 담고 삶으로 품어내는 것이 아닐 수 없다. 그러니 어찌하나. 그리스도인이 되는 것의 그 가슴 벅참을..
이 책의 목적은 신앙을 갖지 않은 사람들에게 기독교를 추천하고 또한 신앙을 가진 사람들에게 기독교를 설명하기 위해 기독교라는 것이 과연 무엇인가를 그려 보려는 데 있습니다. ... 첫째로 저는 네 가지 영역 - 정의에 대한 갈망, 영성에 대한 탐구, 친밀한 관계에 대한 주림, 아름다움에 대한 환희 - 을 탐구했습니다. 이 영역들은 오늘의 세계에서 한 목소리가 퍼져나가 만들어 내는 여러 메아리라 해석될 수 있습니다. 저는 이 각각의 영역이 그 자체 너머의 세계를 가리킨다고 봅니다. ... 제2부는 하나님에 대한 기독교 신앙의 핵심 사항을 제시합니다. ... 제2부가 진행되면서 첨차적으로 우리는 제1부에서 듣기 시작했던 그 목소리를 인식할 수 있게 됩니다. 자신의 세계를 바로잡으시려는 창조주 하나님에 대해 성찰하면서, 하나님 나라를 선포하시고 십자가에 죽으셨다가 다시 사신 예수라 불리는 인물에 대해 숙고하면서 그리고 이 세상과 인간의 삶에서 광풍처럼 부는 성령에 대해 숙고하면서 그 목소리를 인식할 수 있게 됩니다. 이렇게 해서 우리는 자연스럽게 제3부로 들어갑니다. ... 특히 저는 교회의 존재 이유를 탐구합니다. ... 우리는 지금 여기에서 하나님의 새 창조 세계, 바로잡힌 세상의 도구들이 되라는 부름을 받았습니다. 이 새 창조 세계는 이미 예수 안에서 시작되었습니다. 그리고 예수를 따르는 이들은 단순히 그 세계의 수혜자들이 아니라 그 세계의 일꾼들이 되어야 합니다. 이 사실은 기도와 그리스도인의 행위를 비롯하여, 다양한 주제를 새롭게 바라볼 수 있게 해 줍니다. 그리고 이 사실은 이 책의 결론부에 도달하면서 다시금 되살아 제1부의 '메아리들'이 우리가 알아야 할 어떤 신에 대한 암시로서가 아니라, 세상에서 하나님의 나라를 위해 일하라는 그리스도인의 소명의 핵심 요소임을 발견하게 해줍니다. - 들어가는 말, 8-10쪽 중 -
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그루터기 2010-11-11 공감(2) 댓글(0)
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