On Reading Scripture Well with N.T. Wright
In a recent bonus episode, N.T. Wright stuck around to talk with Curtis about how he approaches scripture. He shares practical, accessible guidance on how to read the Bible with deeper understanding, moving beyond surface-level devotion into the rich world of biblical context, Scripture study, and Christian discipleship. There’s something quietly disarming about hearing N.T. Wright talk about this spiritual practice. For someone of his range and reputation, you might expect something dense or technical. Instead, what comes through is a kind of steady, practiced humility—habits formed over decades, offered without pretense. What follows isn’t a system or a method so much as an invitation: to read more deeply, more patiently, and perhaps more honestly than we’re used to.
Build a Daily Practice that Works for You
Wright’s practice is striking not because it’s flashy, but because it’s faithful. A simply, steady rhythm of scripture and prayer built over a decade of walking with God.
Building a daily practice matters, but even Wright shows us that the shape of that practice can (and should) be personal. There is no one-size-fits-all ‘quiet time’. Based on Wright’s advice, here’s a place to start:
“Somebody told me when I was about 12 that I should read the Bible every day, and they gave me some Scripture Union notes to help me get going. I started doing that then, and I’ve never seen any reason to stop.”
“For me, that’s just a daily thing. For me, it’s a morning thing. I’m a morning person. If I try and read the Bible in the evening, I find myself going to sleep, even if it’s a great passage. So I wake up in the morning, I make a cup of tea, I sit down with the Bible, that’s usually about an hour or so, and that turns into prayer.”
- Start small, but stay consistent
You don’t need an hour to begin. Even 10–15 minutes a day is meaningful. What matters most is showing up regularly. Over time, consistency has a way of deepening both your attention and your desire. - Know yourself
Wright says reads in the morning because that’s when he’s most alert. You might be different. Pay attention to when you’re most present, least distracted, and most open to hearing God—and build your rhythm around that. - Let the practice grow naturally
What begins as a short reading can slowly expand into something richer: reflection, prayer, even joy. The goal isn’t to force intensity, but to allow a habit to become a rhythm and eventually, a way of life.
Sounds simple? It is, and that’s the point! There’s no secret formula here, no elite system to master. Just an open Bible and a willingness to return day after day. What starts small can, over time, become something steady, shaping, and even lifelong.
Learn to Inhabit the World of The Bible
“Have you ever read Josephus? Have you ever read through some of Philo’s key tractates? The Dead Sea Scrolls? The Apostolic Fathers? If you want to know what’s going on in the New Testament, get to know the first century—it just helps you sink into that world.”
Well… no, no we haven’t. Wright’s central invitation is simple but demanding: don’t just read the Bible, learn to live inside its world. Scripture wasn’t written in a vacuum. It emerged from a rich, complex first-century Jewish context, and the more we immerse ourselves in that world, the more the text comes alive. Wright explained three areas to read to fully inhabit the World of the Bible.
- Explore first-century voices
Read figures like Josephus, Philo, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Apostolic Fathers. These aren’t just “extra reading”—they are windows into how people thought, argued, and understood God in the world of the New Testament. - Step beyond the Protestant canon (for context, not authority)
Books like Wisdom of Solomon, Ben Sira, or Maccabees help us see the questions, hopes, and tensions shaping Jewish life in Jesus’ day. You don’t read them as Scripture—but as cultural context that sharpens your understanding of Scripture. - Let context reshape interpretation
Understanding the ancient world doesn’t just add background, it changes meaning. Wright analogizes that reading the New Testament without its context is like reading Shakespeare without knowing Elizabethan England: you’ll understand something, but you’ll miss a lot.
Sounds intimidating? We agree, and so does Curtis. He even voices what most of us are thinking: “that sounds great Tom… but what about something for us mere mortals?” Wright’s response is both disarming and encouraging: “Josephus is like a first-century adventure story, it’s a horror movie, really, and it reads like that! And the Dead Sea Scrolls, it doesn’t take much imagination to get into the minds of [their authors], these are not simply for the intellectual elite! These are for, quote, ‘ordinary people.’” In other words, this isn’t about becoming a scholar, it’s about stepping into a story. These texts aren’t locked away for experts; they’re vivid, gripping, even unsettling—more like entering a dramatic world than decoding a dense textbook. The point isn’t to master everything, but to step inside the story.
Outside of Scripture, Read Widely
“I would say broaden your reading. There are lots of great books out there—you don’t have to agree with everything that they say—which goes for my books as well. Take my friend Richard Middleton, or some Old Testament theologians like Walter Brueggemann. I disagreed with Walter profoundly about some things, but so many of his insights were remarkable.”
Wright’s advice here is both freeing and challenging: read more, and read beyond your comfort zone. What we read doesn’t just inform us; it quietly shapes how we see God, others, and the world. This kind of reading grows in three key ways:
- Engage voices you don’t fully agree with
Wright models intellectual humility: he can disagree “profoundly” and still recognize insight. Reading people who challenge you sharpens your thinking and exposes blind spots you didn’t know you had. - Don’t rely on a single teacher
No one voice, no matter how trusted, should carry all your weight. The global Church is rich with perspectives across time, culture, and tradition. Let that diversity shape you. - Develop your interpretive muscles
The goal isn’t to outsource your thinking, but to grow in discernment. As you read widely, you learn to weigh ideas, test them against Scripture, and refine your own understanding.
Feels risky? It can be! Reading outside your lane might feel like stepping onto unfamiliar ground. But as Wright reminds us, you don’t have to agree with everything you read—not even with him! The goal isn’t to collect opinions, but to become a wiser, more discerning reader of Scripture and the world. Read broadly, hold your convictions, and let the conversation shape you.
Do Your Own “Digging”
“I think to do your own digging and try to broaden out. More than just: ‘Here’s a text we’re having trouble with, we’ll go and look up something there and it’ll give us the answer.’ It’s about acquiring that wider knowledge.”
Oof. It’s much easier to look up answers, or let a favorite theologian do the work for us. And that’s not all bad. But Wright invites us to try something different first: dig for ourselves. This kind of digging can look like:
- Resisting the quick answer
Don’t treat Scripture like a problem to solve immediately. Sit with the text before reaching for help.The goal isn’t speed, it’s depth. Learning to wrestle with Scripture shapes you in ways quick answers never will. - Building a deeper foundation
Over time, your own reading creates a “reservoir” of understanding that helps everything else make more sense.
Feels slower? It is. But before you look it up, try lingering. Ask questions. Pray. Dig a little. The goal isn’t just to find answers, it’s to become someone who knows how to search for them.
Internalize Scripture
“I’ve been richly privileged through the musical tradition of the Anglican Church to sing scripture in many different modes. So to live it and to feel it going around in your head in the way that a good tune does, this is just part of not just my mental furniture, but emotional furniture.”
Wright’s point is simple: don’t just read Scripture, let it live in you. Certain traditions do a better job of embedding this within us than others. Whether liturgy and song are naturally familiar to you or not, here are a few places to start.
- Through rhythm and repetition
Music, liturgy, and familiar passages help Scripture stick—like a song you can’t shake. - Beyond the intellect
Scripture isn’t just for thinking; it’s for feeling. It should shape your emotional life, not just your ideas. - Into your everyday life
The goal is for Scripture to become part of your “furniture”, something always with you, shaping how you see and respond to the world.
Less about memorizing perfectly, more about familiarity. Let it echo. Let it stick. Let it form not just what you know, but what you love.
Resist Spiritual Pride
“When I’m saying all this, it doesn’t make me a great saint, far from it. I’m simply very, very privileged to have been able to spend the best years of my life doing this stuff, and trying to help others as well.”
Now if N.T. Wright is telling us that extensive scripture reading doesn’t elevate him over others, we should heed the call. He ended our conversation with a quiet but important reminder: even a lifetime immersed in Scripture doesn’t make you impressive, it forms you. This isn’t about achieving some higher spiritual status or becoming “the Bible person” in the room. It’s about slow, steady transformation over time. The real goal isn’t mastery, but faithfulness—receiving Scripture as a gift that shapes how you live, think, and love. And even that, Wright says, is ultimately a privilege, not an accomplishment.
Engaging Scripture this way can feel intimidating. Whether it’s stepping into the intellectual world Wright describes or letting the words sink deep enough to shape our hearts through song, prayer, and liturgy. For some of us, the mind comes easier; for others, the imagination and emotion. But both matter. Scripture was never meant to live in just one part of us. And in the end, the goal isn’t to get it all right or to do it perfectly—it’s simply to keep showing up. To read, to listen, to be formed. Not impressively, but faithfully, over a lifetime of walking with Jesus.
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