One of my favorite New Testament biblical scholars is N.T. Wright.  Wright is an Anglican priest and the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England (2003-2010).  He is now serving as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews.  Wright is a prolific author, publishing dozens of books for both academic and general audiences.  I like Wright because he combines a rigorous academic and historical analysis with adherence to the core Catholic-Anglican theology (not to mention his having a great sense of humor).  As such, Wright is often criticized by liberals for too “conservative” and by conservatives for being too “liberal”.

For those not familiar with N.T. Wright, I would recommend the books “Simply Christian“, “Simply Jesus” and the free materials available here.  For those familiar with N.T. Wright and looking for more in-depth academic readings that will strengthen your faith, I highly recommend Wright’s three-book series on Christian Origins and the Question of God.

Below is a video lecture of N.T. Wright from the Veritas Forum at Georgetown, 2006 in which Wright as he walks us through the major sections of his book “Simply Christian.”