wright, spurgeon, and auburn avenue

Since I heard about this year's Auburn Avenue Pastor's Conference, which involved a discussion on Pauline theology between N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, and Richard Gaffin of Westminster Theological Seminary (PA), I knew that it would be great, and that I wouldn't be able to go.

So since it ended recently, I've been trying to find reviews from blogdom by people who went there (see Team Redd, where Gaines and Allison have left posts of their own as well as links to others). I'm not anywhere near as familiar as I'd like to be with the issues at stake here. My study in the New Perspective two years ago was limited to Dunn and Sanders, and I did not get much into N.T. Wright. My work in the realm of historical theology over the past two years has sort of kept me from delving into more recent theological issues.

I know that much of the Reformed community is in a bit of an uproar over Wright, and though my limited reading of him has not produced any shocked reactions in my own mind, I have not read anywhere near enough to know why people like Dr. Gaffin are opposed. I also know that many see Wright as the savior of theology, the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that maybe, just maybe, he could turn water into wine if he really tried. So, being a Reformed Baptist at the very beginning of studying these issues, I was delighted to come across this statement from Douglas Wilson in his Auburn 2005 review:

Related to this is Wright's acceptance of women's ordination. How someone who knows Paul the way Wright knows Paul can process this is simply beyond me. But because Wright generally is so masterful in things Pauline, I think something like this is a good reminder for us. We should be extremely grateful for Wright, but not so dazzled that we allow him to slip something in that is manifestly not true (and in this case, something that is at odds with Wright's larger project). The whole thing reminds me of the old joke told about Charles Spurgeon (by a Presbyterian). God gave so many gifts to Spurgeon that He knew we would be tempted to idolize him . . . so He made him a Baptist.