Paul+ et al,

First of all, I think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves.  Let's
work our way through the book and discuss how Wright's argument unfolds.  I
for one was blown away as much by what I learned about Pharisaism in chap 2
as I was by anything else.  That Paul (that's as in the Apostle and not as
in the 2 dimensional one) might have been a militant Pharisee provided me
with all sorts of new insights into the man.

As to B+'s question...I think what Wright argues is that God has promised
that His People will be vindicated.  Remember, keep to the corporate sense
of things.  Wright argues that God's project is the restoration and
transformation of creation which will come about through the vindication and
glorification of humanity, the stewards of that creation.  Thus, he argues,
our focus should not be whether or not we have been saved, but having been
saved we are to get back to work as stewards.  As I said to my parishioners,
you don't fix a car in order to fix a car, you fix it so it can do what it's
supposed to be doing.  Same with us.

When I'm moved an my tapes of the lecturesc are unpacked, I'll try to find
the bit where Wright basically says that both those who ask the question,
"Have you been saved" and those who feel uncomfortable about that question
are wrong.  Why they are wrong, in Wright's view, I can't now recall.

Mark+