Broken Signposts: How Christianity Makes Sense of the World

In this thoughtful follow-up to Simply Christian, today’s leading Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and acclaimed author uses the Gospel of John to reveal how Christianity presents a compelling and relevant explanation for our world.

N. T. Wright argues that every world view must explain seven “signposts,” indicators inherent to humanity: Justice, Spirituality, Relationships, Beauty, Freedom, Truth, and Power.

If we do not live up to these ideals, our societies and individual lives become unbalanced, creating anger and frustration—negative emotions that divide us from ourselves and from God, he contends. Using the Gospel of John as his source, Wright shows how Christianity defines each signpost and illuminates why we so often see them as being "broken" and unattainable.

Drawing on the wisdom of the Gospels, Wright explains why these signposts are fractured and damaged and how Christianity provides the vision, guidance, and hope for making them whole once again, ultimately healing ourselves and our world.

How does an ancient gospel provide a clear framework for our most modern questions?

• The Seven Broken Signposts: Explore the universal human longings for Justice, Love, Spirituality, Beauty, Freedom, Truth, and Power—and understand why they so often leave us frustrated and disappointed.
• A Fresh Look at John’s Gospel: Discover how the fourth gospel, often seen as mystical, provides a powerful and practical lens for making sense of our world and its deepest challenges.
• Accessible Biblical Scholarship: Journey with one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars as he makes profound theological insights clear, relevant, and applicable to contemporary life.
• A Coherent Christian Worldview: Move beyond simplistic answers to build a robust, thoughtful faith that offers a compelling vision for healing not just ourselves, but our communities and our world.

"A rich and encouraging book. With his great theological and interpretive erudition, Wright shows that our desire for goods like justice, love, and truth isn’t futile. Broken Signposts will deepen readers’ understanding of God’s kingship, the unity of Scripture, and the nature of Christian engagement in the life of the world." - James Davison Hunter, author of To Change the World

“Some writers are perceptive commentators on human affairs. Some are perceptive interpreters of Scripture. In this book, Wright is both. His interweaving of these two strands is masterful; his exegesis is often amazing. This reader had no intimation of the richness and subtlety of John’s Gospel that Wright brings to light.”  - Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University and Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia

“An instant classic! I can think of no better book for those who are struggling to make sense of the world and our place within it. I will be recommending this book for many years to come!” - Jason Harris, senior pastor, Central Presbyterian Church, New York City

“More like a fast-paced sermon than a lecture, Wright's insights into John's account of Jesus and human life flow lucidly to the reader through analogies that are pertinent, illustrations that are contemporary, and a conviction that Jesus is the bearer of really, really ‘good news.’" - David Renwick, Senior Pastor, The National Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC

“Wright paints an evocative picture of the intersection of our yearning for redemption with the Jesus revealed in John’s Gospel. Wright’s charcoal sketch of our fractured glimpses of truth, beauty, and freedom (among others) is richly overlaid with lush brush strokes of the Word made flesh.” - J. Richard Middleton, author of A New Heaven and a New Earth

“Wright explores a universal human experience that is difficult to express—the sense that the world ought to be different, it ought to be better, as broken signposts pointing to transcendent realities . . . a readable apologia for the Christian faith. Recommended.” - Library Journal