Bishops, Priests, finding a Church, and the Universalism Question

Ask NT Wright Anything

Premier Unbelievable

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, History

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 October 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What do bishops really do, and where does church authority come from? How do you find a faithful church community in a polarised world? And does universalism change how we think about salvation and damnation?Tom Wright and Mike Bird are looking at questions of leadership, community, and theology in today's episode of Ask NT Wright Anything. They trace the history of bishops and overseers, showing how church authority developed over time, and reflect on the challenge of finding a church home when politics and faith collide. Finally, they dive into the debate over universalism, unpacking how language about heaven and hell has been shaped by tradition and why Christian hope must remain rooted in Jesus’ mission.SOCIAL LINKS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/unbelievablefeFacebook: / https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable Instagram: / https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable Tik Tok: / https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable Support us: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donateGot a question for Tom? Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠askntwright.com⁠⁠⁠Start going deeper in the Bible with a free trial at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/NT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠👉 If you’re enjoying this exclusive series, leave us a comment or share what you’re learning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to another episode of Ask Ante Right Anything, the program where we look at Jesus, the Bible and the Life of Faith and in particular answer your questions about those things.
0:17.3	I'm Mike Bird from Ridley College and I'm'm joined, of course, by Tom Wright, from the UK.
0:24.3	And Tom, I believe you're going to New York soon.
0:28.4	Yeah, that's right.
0:30.0	In early October, I've got to be at New York for various events at Central Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue, which is an old haunt of mine.
0:39.9	And I'm also launching my little book, The Vision of Ephesians.
0:44.5	And we've got various events, planned and interviews and so on in connection with that.
0:48.9	That sounds terrific.
0:49.7	But Tom, I've got to know.
0:50.6	I mean, you've been to Chicago as well.
0:52.7	So do you prefer New York pizza or Chicago
0:55.5	deep dish pizza? Oh dear. I'm not really a pizza person. I have had pizza in both cities.
1:02.8	I think the last time I had a pizza and one of them was in Chicago, but I am not in a position
1:08.7	to compare them. Now, if we're talking about how they
1:12.8	make a Manhattan cocktail, now that will be different. Well, I was going to ask you your
1:17.9	thoughts on the difference between Texas barbecue and Carolina barbecue, but I fear, I fear you may
1:23.7	not know that one either. I'm not an expert on that, alas. Okay. Well, we'll have to,
1:28.6	we'll have to do that in a bonus episode. We'll get into some of the fine, some of the best
1:33.0	cuisines we've had in America or maybe even the UK. Well, to Dom, we've got, Tom, we've got some
1:38.9	great questions today. One on the difference between bishops overseers. Is there one? Doesn't matter.
1:46.0	Finding a church in difficult times and also a juicy question about universalism.
1:52.3	So our first question comes from Anthony Pierce on Stockton-on-Tees.
	...

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