The “New Perspective on Paul” (NPP) is a re-calibration of the traditional Protestant understanding of “justification.” NPP has now been a force in New Testament and Pauline scholarship for about three generations. This article aims to present a positive statement of NPP. It is a summary, not a critique—so there will be no critical interaction.

First, we briefly sum up the traditional Protestant understanding of “justification.” Next, we survey five aspects of the NPP that differ from the traditional framework.

The Traditional Protestant Understanding of Justification

Read Part 1.

What are we really calling for when we entreat people to stand with the people, nation and land of Israel?

We’ve been pondering that question during this period of unprecedented, frightful and downright dangerous antisemitism—the worst that the world has witnessed since the dreadful days of the Holocaust.

We began last time by considering some of major concepts that I am not intending to convey when I talk about standing with Israel. Now we…

Problems in our behavior can be both mental health problems and “sin problems.” Part of the confusion on the topic of mental health among conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists is the assumption that a life problem has to be one or the other.

Consider a physical health analogy: Suppose I lose a leg in an accident. Because it’s a lot harder to walk now, I lay on the couch excessively, experience a lot of unhealthy weight gain, and neglect important duties.

I started with a health problem and developed a sin problem. The two are interconnected yet have distinct…