The “Radical Perspective” a Brief Response

Last updated on: June 12, 2015 at 9:22 am by Joel Willitts

The “Radical Perspective” a Brief Response 2015-06-12T09:22:50-04:00 Joel Willitts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I want to thank Mike for posting something on this exciting area of Pauline research. I want to also commend my friend Mark Nanos for his perseverance after many years of feeling ignored and out alone on a boat. Mark the shore is coming to you!

I’m an evangelical to my core and the label “radical” in this context is just a step away from heretical. It sits along side words like “novel”. These are not compliments within evangelical circles. It is true that evangelicals feel uncomfortable with the portrait of Paul that is beginning to emerge from this post-New Perspective. But I don’t believe they should be. In my reading of the Bible a more thoroughly Jewish Paul is a more biblical Paul. The view is also theologically coherent. And while there is need for a fundamental reconsideration of the tenets of Pauline theology in light of this way of thinking, the essence of the traditional perspectives fight for “salvation by faith alone in Christ alone” remains a central element in Paul’s theology. My forthcoming Galatians commentary will show that even Galatians can be read – and is best read! – within a “Paul within Judaism” framework.

As for Michael’s post, I’m not a fan of the “main tenets” list. The way of thinking, however we might label it, is much too diverse to be characterize in such a list. It’s like trying to list what New Perspectivers believe in brief. This is impossible. I find many things in the list with which I agree, but others I don’t. What’s more, this list does not differentiate with respect to significance. Furthermore, the points in the list are open to interpretation. For example #5 “Jews are saved under the auspices of the Mosaic Covenant”. That is likely read as a reference to the “two ways” view. But that is not what many sympathetic to the way of seeing things believe. I certainly don’t. More accurate would be to say that those of this ilk think Christ believing Jews in some way remain under covenantal obligation to keep the Torah since with the coming of Christ the Torah in toto was not abrogated. We can argue about areas of the Torah that have been revised and annulled to be sure, but there has been no wholesale abrogation. This is because ethnicity was not erased by Paul.

Mention should be made of others like Justin Hardin and Todd Wilson, and there are others, who are sympathetic to this way of thinking. Both Justin and Todd wrote excellent essays on Paul from a Paul in Judaism perspective in our book Introduction to Messianic Judaism: Its Ecclesial Context and Biblical Foundations published by Zondervan.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 11, 2015

The Radical Perspective on Paul - Part 1: A Guide for the Perplexed

Next Post

June 13, 2015 Atonement as Payment or Forgiveness?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Lands Blogosphere Book Review Calvinism Colleges & Universities Ecclesiology Emerging Adulthood Evangelicalism Foreign Affairs Gospel of John Greco-Roman World Humor Just War N. T. Wright Old Testament Resurrection Terrorism Theological Education Travel Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group reads the Book of Mormon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Baptists Latter-day Saints Jehovah’s Witnesses Pentecostals

Books by This Author Books by Mike Bird

See All Titles »