Very Good Article on John 6, 10

Here is a great article on the order of faith and election in the Gospel of John. Thanks to Brian Abasciano for making me aware of this work.

Robert Hamilton, "The Order of Faith and Election in John's Gospel: You Do Not Believe Because You Are Not My Sheep"

Summary Review:
Calvinists use portions of the Gospel of John to establish the concept of unconditional particular election. For example this passage:

Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. John 10:25-26 (NIV)

Calvinists point to this passage to prove particular election before faith - that the non-believing Jews didn't follow Jesus because God didn't elect them to believe.

Hamilton argues that this is a misinterpretation of the passage, and doesn't take into account the historical context. He argues that the sheep were God fearing Jews who seeking after the Father prior to the arrival of Jesus. When Jesus came, all these God fearing Jews (and later Gentiles) were given by the Father to the son, and these are the sheep Jesus speaks of.

On the other hand, the non-believing Jews were not following God prior to the coming of Jesus, and therefore were not given to him by the Father.

So the passage is not about particular election before faith. It is simply Jesus explaining to the Pharisees that they were not following him because they were not following the Father in the first place.

The Greek Word Diakonos in Romans 16:1

The Greek word diakonos is often translated as deacon. It is a New Testament term that refers to leaders or ministers in the local church body. This post is about how the term is translated in Romans 16:1, when it refers to the person of Phoebe.

Here's the NIV translation of diakonos when referring to Phoebe: Romans 16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

Here' the NIV translation of diakonos elsewhere when referring to a man: 1 Timothy 3:12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well.

I was curious how different English translations would handle these two passages, given the possible relevance to women in leadership. Here are the results:


Notice that in 1 Tim 3:12 diakonos is always translated as deacon. But in Romans 16:1 when it refers to Phoebe it is frequently translated as servant.

Servant does not at all convey the idea of leadership, while the word deacon does. We can't be certain what Phoebe's role was in the church in Cenchrea, however, I don't believe that the word servant adequately conveys the leadership aspect of her role.

Specifically, I wonder if there is translation bias going on here. The translators who are suspicious of female leadership pick the word "servant". The translators who advocate female leadership pick the word "deacon".

The gender specific translations (ESV, NASB, NKJV) go with servant (which interestingly is also a gender neutral term). The usually more gender neutral translations (NRSV, TNIV, NLT) go with deacon. None go with the female specific term of deaconess, although the NIV and ESV do list that as a footnote alternative (to their credit).

Interesting Links - 06/23/09

What "makes" us chose one way or the other? J.C. Thibodaux at the Arminian Perspectives blog is doing a multiple part series on the fallacies of Calvinist apologetics. part1, part2, part3,

Dan at Arminian Chronicles is working on a comprehensive list of Arminian resources for Romans 9.

David Nilsen askes Arminian Molinists: If God's plan is to get the maximum number of people saved, then why would He ever return?

Iranian Christians are praying for their homeland. So am I. May this current unrest point the people of Iran to Jesus Christ - the source of freedom.

The (conservative) Presbyterian Church of America rejects studying the role of women in the denomination.

Calvin and Hobbes on Fatalism

HT: Dale Wayman

Interesting Links - 6/10/2009

Was Toplady's hymn "Rock of Ages" a satirical swipe against the Wesley brothers? "Whereas most hymns have been written out of some deep personal need or experience, this hymn evidently was born in a spirit of passionate controversy."

Former Calvinist Bob Brewer shares the Good News.

A homeschooling mom stays Wesleyan, despite the peer pressure. Way to go!

Have you heard that American Christianity is on the decline? This article says maybe not. (HT: Peter Lumpkins).

Ben Witherington interviews N.T. Wright. This is well worth the read.

John Calvin, John Wesley, and a modern Wesleyan have a chat.

A.W. Tozer on the Sovereignty of God.

Here is a great quote by A.W. Tozer on the sovereignty of God:

God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, “What doest thou?” Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so.

A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, chapter 22 "The Sovereignty of God". (book can be found online here)

Audio link: William Lane Craig Discussing Calvinist and Arminian Theology

Theologian William Lane Craig is currently doing a series on the differences between Calvinist and Arminian Theology. The series can be found on his website here: Defender's Podcast.

Craig is a gentleman. He presents both Calvinism and Arminianism in a way that their adherents will appreciate. He addresses the differences in interpretation of the key Calvinist passages (Romans 9, Ephesians 1, etc). He also has a knack for getting to the heart of what's important for each system - avoiding the myths.

As of the date of this post, they are adding new podcasts every week. The Arminian and Calvinist related discussion starts on the podcast entitled "The Doctrine of Man - Part 12 (dated 5/4/09), and continues through to the present series entitled "The Doctrine of Salvation".

The series has also apparently drawn the attention of James White.

Interesting Links - 5/27/09

Wesley The Movie - coming this summer. How about July 10th as a release date? :) (HT: Wesley Wong)

Christianity Today has a nice article about Charles Wesley: And Can It Be? (HT:Brian Abasciano).

Here is an interesting post about what happened at Nicaea (HT: Nick Norelli).

Reclaiming the Mind Ministries has an audio series on Understanding Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

California's Prop 8 is upheld.

San Diego orders a family to quit having Bible studies without a permit.

Church Name Guide (Silly)

Do you ever wonder what the theology of a local church is? Use this easy to follow guide. You can determine the theology of any church without stepping through its doors. Look for the following words:

Abundant: Pentecostal
Harvest: Pentecostal
Life: Pentecostal
Sovereign: Calvinist
Grace: Calvinist
Reformed: Calvinist
Our Lady: Catholic
Saint (obscure name): Catholic
Saint (name you recognize): Episcopal
Damascus: Orthodox
Shalom: Extra Liberal
Missionary: Arminian
Free Will: Arminian
Trinity: Lutheran
Messiah: Lutheran
First: Baptist
Berean: Baptist

Certain common names are considered crossover, and can signify any theology. Here are some typical ones:

Baptist: Could be anything, don't visit without doing your homework.
Bethel: low church, nice people, safe to visit.
Community: Very common name, tells you jack squat.
Evangelical: Protestant, beyond that your guess is as good as mine.
Church of God: Could be anything, don't visit without doing your homework.
Church of Christ: Could be anything, be safe and leave your guitar at home.

What about odd combination names? Like Sovereign Trinity Church of God. It seems impossible and overwhelming to decrypt such a name. However, with practice you can parse even difficult names. Remember the following guidelines:

• Combination names are often redundant. Examples: Abundant Life, First Baptist, Sovereign Grace.
• Combination names occasionally denote a very specific theology. Example: Sovereign Harvest Church (Calvinist and Pentecostal, a rarity).
• "Sovereign" is a trump word, and always refers to Calvinists, this is helpful to remember when you see it in combiniation with cross over words. Example: Sovereign Evangelical Baptist.
  
• "Sovereign" comes first when used in a combination. This is true even if "First" is also in the name. Example: Sovereign First Baptist Church.
• "Damascus" is also a trump word and always refers to Orthodox. Example: Saint John of Damascus (You might easily mistake this for an Episcopal Church, but you would be wrong)
  
• Certain name combinations are highly improbable. Examples: Harvest Messiah, Sovereign Missionary, Saint Spong, Shalom Trinity.
  

Other Interesting Facts:

• If the name is "Mars Hill", it's a mega church with a pastor that swears.
  
• If the church has a private school, it is Lutheran or Catholic. The bigger the school, the more likely Catholic. If the private school name is "Yeshiva", this is not a church at all. It also means that you live in a North Eastern city. If the private school name is "Madrassa", this is not a church either.
  
• There are lots of "First" churches, but very few "Second" ones.
  
• The names "Berean" and "Bethel" are becoming less common, because no one knows what they mean.
• If a church changes its name, the new name will always have the words "community" and/or "fellowship" in it. The new name will never refer to the sponsoring denomination. Example: "Bethel Assembly of God" becomes "Harvest Community Fellowship"
• If the church service starts at a strange time (like 9:07 AM), this indicates an attempt to appeal to post moderns. If you are on vacation and like lattes, this is a good church to visit. The service will be brief, it's safe to show up in casual clothes, and you have an excuse if come at the wrong time. Warning: the pastor swears.
  
• Don't always assume that the church is Episcopal simply because you recognize the name of the saint. It could be an obscure Catholic saint. Examples: Saint John, Saint Joseph. It's probably not the saint you think.

Prevenient Grace

Prevenient grace is grace that God gives to begin the process of drawing a person to Himself. Its purpose is to prepare the heart of the non believer to respond to the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Because of the sinful nature, no person seeks after God on his own. The Holy Spirit convicts a person of sin, shows him his need for the Savior, and urges the person to repent. Prevenient grace is universal, given to all. It is resistible - a person can spurn it to his own detriment. It works in combination with the hearing of the Word. It shows the non-believer that he has a further need for salvation. It results in saving grace when a person positively responds and perseveres in faith.

Describing prevenient grace, Thomas Oden writes:

Prevening grace antecedes human responsiveness so as to prepare the soul for the effective hearing of the redeeming Word. This preceding grace draws persons closer to God, lessens their blindness to divine remedies, strengthens their will to accept revealed truth, and enables repentance. Only when sinners are assisted by prevenient grace can they begin to yield their hearts to cooperation with subsequent forms of grace.

Prevenient grace has some commonality with the Calvinistic teaching of irresistible grace. Both attempt to explain how God draws the non-believer to Himself. Thus, Arminians and Calvinists often appeal to the same passages when explaining their concepts of drawing grace (John 6:44, for example). The two primary differences between prevenient grace and and irresistable grace are scope and resistability. Arminians believe that God draws everyone to Himself, while Calvinists believe that He draws a limited number. Arminians believe that drawing grace can be rejected, while Calvinists believe that drawing grace is always effectual.

Does scripture teach the concept of prevenient grace? There is no one passage that lays out a systematic definition of it, however, the concept becomes apparent throughout the overall tenor of scripture. Here are some passages that refer to the different aspects of prevenient grace:

Prevenient Grace Draws:
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.

Prevenient Grace is Universal:
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

John 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

John 16:7-8 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

Romans 1:18-19 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Prevenient Grace Convicts the Non-Believer:
Acts 16:14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.

Acts 16:29-30 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Prevenient Grace Works in Combination with the Hearing of the Word:
Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Prevenient Grace is Given Generously:
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Acts 17:26-27 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Prevenient Grace Can be Rejected:
Matt. 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

John 5:34,39,40 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved...You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

Heb 4:2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.

Heb 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Prevenient Grace Results in Saving Grace when it is Accepted:
Ephesians 5:14 For it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.


Recommended Resources for Further Reading:
The Transforming Power of Grace (book), by Thomas Oden
A Brief Consideration of Prevenient Grace (online article), by Dennis Hartman
Prevenient Grace (online article), by Jeff Paton

Interesting Links - 5/18/09

Ben Witherington is moving his blog. Update your bookmarks!

Peter Lumpkins gives his thoughts on two books written by Calvinists. One he highly recommends, one he does not.

A number of Catholics are upset about Obama's speech at Notre Dame, including Notre Dame Right to Life and Notre Dame Response.

Along those lines, a new poll shows that the majority of Americans are pro-life.

C Michael Patton writes that Calvinists need to calm down. Quote: "I see less Christ-like character in many Calvinistic brethren than I do in just about any other tradition in Christianity."

Pastor Phil writes that he became a Calvinist because Calvinism Biblically declares, "It's all of and for God." Moderate-Arminianism declares, "It's partly of and for God."

T Robbins writes that Arminians are devil possessed swine.

Swine Flu, and the Egyptian Pig Farmers

Recently Egypt has been in the news. As part of the swine flu hysteria, Egypt has ordered the destruction of all pigs that are in the country. What many news reports neglect to mention the religious aspect of this action. Egypt is a majority Muslim nation, with a Coptic Christian minority. Since Muslims are not allowed to touch pork, the pig farmers are Coptic Christians.

Here are two articles from that addresses the religious aspect of the action:

• Egyptian Police Clash with Protesters over Pig Cull
• Egypt Swine Flu: Christians Allege Sectarian Discrimination

Worship Star

This is a pretty funny look inside the Christian music industry. Wesley even gets a kudo (no doubt because his name rhymes with "Presley").

:)

Some Questions About Angels and Demons

I have a few questions about angels and demons, and am wondering if any of my readers know the answers. This is not a topic that I've looked into much.

These are genuine questions. I believe in both angels and demons, and that they interact with humanity. If the questions sound odd, it's because this is how my weird mind works. I don't intend to be flippant.

1) How many angels and demons are there? Does the Bible state this anywhere?
2) Their number is now fixed, correct?
3) If a demon is sent to the pit (abyss), he can't get out again, correct?
4) If the world population is increasing and #2 or #3 are true, does this mean the ratio of angels and demons to people is steadily decreasing?
5) Are demons bound to the earth?
6) If #5 is true, and a possessed person went to another planet (say Mars), would he be freed of the possession?

A Contemporary English Paraphrase of First Clement

I'm doing a contemporary English paraphrase of First Clement. The format for this is not conducive to a blog, so I'm posting it on my Arminian Books website. Here is the link: First Clement in Modern English.

The paraphrase is based on a combination of the J.B. Lightfoot translation, and the Roberts-Donaldson translation. I will follow the verse structure of the Lightfoot translation. Hopefully someone will find this useful. :)

As noted in the previous post, Clement of Rome was an early Church father. Roman Catholics consider him to be one of the first popes. He is believed to have died around AD 100. It is possible that he personally knew some of the apostles such as Peter and Paul. He wrote a letter to the Corinthians around the year AD 96. This may be close to the time that John wrote the book of Revelation. While not considered the level of scripture, the letter is well respected, and was frequently read in the early church, particularly in the area near Corinth.

An interesting side note is Clement's comment on the legend of the Phoenix (chapter 25). He clearly takes the legend literally, and uses it as an analogy to the ressurection.

First Clement question

Does anyone know if there is a contemporary English translation or paraphrase of First Clement?

For those who may not be aware, Clement of Rome was an early Church father. He is believed to have died around AD 100. He probably personally knew Peter. He wrote a letter (possibly two) to the Corinthians. While not considered the level of scripture, the letter is well respected, and was frequently read in the early church.

Anyway, I've found several translations, but none of them are real easy to read. If there's not one available, I'm throwing around the idea of doing it myself.

A Quiz for Your Calvinist Friends

A little quiz for your Calvinist Friends. Inspired by the ever resourceful JC Thibodaux and by a Calvinist dude named Jay Banks. Enjoy.


Genesis 25:23 The LORD said to [Rebekah], "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

Q: What was in Rebekah's womb?

A. Two nations and two peoples.
B. One elect person and one reprobate person.
C. Don't even try to refer to the Old Testament for your exegesis of Romans 9. Heretic.

Ezekiel 18:23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

Q: How much pleasure does the Sovereign Lord take in the death of the wicked?

A. No pleasure
B. Much pleasure
C. No revealed pleasure, but lots of secret pleasure.

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Q: Why didn't Jesus gather up those in Jerusalem, when he longed to?

A. Because they were not willing.
B. This is a mystery.
C. Hello pea brain. Jesus was speaking of general chicks, not effectual chicks.

Luke 10:30-37 [The story of the good Samaritan - the priest and Levite "pass by" the traveler, the Samaritan stops and helps.]

Q: Which of these three do you think showed mercy?

A. The Samaritan. Go and do likewise.
B. The priest and the Levite showed mercy by passing by.
C. Each person showed a different kind of mercy. If all had stopped to help, the act of the Samaritan would have been diluted.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Q: God loves what?

A. The world
B. The elect.
C. His glory.

Q: Who will not perish?

A. Whoever believes in God's only son.
B. Let me get back to you on that, I need to look up the answer on "Desiring God".
C. Francis Schaeffer won't perish, but his kid Franky was decreed to go off the deep end.

Acts 16:30,31 [The jailer] then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

Q: What must I do to be saved?

A. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
B. Win the divine lottery.
C. The jailer was a Pelagian.

Romans 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Q: Who does "all" refer to in this verse?

A. All
B. The elect
C. An unbiased reading of the text shows that the first all refers to everyone and the second all refers to only the elect.

1 Timothy 1:18,19 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.

Q: Paul says that some people have done what with their faith?

A. Some have shipwrecked their faith.
B. This is a hypothetical analogy with no real world application. It is merely used by God to ensure the perseverance of the elect.
C. Nice try. Obviously the ship was never floating in the first place.

1 Timothy 2:4 [God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Q: Who does God want to be saved?

A. All men
B. All men, but no women.
C. God really wants all men to be saved, but only in such a way that he damns most in order to maximize his glory.

1 Peter 1:1,2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Q: How are the elect chosen?

A. According to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
B. If you were elect you would already know the answer to this question.
C. Who are you oh man to talk back to Piper?

1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Q: Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for what and what?

A. Our sins and also for the sins of the whole world.
B. The sins of the elect, and also for the sins of the elect.
C. The correct word is "propitiation". You show your Arminian tendencies by quoting from the NIV. Read the ESV, heretic.

BONUS ROUND!

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Q: Which picture best depicts the above verse?

A. B.
C.

Add up your score:
2 points for every A
1 point for every B
0 points for every C

Score:
25+ points - Congrats! You are predestined to be an Arminian
20-24 points - You read a lot of Norm Geisler.
15-19 points - Old school Calvinist
10-14 points - Neo-Reformed
0-9 points - James White is your homie.

Arminian Audio Link: Roger Olson

Roger Olson has done another interview about Arminianism. He discusses theology with a couple of young Charismatic Reformed guys. Run time is 1 hour. The interview was on Jan 4th 2009. The hosts are amatures, and a little bit annoying, but are friendly and have a good spirit. They are obviously stoked to get Dr Olson on their show. They chit chat with themselves for the first 12 minutes, so you can fast forward a bit if you want to cut to the chase.

Episode Information: G3 Radio - The Clash of Calvinists and Arminians

Here is the mp3 direct link: LINK

Frankenstein vs Calvinism

(Warning, this is pretty cheesy and is not meant to be taken seriously)

How many similarities are there between the story of Frankenstein and the theology of John Calvin? Let's take a look...

Frankenstein - Start with completely dead corpse.
Calvinism - Check

Frankenstein - Corpse is zapped with lightning and brought to life.
Calvinism - Check

Frankenstein - Creator is self centered and has an ends justifies the means mentality.
Calvinism - Check

Frankenstein - Even after being zapped with lightning Frankenstein is still nothing more than a totally depraved monster.
Calvinism - Check

Frankenstein - Hunchbacked servant named Igor
Calvinism - Hunchback servant named Pierre

Frankenstein - "I am not a Frankenstein. I'm a Fronkensteen. Don't give me that. I don't believe in fate. And I won't say it!...All right, you win. You win. I give. I'll say it. I'll say it. I'll say it. DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME! DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME!"
Calvinism - Check


(That last one is a reference to Young Frankenstein)

The Idiot's Guide to the New Perspective on Paul

It is difficult to find a brief layman's explanation of the "New Perspective on Paul" (NPP). To rectify the problem I humbly offer "The Idiot's Guide to the New Perspective on Paul" (myself being the idiot). Comments welcome! I posted something similar to this a while back on an Arminian group discussion, so this may be a repeat for a few.

An Analogy:
Imagine a church that has the following rule: EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS THIS CHURCH MUST WEAR A SUIT. The church has the rule to keep out the bums, reasoning that bums can't afford suits.

The people in the church know very well that wearing a suit in and of itself doesn't make one a Christian. They simply have the requirement for the purpose of excluding others who are not like them. They want the church for themselves, and want to keeps the bums out.

In this analogy the root problem is that the Christians want to exclude others. There is nothing inherently wrong with someone wanting to wear a suit. The problem is that they are using their preference for suits as an arbitrary rule to exclude others.

New Perspective Explained:
Among Protestant circles, Paul's writings have generally been interpreted as a criticism of legalism (the suit in the analogy). NPP argues that Paul's writings are instead a criticism of exclusivism (keeping the bums out).

NPP points out that during Paul's ministry the Jewish Christians were reluctant to accept Gentiles as fellow believers. The Jews often acted in ways to prevent the inclusion of others. One way that this manifested itself was by the demand that the Gentiles follow detailed adherence to the OT law. The law was used as a way of excluding others.

NPP argues that the Jewish Christians knew that salvation came by grace through faith. Or put another way, they did not believe that following the law would save them in and of itself. NPP argues that root problem was that the Jewish Christians wanted to keep Christianity exclusive to themselves. Thus, Paul's criticism of works should be interpreted in this light.

In short, NPP proponents argue that:
1) The Jewish Christians knew that salvation was by grace through faith, and that following the law didn't merit salvation.
2) The Jewish Christians were using the law as grounds to exclude Gentiles from fellowship.
3) Paul's beef was with the exclusion, not with those who wanted to obey the law.

Why does this matter today?
A key component of Protestant theology is that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works (Eph 2:8-9). During the Reformation, Luther and others appealed to Paul's criticism of works in order to point out some of the severe abuses of the Roman Catholic church.

If Paul's primary concern was exclusivism rather than works, some think that this could undermine the scriptural justification for the Reformation. Exclusivism is a different problem than works based salvation.

My Take:
I personally believe that NPP has some merits. But I also believe that the traditional Protestant view does as well. I think that both exclusivism and works salvation were addressed in the scope of Paul's writing. I also believe that both of these views can co-exists along side each other without conflict, and in fact compliment each other.

How does this relate to the Arminian / Calvinist debate?
It is often the case that Arminians are more open to NPP. Calvinists tend to be more critical of it, though this is not always the case. John Piper is a strong critic of NPP, while NT Wright is a proponent. Both are Calvinists. I personally see no reason why Arminians or Calvinists must reject NPP, as it has little to say about the definition of election or the scope of the atonement. As mentioned earlier, it does touch on certain aspects of Reformational thought, however, this is not in and of itself a good reason to reject the theory.


Further reading on NPP

• Scot McKnight
• Christianity Today
  
• Faith and Thought
  
• The Schooley Files
• The Paul Page