best books critiquing Federal Vision/New Perspective on justification

[Stephen L Smith]

I am looking for one or two excellent books on the Federal Vision AND New Perspective on Justification. I can get By Faith Alone: Answering the Challenges to the Doctrine of Justification by Johnson, Gary L. W. and Waters, Guy but was interested to see what PB members think of a range of books.

 

[DMcFadden]

All of the above. Plus, James Buchanan's book, R.C. Sproul on Justification by Faith, and James R. White's Justification by Faith are WONDERFUL!

 

[Steve Paynter]

There is wide consensus that one of the best single volume critiques of the New Perspective position is Stephen Westerholm's "Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The Lutheran Paul and his Critics". Not only does he provide much needed historical perspective, explaining the positions on justification of theologians such as Augustine, Luther, Calvin and Wesley, but he provides a good overview of the scholarly pre-NPP debate about Paul (e.g. Wrede, Schweitzer, Montefiore, Stendahl, Bultmann, Wilkens, Raisanen, etc) and then takes pains to explain the main NPP positions without caricature, and the position of their "Lutheran" critics. He then explores the definitional and exegetical issues around the main issues in the debate, including: the meaning of righteousness in Paul; the meaning of the "Law" in Paul; "Grace" in Sanders work on Judaism; and Justification in Paul's thought. Throughout the work is sprinkled with Westerholm's sparkling gentle wit.

This book is credited in many circles with opening the eyes of many scholars to the inadequacies of the NPP rhetoric.

The best two volume work is "Justification and Variegated Nomism" edited by Carson, O'Brien, and Seifrid. The first volume is hard going, but re-examines Second Temple Judaism texts to evaluate Sanders thesis about covenantal nomism, and the second volume re-examines the debate about justification in Paul. The papers are almost all excellent.

Of the ones you mention, Venema's is very good. "Covenant, Justification and Pastoral Ministry" is very good too, but is wider in scope than just the NPP, and hence doesn't do the NPP in as much depth.

Piper's book of Wright's view of Justification is well worth reading, and has a wonderful irenic tone, but in my opinion he is a little too generous with interpreting Wright in a "Reformed" direction. Both Wright and (on the other side) Horton have criticised Piper for not treating justification in its covenantal context.

I have a book review of "Covenant, Justification and Pastoral Ministry" and other books on justification at amazon.com
Amazon.com: Profile For S. E. Paynter: Reviews, and one of
Piper's book at amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk: Profile For S. E. Paynter: Reviews.

If you are confident in your own position, then there is nothing like reading Sanders, Dunn and Wright first hand. Sanders's "Paul and Palestinian Judaism", in particular, repays reading, for he says some good things, is obviously confused and inconsistent about others, and generally is not as scary (convincing) as one might expect, given the way the whole NPP builds upon his "insights".

 

[RamistThomist]

Michael Horton's Covenant and Salvation: Union with Christ. He does a great job and avoids the usual hysteria that accompanies these discussions.

 

[Theogenes]

Romans and Galatians...