NT Wright

So far, this is an excellent book. The subtitle reveals an academic, and less-than-orthodox, audience, but Wright is actually on target on the doctrinal essentials.

His forte is summarizing past Pauline scholarship, clearing away the debris, and looking at what Paul was saying. Paul believed Jesus' death and resurrection and ascension fulfilled God's promises to redeem Israel, which meant it was now time to bring in the Gentiles, which was intended all along (Gen 12:3). So Paul went to the Gentiles with a Jewish message: the God of the Jews made all things and His redemption of the world has now reached you through Jesus, the true Lord (not Caesar) of all lords.

The justification chapters are next. Some of you are worried about those, I know. Going in, I believe the confessional understandings of justification are true to Scripture, but that there may be more that Paul said in the NT regarding this, than what the Westminster divines, e.g., summarized. See Vern Poythress' book, Symphonic Theology, to realize that the melody of confessional justification might be adorned and enhanced, not violated or altered, by various counter-melodies going on in Scripture. I expect to find those counter-melodies in Wright.

The Reformation was all about going ad fontes, back to the sources. Remember that the sources are Scripture, and only secondarily our confessions. We must define our theological terms using Scripture as our primary standard, not confessions or traditional language. Of course, we should also respect the great wisdom found in our forefather betters who wrote those confessions, and not readily accept new teachings opposing them, either.