Justification in Perspective: Historical Developments and Contemporary Challenges

The last thirty years have seen much scholarly debate surrounding the Protestant doctrine of justification. These discussions have especially been fueled by the development of the New Perspective on Paul, which goes against the traditional understanding of first-century Judaism as a legalistic and works-based system and so changes our understanding of Paul's writings on justification in the New Testament. This major work presents a historical survey of the doctrine's development from the early church through the Reformation and on to today. Contributors include Henri Blocher, Tony Lane, Bruce McCormack, Carl Trueman, David Wright, and N. T. Wright. Though these distinguished authors have different perspectives, they approach the topic graciously, making for a constructive dialogue that will help pastors, students, and interested laypersons wrestle with this important theological issue.