Starting with the punch line is low on drama, but makes up for it in clarity. So here’s the punch line.
For many people, the New Perspective on Paul (just NPP from now on) has come to mean this – ‘get in by grace, stay in by merit’. It’s not actually quite put like this, normally it’s ‘get in by grace, stay in by works’ but it’s more accurate to say merit. Since this is the popular understanding, I am going to refer to this as NPP (pop).
What does it mean? The NPP (pop) is the view that the beginning of the Christian life is by the grace of God – he calls us to restored right relationship with himself through the work of Christ by the preaching of the gospel. But, so the story goes, the NPP (pop) holds that the way a person stays right with God is by doing good works that earn his ongoing favour – hence ‘stay in by merit’.
The phrase ‘get in by grace, stay in by works’ was coined by EP Sanders, as his way of summarising what he saw as the pattern of 1st century Judaism. For what it’s worth, he meant ‘works’ in a way that didn’t imply merit.
So, to get it clear right up front (and I hope this is the most defensive I get) – I have never thought, taught, encouraged, preached, written or even muttered anything even in the same galaxy as NPP (pop). Hundreds of my sermons are on line, plenty of stuff I have written is on line. Not a single syllable will go anywhere near this – never have, never will. Thousands (rhetorical hyberbole?) of people who have listened to me teach sometime over the last 20 years at Sydney Uni, Barneys and CCIW would know this. I have only ever taught, and only ever will teach, that salvation is by grace alone, on the basis of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, through faith alone, on the authority of the Scriptures alone – in fact, I had the joy of preaching a series on the ‘solas’ years ago (before the sola panel made it trendy) which makes this all pretty clear.
If you think NPP = NP (pop), then it’s got nothing to do with me – in fact, even to say it, as though it could, feels somehow dirty.
If you have said something along the lines “Katay is new perspective”, and what you meant by “new perspective” was something like NPP (pop), then you have got me hopelessly wrong , and have probably done me wrong – please stop! You may even like to fess up in the comments! On the other hand, if you hear someone say it, please stop them – or you may even like to ‘out’ them in the comments (after asking them to fess up).
It’s time for this nonsense to stop.
On Wednesday, I’ll start at the beginning, and say more about what I do think, rather than just what I don’t think.
But, just in case it needs to be said again, I do not and never have held NPP (pop). Can we let it drop for good now?
Well done Andrew!
I remember with fondness many many of your EU talks, and not one of them came even close to NPP (pop)…I never thought you held that view, but have heard it muttered…and I never believed the mutterings. Any clergyman who would slander a fellow clergyman in such a way (naming names and unsolicited) is incredibly rude and unprofessional.
You have the full support of Luke and myself, and we look forward to reading the rest of your posts!!
Julia
Sounds good to me. I managed to make it through the last 1.5 years at USyd, never hearing anything like NPP (pop). Maybe I was living in a cave, but it was only after uni that I heard anyone say ‘Katay is New Perspective’, and when I heard it, I knew it didn’t sound right…
Except maybe for the AnCon on ‘Church’…
But I guess we’ll hear more about that later. 🙂
Imho, there are as many NPPs as there are adherents to the NPP. Bring on the NPP(Katay)!
Good stuff Katay.
This has always been my understanding of what you’ve taught as well—that is to say, and putting it more technically, I have never in the nearly 25 years I’ve known you remotely suspected that you taught NPP (pop). What I’ve heard you teach is the grace of God in Christ.
Looking forward to more posts.
Julia, thanks for that – appreciate the support.
Tim, we sure will get to the church – and there’s a reason why a standard evangelical doctrine of the church needs some work!
And Karl, something like that, ad long ad it’s crystal clear that it’s nothing like NPP (pop)
… well, actually, we don’t want the NPP label at all… it seems to be a source of great confusion. If we have a NPP (Katay) then we are back to square one… because people won’t take the time (as history shows) to distinguish between NPP (Pop), NPP (Sanders), (FPP) Wright etc etc etc
How’s about the KPP?
🙂
‘FPP’? Or was that a typo?
Fresh Perspective on Paul, I believe. NTW’s attempt to no longer be labeled NPP (pop or otherwise)
The Katay People’s Party?
Bravo. A helpful corrective to a misunderstanding of the NPP. No NPP advocate in their right mind wants to use the word “merit” in this way.
As to the unhelpful profusion of labels, I agree with Michael. Let’s just hear the KPP.
Great start to the series Katay. I’m looking forward to the rest of your posts. I’m a total light weight compared to the other comments but for what it’s worth, I’ve never heard you preach NPP (pop). But I certainly have heard many people accuse you of doing so.
This is a great method of how to blog-keep it up.
Katay, you sure know how to get people to tune in. Stimulating stuff, possibly for all the wrong reasons! Ha!
Stephengardner – are you saying that some other people are…. fat? Is that it?
Ha ha Michael. Not quite what I meant!
I’m even more of a light weight than stephengardner, but in the various contexts where I’ve been taught by Andrew since 2003 (at USYD & CCIW) I’ve never heard him preach NPP (pop).
But I’ve met plenty of people who’ve heard from someone who was told by someone else that Andrew did.
Hi Andrew
A helpful start to a discussion that is worth having. Unfortunately I’ve heard other make the claim in regards to you being ‘New Perspective’. In my experience of your teaching, I have continually heard the message of God’s grace in the gospel. Proverbs 11:25.
Five years at SUEU (public meetings, small groups, leadership training, seminars, various committees, conferences and personal conversations) plus another four years at Barneys (sermons, leadership meetings, personal conversations, seminars) and then more years of reading groups, emails, blogs, personal conversations – I couldn’t be bothered adding up how many hundreds of hours I’ve listened to Andrew speak.
He’s never taught this. Or anything like it.
I haven’t heard anywhere near as much Katay as the rest (a series on Ecclesiasties at the EU, and the EU’s leadership course). I’ve heard the rumours though.
Andrew, thanks for clearing up the NPP (pop) thing. I’ve tried to explain that the popular perception of NPP isn’t necessarily accurate to people before, but I’m a n00b so I’ve sucked at it. So this is helpful.
Grace & peace as you continue the defense 🙂
I’ve only heard the gospel of grace from you at EU.
I’d be keen to hear what you have to say.
Didn’t have as much experience with as you as Byron but if you believed that merit was how I stayed right with our maker then I don’t think you would not have welcomed me (way back) into your fold. Never had any inclination whatsoever from you that my standing before God was about me and my performance, neither before nor after Jesus revealed himself to me. Not sure that any hyperbole is involved on your part either.
So, thanks for all the comments. It means a great deal to me. Sorry not to have been more engaged, I am away at a 2 day conference without internet except the phone.
I plan to do the first post (on the law) tomorrow.
there is a chance of course that all this ends up being self-defeating – with ringing endorsements from all the wrong people.
So to help counter this trend, here is my (hopefully helpful) contribution:
“Geoff Broughton thinks Andrew Katay is a rubbish theologian”
Geoff,
love your style!
In my book, you were never one of the ‘wrong people’!
Hi I saw these posts a little late but I thought I might share my story.
I was a student minister at CCIW for 2 years.
I went to CCIW as a very ‘suspicious’ person bc of the stuff I heard about Andrew. But ironically it was through Andrew’s teaching that I started to see that I wasn’t living by grace. God used Andrew’s teaching in my life to open up my eyes to see God’s grace and to anchor my soul in
Christ.