by Tom Wells & Fred Zaspel

When two parties, both submitting in principle to the authority of Scripture, strongly disagree as to the Scripture’s meaning, and when the issues are complex and intertwined, is resolution a forlorn hope? Must the two sides merely dig themselves into defensive positions and lob theological mortars at each other? At very least, if there is any hope of a meeting of minds, let alone of a resolution of the issues, it takes time, patience, intellectual humility, a willingness to be corrected, and thoughtful and empathetic listening combined with accurate and understated articulation of each party’s understanding. And those are the values of this book. Wells and Zaspel will not convince all of their opponents by their understandig of “new covenant theology,” but they deserve to be treated with the respect they extend to others—and perhaps, i the mercy of God, we will discover, in time, that some genuine steps have been taken toward theological agreement.—D.A. Carson

“Wells does a fine job of analyzing some of the historical and broadly theol ogical issues, while Zaspel concentrates on a careful exegesis of key New Testament texts—especially the pivotal Matthew 5:17–20. The combination is impressive and persuasive . . . Their careful biblical argument needs to be taken into account as the task of reforming our traditions in light of the wit ness of Scripture goes forward.”—From the Foreword by Douglas J. Moo