Because the missionary vocation colored and shaped Paul's writing, one should resist the temptation to systematize it. The need to contextualize the Gospel runs contrary to the design of those who reduce the text to universal dogma. When one steps back and reads Paul from the standpoint of missionary literature, the “New Perspective” makes a lot of sense. Paul battled between the two extremes of antinomianism and Judaizers. His polemic against Judaizers (Jewish believers) who attempted to force Gentile believers (Christians) to become Jews provided the fodder that allowed early Christianity to stand on its own. As he contended for the faith, the Jewish believers opposed him because they wanted to universalize their Jewish experience. Paul threatened their universalism because he would not distinguish between Jewish and Gentile converts. The Jerusalem Council (cf. Acts 15) did not intend for Jewish believers to abandon their Jewish identity or practices. Acts 21:20-21 indicates the intent of the Jerusalem leaders when it states, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the Torah. They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses and you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs." The Jerusalem leaders assumed that Jewish converts to Christ would remain Jewish. In truth, when Paul evangelized in the synagogues, he called Jews proselytes and God fearers to the same truth. The "mystery of the Gospel" (cf. Eph 3:2ff) did not allow Jewish and Christian churches to operate under radically different rules. Furthermore, asking a Christian to covert to Judaism insulted the Gospel and put unnecessary cultural barriers between a Christian and Christ. Luther and other reformers read Paul through the lens of their conflict with Rome. Paul's diatribe seemed to fit the situation. With some modifications, Rome became the new Judaizer. Only by means of their mechanisms and conformity to their requirements could one gain salvation. In time, the reformers concretized Paul's theology around justification by faith, grace only, the priesthood of all believers, the Bible as the final rule for faith and practice, and the example of the early Church. The Council of Trent made important points regarding the reformers' excesses. Still, when one considers the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, its arrogance and the pitiful state of the laity, history shows that the reformers made good use of Paul. If for no other reason, they gave Rome an impetus to change. Their use of Paul is an example of contextualization. After 500 years of Protestantism, we are in a position to re-evaluate Paul and the reformation as we continue to contextualize the Christian message to ever changing milieus. In so doing, we should build upon the great truths that the reformers articulated in the same way that we build upon the classical creeds and the Anti-Nicene Fathers. Wesley will always remain foundational to World Methodism. However, we should be slow to gloss over ecclesiological and theological differences in order to exact some type of institutional union between United Methodism and Roman Catholicism. For example, Mariology and the Pope as the Vicar of Christ present serious obstacles. Still, we can model acts of unity even when theological differences and institutional barriers impede full fellowship. Communion around the Lord’s Table can be such an act. Roman Catholics are free to join me at the Lord's Table. My denomination does not require them to stay away. I long for the day when the R oman Catholic Church will allow me and my parishioners to enjoy the same privilege without requiring us to submit to Rome. In closing, Paul challenged the Jerusalem Church when he contextualized the Gospel by translating it to the Gentile cultures from Antioch to Rome. In a similar way, the reformers discovered new life and renewed vitality as they reread the text in light of their conflict with Rome; the contextual reality that drove their quest. Ever since God incarnated himself in the person of Jesus Christ so he could communicate to people in a culture specific way, apostolic Christian have reincarnated the gospel and themselves into the cultures and situations in which people live.

Bill Payne
Conway United Methodist Church