Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 29:3 (Fall 2025)
Article: New Covenant Theology And Progressive Covenantalism Compared: Common Ground
Author: Zachary S. Maxcey

New Covenant Theology And Progressive Covenantalism Compared: Common Ground

Zachary S. Maxcey

Zachary S. Maxcey is a MDiv graduate of Providence Theological Seminary, and he currently serves as the President of Providence Theological Institute of New Covenant Theology (http://www.pti-nct.org).

Introduction

Beginning in 1977, New Covenant Theology (NCT) emerged as a developing theological system through the diligent labors of such men as Jon Zens, John Reisinger, Tom Wells, S. Lewis Johnson, and Gary D. Long. However, what is NCT? NCT has been described in a multitude of ways. For example, Dennis Swanson of The Master’s Seminary refers to NCT as a “theology of the Internet.”1 Fred Zaspel describes NCT both as a “recent attempt” to “gain a clearer understanding of the unfolding of Biblical redemptive history” and as a theological system occupying “middle ground” between Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology.2 Blake White writes, “New Covenant Theology is the system of theology that allows the Bible to have the ‘final say’ most consistently.”3 Robert Plummer describes NCT as “[t]he theological system that attempts to systematize the Bible through the lens of old and new covenant, especially focusing on the ‘newness’ brought in Jesus.”4 Finally, Gary D. Long states that NCT “may be defined broadly as God’s eternal purpose progressively revealed in the commandments and promises of the biblical covenants of the OT and fulfilled in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.”5

SBJT 29:3 (Fall 2025) 69

In 2012, Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum published their seminal work Kingdom through Covenant which sets forth the theological framework known as Progressive Covenantalism (PC). In this work, Wellum rightly argues that “the biblical covenants form the backbone of the metanarrative of Scripture, and apart from understanding each biblical covenant in its historical context and then in its relation to the fulfillment of all of the covenants in Christ, we will ultimately misunderstand the overall message of the Bible.”6 Following this, Stephen Wellum, Brent Parker, and other contributors published Progressive Covenantalism, a book which further crystallizes the tenets and teaching of this new system. Although there are some disputable differences between NCT and PC— a matter which will be addressed by my article, there is also vast agreement between these two systems. In this article, I will ...