Paul and James Theology

The positions of Hartin and Zetterholm regarding the notion of Paul and his relationship to precepts of faith and works are not one in the same. Each author is discussing respective facets of Paul's theology. The former is comparing Paul's conception of the value of works and faith with that of James. The latter is simply recounting Paul's purported opposition to the Torah, which is partly based on his esteem for faith. Thus, the positions of the authors are not synonymous because they are elucidating different facets of Paul's theology.
Nonetheless, there are poignant similarities found within their arguments (and within their conclusions in particular) that are impossible for the diligent erudite to eschew. Zetterholm ends his piece by stating that there are new interpretations of the very period during which Paul was writing, spanning from approximately "200 BCE to 200 CE" (Zetterholm, 2009) which evince the fact that there was a lessening of the importance of adhering to the Torah. His principal argument was that many scholars considered Paul a maverick for espousing literature in which he was not advocating expressly following the Torah, and was instead focused on faith. Zetterholm's conclusion is that this new interpretation downplays the alleged "conflict" (Zetterholm, 2009) between Paul and Judaism.
This denouement proclaimed by Zetterholm functions as the capital way in which the positions of the authors are not irreconcilable, but rather actually are reconcilable. Hartin acknowledges that the point of variance between Paul and James is one which seemingly implies that Paul has distanced himself from the tradition of upholding the Torah. Paul was eliciting a relatively new paradigm in which faith in Jesus Christ was enough to save Christian adherents--regardless of how that faith impacted the traditional law of the Torah. Specifically, he was propounding the notion that Jesus lived and died faithfully in accordance to the will of God, and that Christians merely had to have faith in this fact in order to be considered righteous. Nevertheless, Hartin ends his piece by acknowledging that although this belief might not reflect the tenet of James in which works are required to bring alive faith, they simply offer a perspective of "diversity" (Hartin, 2003, p. 171) within this facet of Christianity. Paul's viewpoint does not exclude that of James, nor does James' viewpoint invalidate that of Paul. There is no conflict, just an emphasis on faith as a necessary accompaniment to any religious works.
This question as to the validity of works and faith, and whether or not simply doing religious works is enough for Christian righteousness, is actually of immense importance in the daily spirituality of the Christians we are serving in Hawaii. Both James and Paul ultimately stress the value of faith. James wants a faith in accordance with works; Paul was not necessarily advocating so. The pivotal precept is that faith must accompany works for the latter to have any redeeming value. It is not enough to simply engage in religious works and simply think that just by performing such actions one is acting in a righteous way. As Christians, we must remember our purpose in serving those who we aid in Hawaii. We must recall that we are doing so to demonstrate our faith, but we also must keep that faith itself as well.
References
Hartin, P. (2003). James. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
Zetterholm, M. (2009). Approaches to Paul, A Student’s
Guide to Recent Scholarship. Minneapolis: Fortress Press,