Pharisees as the good guys

No Christian wants to be called a “Pharisee,” so it can shock modern Bible readers to learn that the Pharisees were good guys. They were the home Bible study movement in the land of Israel, the ones who wanted to interpret Torah in such a way that everything was clear so everyone could follow the whole Torah. Their vision for Israel was to obey the Torah, to teach the Torah, and in so doing to stimulate a revival in the land and draw down the blessing of God, including the coming of the Messiah and the kingdom.— Kingdom Conspiracy, page 51