As citizens of the 21st century, we have the unprecedented opportunity to read the Bible with the hindsight of nearly two millennia of scholarly investigation and interpretation. Why do we disregard this opportunity?
An interesting piece on how sola Scriptura does not mean license for individualistic interpretation and how Americans believe in heresies that were actually theologically answered almost two millennia ago.
Personal piety and a desire for truth are not guarantees that we always read Scripture aright. Consequently, we must rely upon our brothers and sisters in the faith to correct and rebuke us when we err, demonstrating our errors by Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). And this reliance on brothers and sisters refers not merely to those Christians who happen to be alive at the same time as us. Instead, it refers to the whole Christian Church, throughout time. We rely on those who have gone before us. They too get a say in the matter. As G. K. Chesterton has wonderfully put it, this sort of tradition is a “democracy of the dead.”
Of course, doctrine is not itself a matter of democracy per se; we don’t (or at least ought not) vote for dogma in the Church. Dogma is a matter of truth, not popular opinion. But Chesterton’s words remind us that it is arrogant to ignore the teachings of our forefathers in the faith. They faced many of the same theological questions we do today, and their answers have stood the test of time.
You can read the rest here.
HT: Mathew Block and Gene Veith
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