Homosexuality and the modern church...
Kathy Keller reviews "A Year of Biblical Womanhood"...
Christianity and the dark side - what about halloween?
My year of biblical womanhood...
Showing posts with label Biblical Authority. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biblical Authority. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Take a Moment...
Brothers, we are not superstars...
Homosexuality and the modern church...
Kathy Keller reviews "A Year of Biblical Womanhood"...
Christianity and the dark side - what about halloween?
My year of biblical womanhood...
Homosexuality and the modern church...
Kathy Keller reviews "A Year of Biblical Womanhood"...
Christianity and the dark side - what about halloween?
My year of biblical womanhood...
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Peter, Paul, and Inspiration
Peter Enns has a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, has taught at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) for 14 years, was a Senior Fellow of Biblical Studies for The BioLogos Foundation, and is currently on faculty at Eastern University teaching courses in Old and New Testaments.
In other words, Enns is no slouch. In fact, I have appreciated the limited interaction I have had with him. He is cordial and helpful, as well as intellectually honest (which has left me asking many questions). To be sure, the depth and intensity of these recent questions have been rivaled only by my introduction to Calvinism many years ago, and my (sort of) recent interactions with hell (if so inclined, you can also read my review of Rob Bell’s Love Wins).
Part of the recent din surrounding Enns is the discussion over the historicity of Adam. This discussion has undoubtedly held a prominent place within the blogosphere over the last few months (not least by Enns, Scot McKnight, and Kevin DeYoung). And yet, amongst these various discussions, I have not yet read anything on the doctrine of inspiration as it relates to Pauline and Adamic studies (which I know could simply be my own oversight).
What might be most helpful is to define inspiration:
By inspiration of Scripture we mean that supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on the Scripture writers which rendered their writings an accurate record of the revelation or which resulted in what they wrote actually being the Word of God.[1]
And, of course, inspiration is a consequent of revelation:
God created thoughts in the mind of the writer as he wrote.[2]
Therefore:
While revelation is the communication of truth from God to humans, inspiration relates more to the relaying of that truth from the first recipient(s) of it to other persons, whether then or later. Thus, revelation might be thought of as a vertical action, and inspiration as a horizontal matter.[3]
And, herein lies a critical question: If we believe Paul’s writings were inspired (2 Tim 3:10), that they were supernaturally influenced, are we not attributing error to God if we attribute error to Paul? This question stems from Enns’s assertion in The Evolution of Adam that Paul’s assumptions about human origins might not necessarily display a unique level of scientific accuracy (95). Simply put, if Enns thinks Paul was wrong about the historicity of Adam, is this not also an affirmation that man’s error can supplant God’s sovereignty in revelation and inspiration?[4]
It seems that this is where Enns is headed. In his writings on inspiration, a major theme is accounting for the incarnational aspect(s) of inspiration (i.e., the human-ness of the authors). Accounting for the human element is necessary (God is not a puppet-master), and yet, I feel a sense of unease focusing too much on the humanity of scripture (although we must understand that the text was written in a specific historical and cultural context). For instance, it seems most appropriate to affirm that God himself took on human form rather than a man becoming divine.
Paul Helm puts it nicely:
[I]f the account of his deity is controlled by data about his humanity – including his physical and mental growth, his bodily weakness, his ignorance, his emotional life – the result may be a Christ who is very different from a Christ whose divine nature is given priority.[5]
This is also, at least for me, the appropriate interpretive process for the Bible; namely, the Bible is breathed by God and authored my humans. Bruce Waltke, in his review of Enns’s Inspiration and Incarnation, states, “To be sure, the Scripture is fully human, but it is just as fully the Word of God, with whom there is no shadow of turning and who will not lie to or mislead his elect”.[6]
So, what are we to think?
Is Paul wrong?
Is Enns Wrong?
What do we have the right to conclude about the nature of revelation and inspiration?
How should revelation and inspiration affect our interpretive process?
[1] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983), 225.
[2] Ibid., 213.
[3] Ibid., 225-226.
[4] Enns has appropriately pointed out that this syllogism only works if the above definition of inspiration is affirmed. But, converesely, Enns’s affirmation that God’s purposes in revelation and inspiration will not be supplanted by the human element is only true if we accept his definition of inspiration.
[6] Bruce K. Waltke, “Revisiting Inspiration and Incarnation,” The Westminster Theological Journal 71, no. 1 (2009): 94.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Don't Judge Me, Bro!
There are two things that contemporary people (or at least contemporary Americans) love: social media and autonomy. And what is frequently interesting, and sometimes unnerving, is when those two loves are coupled together. Often enough, this coupling is fleshed out (through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, blogs, etc.) in three words:
Don’t judge me!
These three words are regularly used as the ultimate trump card in any discussion with opposing viewpoints.
Don’t judge me!
Autonomy at its best…
We all want to be the king (or queen) of our own little kingdom, completely sovereign over our affairs with no one to tell us otherwise (and definitely no one to tell us that we might be wrong).
We see Christians telling other Christians to stop being judgmental (to those within and without Christendom); we see non-Christians telling Christians to stop being judgmental (to those within and without Christendom). Frankly, it’s rampant.
But where is this coming from? What is the basis?
Most people, if not all (i.e., those within and without Christendom), look to Matthew 7:1 as the proof-text for affirming anti-judgmentalism (of course, it’s much easier to sledgehammer someone else with this text than it is to apply it to ourselves…).
I am going to quote Kevin DeYoung at length, because I cannot say it any better:
Judgmentalism is not the same as making judgments. The same Jesus who said “do not judge” in Matthew 7:1calls his opponents dogs and pigs in Matthew 7:6. Paul pronounces an anathema on those who preach a false gospel (Gal. 1:8). Disagreement among professing Christians is not a plague on the church. In fact, it is sometimes necessary. The whole Bible is full of evaluation and encourages the faithful to be discerning and make their own evaluations. What’s tricky is that some fights are stupid, and some judgments are unfair and judgmental. But this must be proven, not assumed…Strong language and forceful arguments are appropriate.
In other words, you can make judgments.
You do make judgments.
Everyday.
In fact, when Jesus tells us to “judge not, that you be not judged,” he follows that with “for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Jesus indicates that you should be cautious when you judge because this same judgment you render will be rendered to you.
Do not be afraid to evaluate.
But remember that when you evaluate, God is going to evaluate you with that same criteria.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The (un)Certainty of Being (un)Certain
Skepticism is frustrating.
As a general philosophical framework, skeptics employ an attitude of incredulity, or, in other words, they posture an attitude of uncertainty (i.e., you cannot be certain about what you know).
Simply put, I believe this framework cannot survive.
If we cannot be certain about anything, then we cannot be certain about skepticism as a correct epistemological framework.
And yet, what I find more frustrating than a generalized framework of epistemological skepticism is what I might label an epistemologically skeptical theological framework. To be sure, I am skeptical (!!) as to whether this is historically cyclical, or somehow singularly linked with post-modernity; perhaps time will tell.
I recently read that, “it is difficult to convince people there is life in letting go of certainty.” Now, being that this quote came from a pastor, I am going to take the dangerous step in assuming that this concerns scriptural certainty. If this step, albeit dangerous, is correct, then I think the quote falls under the aforementioned epistemologically skeptical theological framework, which is a framework wrought in the claimed uncertainty of biblical texts.
Now, hear what I am saying…
At times, uncertainty is acceptable.
Paul, near the end of his magnum opus, quotes the Old Testament in declaration that, amongst other things, God’s judgments are unsearchable and no one has known the mind of the Lord (Rom 11:33-36).
But could Paul’s declaration have been more doxological than epistemological? Did he not just spend the previous eleven chapters outlining various theological positions?
In prepping for my Ph.D., I have been simply overwhelmed by the amount of excellent scholarship within the realm of biblical and theological studies. Therefore, I think we ought to employ caution in affirming an epistemologically skeptical theological framework. Although we must also employ caution to root our scriptural certainty within an appropriate hermeneutic, if we are willing to put in the work, we will be able to find answers to most of our uncertainties.
Oh, and for those who are so sure they are sure. Do not forget to be humble. You might be wrong…
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Take a Moment...
Biblical Authority in an Age of Uncertainty...
Erasing Hell and Erasing Bell...
Is it ok to believe in hell and not like it?
How to talk about the afterlife (if you must)...
A word about C.J. Mahaney's leave of absence...
Also, don't forget to check out my post on Hero Admiration v. Hero Worship...
Erasing Hell and Erasing Bell...
Is it ok to believe in hell and not like it?
How to talk about the afterlife (if you must)...
A word about C.J. Mahaney's leave of absence...
Also, don't forget to check out my post on Hero Admiration v. Hero Worship...
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