Additional Thoughts from 2 Current Theologians

In continuation of my last post's question, I have pasted below a couple of correspondences with 2 men I respect on the very topic at hand. For your reading pleasure, and for your personal growth, here are the correspondences with Scot McKnight and Doug Kennard.

(Continue Reading...)

Dr. McKnight,

I have only recently read your article entitled, "From Wheaton to Rome: Why Evangelicals become Roman Catholic", published in the September 2002 edition of the ETS Journal. I very much enjoyed the paper and am wondering if you might point me in the direction of some good Evangelical responses. As a struggling Evangelical, the two main problems with my church experience are those of Scriptural Interpretive Authority and Church History. I'd like to be able to understand the Evangelical answers to those two questions.

Thank you again for your article. It's always reassuring to know that I'm not the only one with these struggles.

Chris,

Thanks for your note. For its size, that article of mine has surely been read by lots of folks.

The resolution of the problems of "authority" and "history" are not really found in the RCC or the Eastern Orthodox Church, but in the mysterious providence of God who has permitted his Church to be what it is -- divisions and all. I don't think the unity of the Church can be found structurally -- though I'd like to see more of it. Nor can it be found institutionally -- it doesn't work on the good earth we live on now.

That unity is found in communion with the Spirit of God.

There is some kind of resolution in the Catholic magisterium, though there are plenty of skeletons in the closet in the RCC (and it claims perfection) and there are all kinds of division within and without. So, it uses structural connection to argue for what is no more united than the typical evangelical denomination.

The evangelical church needs, however, to wake up about Church history. It won't do to lop off 1500 years and pretend it was all mixed up until Luther and Calvin - who had their own mix-ups. What we need is more of the AEF (see the latest Christianity Today to see what I'm speaking of). WE need more we are more connected to the whole of the Church, and that comes when leaders will embrace the whole Church, preach from it, teach it, and encourage
others to explore it.

Hope this helps.

Blessings,
--
Scot McKnight
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Dr. Kennard,

I am hoping you might be able to help me with a question that has been bothering me for nearly a year. While attending a church in Florida last year, I stumbled onto this question--and it's had me in a tailspin ever since.

The speaker made a doctrinal statement with which I completely disagreed, and I muttered under my breath, "What authority do you have to make such a statement?"; and then, of course, I was forced to ask myself, "What authority do I have to disagree?". I had never before asked such a question, and I quickly realized that I, as a lifelong evangelical, had no acceptable answer.

The issue I had aroused, much by mistake, was the issue of the Authority of Interpretation. And one year later, I still have not come to a satisfactory conclusion.

What is the traditional protestant answer to the question of Interpretive Authority? To whom or what do we as protestants look for definitive interpretive guidance? By what agreed upon authority can a protestant declare one Biblical interpretation to be heretical and another to be
acceptable?

Other than the traditional protestant responses, what are your personal thoughts?

Any help would be appreciated. If you could even point me in the direction of some good books, I'd be grateful.

The short answer is that protestants look at particulars in the Biblical text as the determiner and arbiter on interpretation questions. Often however, tradition plays a significant role as well, but I think we need to challenge our traditions by the text. If you are interested in a more nuanced analysis of this question the attachment explains how I do interpretation with the charts on the last pages summarizing the view.

Hope this helps. Dr. Kennard



(this is Chris again) - if you'd like a copy of the attachment he sent, just mention it in the comments section; I'll be happy to pass it along.