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Sola scriptura is dead, or at least is undead, a zombie still stalking the darkened hallways of
Protestantism. Many well-meaning Protestant Christians don’t see the zombie-dogma
for what it is; instead, they choose to see it as a being of light. My friend
Dave Armstrong has returned to blow the old decrepit sola scriptura monsters one at a time in his latest work, 100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura.
Let’s recall the definition of the sola scriptura dogma – yes, it is a dogma – as understood by Norman
Geisler, a recognized Protestant authority Dave quotes in his work:
By
sola scriptura orthodox Protestants mean that Scripture alone is the primary
and absolute source of authority, the final court of appeal, for all doctrine
and practice (faith and morals)… (p.16)
Geisler, and authorities Dave quotes, further explain that
other authorities exist, but that these are of secondary importance. Geisler
also defends what he calls the perspicuity
of Holy Writ, which means that anyone can understand the basic truths of
Scripture: the plain things are the main
things and the main things are the plain things, Geisler states. (p.17). As
a true analyst, Dave separated the sola
scriptura dogma into its constituents claims, found out its contents, examined
its individual parts, and studied the structure of sola scriptura as whole. He found them defective and insufficient
to expound and explain the full spectrum of Christian claims.
Dave kills the sola
scriptura zombie by selecting 100 verses from Scripture contradicting this
central Protestant claim. I guess he selected 100 verses because the number “100”
gives the reader a sense of exhaustive answer and completion, not because there
are only 100 verses that should make all sincere Protestant Christian at least
uncomfortable with the teaching. In fact, Dave is the author of another related
work, 501 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura: Is the Bible the
Only Infallible Authority? ,
which is useful if you need another 401 arguments to kill the sola scriptura zombie dead.
100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura is a
distillation of the 501 Biblical
Arguments… in a more manageable, less overwhelming fashion for the
beginning reader. It’s 133 pages in length and divided into two parts. In Part
1 Dave discusses the binding authority of Tradition, as substantiated in
Scripture, and in Part 2 he discusses the binding authority of the Church,
again from Scripture. The result must be uncontestable to the sincere
Protestant Christian as well as eye opening to the full range of deeds and wonders
the Incarnation of the Word of God brought to history.
Will the sola
scriptura zombie really die after Dave’s work? This is a senseless question
because the zombie is already dead. It’s kept ambulating by strings pulled from
the most diehard of its followers. Those strings must be cut by the individual,
sincere Protestant Christian himself. Dave Armstrong’s work, 100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura not only
blows the zombie of sola scriptura away,
he also provides the scissors to cut the strings.
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