Engaging Biblical Authority

Is the Bible infallible or inerrant, as some churches claim? Is it a historical document or a piece of literature, as some scholars suggest? This book offers a brief introduction to the question of biblical authority, using essays written by sixteen scholars who use the Bible as the Word of God in their own religious tradition and in their scholarship. Beginning with an introduction to the foundational issues of biblical authority, these scholars each present a different, but sympathetic, view of the Bible from his or her own perspective and experience. Their voices include traditional Reformed, Lutheran, Wesleyan, Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox views; recent conservative or evangelical positions; and critical African American, Asian American, Hispanic, feminist, and womanist perspectives. --From publisher's description.

The theological impact of accepting the absolute authority of biblical scripture is enormous-especially for women who attend and serve churches. But until now, few books have been willing to address this issue head on. Sarah Lancaster looks at the way women in the church have dealt with the question of scriptural authority and how they can address it in the future. Some women, she says, accept the authority of the Bible without question and stay in church without change of attitude or action. Others deny that the Bible has any authority, completely leaving Christianity in the belief that the Bible and Christian tradition are irredeemably patriarchal. Still others recognize that while scripture is largely patriarchal, it is authoritative for their life of faith. The Bible possesses a narrative coherence, its story resonating in our own lives. For women, the Bible can continue to "ring true" to their experience, letting them acknowledge scripture's authority in spite of its problems. The Bible is not about patriarchy; it is about how God is present to us and interacts with us in order to bring us to fullness of life. Lancaster says that women can criticize those things in scripture that help maintain a patriarchal world without invalidating scripture's authority. Scripture, she argues, informs, forms, and transforms. With its combination of narrative and feminist theology, Women and the Authority of Scripture brings a powerful new perspective to the doctrine of biblical authority in the contemporary world. Sarah Heaner Lancaster is Associate Professor of Theology, Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. She is an ordained elder in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She lives in Westerville, Ohio.

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The controversial subject of the spiritual authority of the believer in Christ is widely discussed in the church today. Now, Andrew Wommack, host of the #1 fastest growing ministry on television, gives us a new perspective that may challenge everything we've been taught including: If believers have been given authority, then when, how, and...

In this collection of articles written over forty years, Packer sets out his beliefs about the authority of Scripture and the principles that should be applied when interpreting it. Important topics such as the adequacy of human language, upholding the unity of Scripture, and challenges in Biblical interpretation are considered in the first two sections: "Gods Inerrant Word" and "Interpreting the Word." In the final section, "Preaching the Word," Packer turns his attention to pastoral leaders and the importance of correct and responsible expository preaching.

A denial of the sufficiency of Scripture is at the core of almost every form of opposition to the Christian faith today. Scripture Alone is written to instill a passionate love for and understanding of the Bible. In this defense of God's inspired Word, readers will comprehend what "God's Word"is, the nature of Scripture, the relationship of the Bible to tradition, how to apply Scripture to today's issues, and much more. Included is a faith-inspiring study of the canon--what it is and where it came from.

Some books give new answers to old questions. Here is the book that changes the questions themselves. We are therefore extremely fortunate to have Fowl's Engaging Scripture, for this is a book that challenges the presumptions that created the "problem" of the New Testament and its relationship to theology. Fowl's reading of Ephesians on stealing is worth the price of the book in itself. One cannot help but think this book will standout as the mark of a new beginning.' "Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke University, North Carolina." The Original Essay will be of interest to all those concerned with the inter-relationships between theological and the Bible. It may be used as a complement to Fowl's collection of classic and contemporary readings, "The Theological Interpretation of Scripture" (Blackwell Publishers, 1997). "Engaging Scripture" Proposes that Christians must read scripture theologically, redressing the recent domination of professional scholarship in this area by historical-criticism. Drawing on the best interpretive traditions of the past, Fowl develops, argues for and displays a new model for the theological interpretation of scripture. This interpretive framework should enable Christians, and particularly Christian theologians, to interpret scripture in a way that helps them to live and worship faithfully. Theological and theoretical questions are illustrated by reference to particular Christian convictions, practices, and concerns in the US and Britain, and by engaging scriptural passages. These serve as examples of the sort of interpretation Fowl is advocating. In summary, the book looks towards bridging the chasmthat arose between biblical studies and theological study following the rise of modernity.

Worship is of immense concern in the church and ironically the source of controversy and dispute. Can we get behind the question of what style of worship we should engage in to understand the bedrock foundation for God's people--honoring him as he desires? Is the dissatisfaction with worship voiced by so many perhaps a result of our having wandered from biblical teaching on the subject? Through careful exegesis in both Old and New Testaments, David Peterson unveils the total life-orientation of worship that is found in Scripture. Rather than determining for ourselves how we should worship, we, his people, are called to engage with God on the terms he proposes and in the way he alone makes possible. This book calls for a radical rethinking of the meaning and practice of worship, especially by those responsible for leading congregations. Here is the starting place for recovering the richness of biblical worship.