The Authority of Scripture and the Doctrine of Salvation in the Patristic Period (original) (raw)
Two Opposite Gospels in the Adventist Church, 2014
, "that the whole of justification is the work of God's grace, " 2 there are five areas of difference on the issue of justification: (1) the meaning; (2) the basis; (3) the means; (4) the effect; and (5) the nature of sin and depravity. Ellen White says that Martin Luther clearly taught "justification by faith;" 3 it was central to the 1888 message and "is the third angel's message. " 4 "Seventhday Adventists see themselves as heirs of and builders upon the Reformation … teaching on justification by grace through faith alone. " 5 The Council of Trent (1545-1563) formulated the Roman Catholic Church's doctrine of justification, in opposition to the Reformers' teachings. To the question "How can a sinner stand before God's holy law in the judgment and be acquitted?" came two radically different answers. For the Reformers it was by being "declared righteous, " based on the finished work of Jesus. For the Council of Trent it was by being "made righteous, " through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. According to Adventist pastor and former professor Dennis Priebe, "The gospel lies at the heart of Christianity, " and "there are two versions of the gospel being
Faith and Theology: Basic Insights of the Reformation in Ecumenical Debate
Since the beginnings of Christianity, there has been a fundamental tension between faith and theology (if theology is understood as a rational reflection of faith which is internally coherent and can be communicated in intersubjective discourse). The Reformation, with its principle of sola fide on the one hand and its institutionalisation of a Scripture-based academic theology on the other hand, drew particular attention to the tension between faith and theology and suggested new answers to that problem. That effort contributed to a fundamental transformation of academic theology within the faculties of Protestant Theology which emerged as a result of the movement. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Reformation, it is fitting to acknowledge the achievements of academic theology in the Reformers' tradition. In the past decades, however, academic theology has come under considerable pressure. In much of Europe and North America, the process of secularization has led to a massive decline in religious education and – partially as a reaction to this – to a trivialization of theology in many areas of Church life. Academic theology has been widely denounced as dogmatism and even obscurantism. This raises the question as to what extent academic theology itself has encouraged this rejection. At the same time, one can observe a global proliferation of evangelical and Pentecostal groups. These groups sometimes display a certain indifference towards academic theological training, or even reject it altogether, in an effort to defend the inspiration and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures and to propagate a 'simple' faith instead. Generally speaking, an uncritical biblical hermeneutic seems to be proliferating around the world, and has even taken root in traditional academic institutions. It largely ignores the historical-critical methods of scriptural exegesis as developed by the western Enlightenment and sometimes replaces it with an insufficiently self-critical dogmatism and moralism, thereby disguising considerable claims to social control. The traditional Greater Churches (Großkirchen) which, under the influence of the Enlightenment, were inspired by an educational optimism have hitherto favoured the autonomy of the religious individual. They have, therefore, little to offer in opposition to the formation of antirationalist sets of spiritual values which aim at forming close-knit communities of believers and which are often characteristic of these evangelical and Pentecostal groups. They must, therefore, ask themselves to what extent the relationship between faith and theology as defined in the wake of the Reformation will in future continue to be religiously productive and may thus serve the churches and their congregations. By way of summary, the Wittenberg Conference wishes to reflect critically on the standards of academic theology and its current challenges from an ecumenical perspective. It proposes to do so in three hermeneutical steps: The conference aims, first, to take stock of the worldwide impact of Protestant theology—its contents, standards, and methods—in various political, social, and religious contexts.
Ancient Discipline and Pristine Doctrine: Appeals to Antiquity in the Developing Reformation
M.A. Thesis in Theology (Church History), 2007
This thesis examines the changing attitudes of Protestants toward Church History. The primary evidence surveyed is statements made within major Protestant confessional documents, as well as the views of selected Reformers. By focusing on how Protestant confessions either quote the church fathers, or affirm continuity with the ancient creeds of the Church, this thesis presents a general overview of how some Protestants have related to Church History.
Luther in the Eucharistic Debates: Sola Scripture or Divinization of Man?
Scripture and Philosophy: Essays Honoring the Work and Vision of Fernando Luis Canale, 2016
In his Basic Elements of Christian Theology: Scripture Replacing Tradition, Fernando Canale establishes that Scripture alone, or sola Scriptura, must be the departure point for any theological construction that seeks an authentic understanding of God. And while voicing his appreciation for Martin Luther’s endorsement of the sola Scriptura principle, Canale states that Luther is “neither always biblical nor coherent with the whole testimony of Old and New Testaments.” He also notes that “Evangelical theology, even Luther’s and Calvin’s, neglects the sola, tota, and prima Scriptura principle and builds on the multiple sources of theology principle. This principle originates with the Roman Catholic conviction that God reveals Himself through reason (philosophy and science), tradition, spiritual/mystical experiences, and Scripture.” Specifically, Canale says Luther built his central doctrine of justification by faith (“the article on which the Church stands or falls”) on Augustine’s teaching of God’s timeless reality and will, a teaching which is diametrically opposed to a historical interpretation of Scripture. Because Protestantism in general and Adventism in particular tends to uphold Luther as a stalwart crusader for sola Scriptura, the following study seeks to evaluate Canale’s statements in light of the Eucharistic debates that took place at the outset of the Reformation. Do Luther’s views support a sola Scriptura approach to understanding the Lord’s Supper, or do they uphold a mystical view that has as its aim the divinization of man?
Revisiting 'the Nature of Protestantism': Justification by Faith Five Hundred Years On
New Blackfriars, 2018
This essay is about the state of the doctrine of justification by faith alone today in light of recent critiques, and about the ways in which the doctrine continues to shape Protestants who no longer formally subscribe to it. The argument is first and foremost theological rather than historical, but it is driven by an interest in how evaluations of justification by faith have changed over time to get us where we are today. My hope is that a thoughtful evaluation of the current state of this doctrine as it looks from within the protestant fold will give us a some new insight into this important dimension of the relation between protestant and Catholic theological traditions, as we look back over 500 years of division. Ultimately, it will give us some new purchase on the old question of 'the nature of Protestantism' through analysis of a certain kind of orientation to psychological and affective realities in protestant theology.
Solus Christus and the Protestant Reformation of Europe
History shows that a commitment to solus Christus is based upon Scripture and the earliest Christian documents. Commitment to this doctrine was lost, though, after extra-biblical and traditional elements entered the church and became authoritative. The Reformers, on the other hand, understood that these traditions were simply the traditions of men. A commitment to the authority of Scripture for faith and practice resulted in a commitment to salvation mediated by Christ alone. The result is that God receives all of the glory for salvation since it is sought solely through His Son.