EDITORIAL: A NEW NINETY-FIVE THESES ON SCRIPTURE

Abstract

October 31, 2017 1. The church is always in need of reforming according to the Word of God if it is to remain the Christian church. 2. A program for reforming the church requires a reaffirmation of sola Scriptura. 3. The church’s way of reading and understanding Scripture must be formed by Scripture itself, with Scripture interpreting Scripture. 4. Postmodern rejections of Scripture’s story line propose substitute narratives based on an a priori rejection of the divine inspiration of Scripture. 5. Postmodern methods of biblical interpretation reject sola Scriptura and replace it with a biblically alien system of hermeneutics. 6. The Scriptures offer assurance and confident hope, whereas postmodern interpretations are self-focused, resulting in relativism, uncertainty, and narcissism. 7. The interpretation of Scripture is not ultimately governed by the beliefs of a community, but rather by Scripture interpreting Scripture. Without this standard, the message of Scripture is relativized, resulting in ambiguity, and theological and spiritual chaos. 8. The rule of faith of Scripture compared with Scripture and Scripture interpreting Scripture is an objective standard for truth claims, meaningful discourse, and theological accountability. 9. Confessional orthodoxy is relevant and must be taken into account in biblical and theological interpretation. 10. No church confession is infallible, as this is true of Scripture alone. 11. ...