Loss of Authority

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JM

Puritan Board Doctor
“The loss of the authority of the Scriptures deprives modern Protestantism of its power to discuss doctrine with Rome. Roman Christians ask their “separated brethren” in the Protestant churches, if you reject the doctrine of Mary’s immaculate conception as unscriptural, then why do so many of you reject also Christ’s virgin birth, a doctrine which your fathers confessed with the Church of all ages and which undoubtedly is based on Holy Scripture?” — Hermann Sasse

From The Inspiration of Holy Scripture , an article published in the American Evangelical magazine Christianity Today, March 16, 1962.
 
“The loss of the authority of the Scriptures deprives modern Protestantism of its power to discuss doctrine with Rome. Roman Christians ask their “separated brethren” in the Protestant churches, if you reject the doctrine of Mary’s immaculate conception as unscriptural, then why do so many of you reject also Christ’s virgin birth, a doctrine which your fathers confessed with the Church of all ages and which undoubtedly is based on Holy Scripture?” — Hermann Sasse

From The Inspiration of Holy Scripture , an article published in the American Evangelical magazine Christianity Today, March 16, 1962.


"Authority" is the root issue that got me thrown out of the ELCA. Coming from the Roman church to Lutheranism, I quickly learned (in Gettysburg) that the historical/critical method was the dominant approach in both Rome and in Lutheranism; that my study of Van Rad, Laverdier, Meier, Bultmann, etc., was actually an open door to this brand of Lutheranism. So from my Roman education, I began to wonder where the authority was to be found. Who's got it? Where is it? As a Lutheran pastor who was increasingly plagued with the issue of authority, I wrote several newsletter articles addressed: "Sez Who?"

In the Roman church the question of authority is paramount as it's to be found not merely in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, but in the magisterium - the pope and the college of bishops and cardinals - who are the interpreters of these sources. In other words, they are the ones who say so. However, in much of Lutheranism (ELCA) - and in Reformed theology (PCUSA) - the Scriptures are to be the locus of authority. Yet the historical/critical method removes the Word of God and replaces it with its own magisterium, the seminary and approved pastors of a particular political, and politically-correct, bent.

Consequently Sasse (a good Lutheran btw) is correct. If Protestants remove authority from the Scriptures then we have no ground to stand upon, Rome (or the Eastern Orthodox a la Schaeffer) is the only real option.

The other, false, option is for Protestants to protect their financial holdings and status through preaching that pleases people, not God. And we've got an awful lot of that already.
 
I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority. To get back to the authority of Scripture we must champion the sacredness of Scripture.
 
I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority.
I agree, and I'm sure too that the proliferation of modern versions (often in more and more informal, dress-down idiom) hastened the process along
 
I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority. To get back to the authority of Scripture we must champion the sacredness of Scripture.

Sounds like you have read Dr. Letis. I agree with your (and his) assessment.
 
I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority. To get back to the authority of Scripture we must champion the sacredness of Scripture.

Sounds like you have read Dr. Letis. I agree with your (and his) assessment.

Yes, i have read Letis. I love his work...especially "The Ecclesiastical Text..."

I don't necessarily agree with Letis that the loss of sacredness started with Erasmus. I would put it more in line with what happened with the Revised Version in the era of the 19th century.
 
I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority. To get back to the authority of Scripture we must champion the sacredness of Scripture.

Sounds like you have read Dr. Letis. I agree with your (and his) assessment.

Yes, i have read Letis. I love his work...especially "The Ecclesiastical Text..."

I don't necessarily agree with Letis that the loss of sacredness started with Erasmus. I would put it more in line with what happened with the Revised Version in the era of the 19th century.

I'm still waiting for the Letis paper...any idea where I'm at on the mailing list?
 
I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority. To get back to the authority of Scripture we must champion the sacredness of Scripture.

Sounds like you have read Dr. Letis. I agree with your (and his) assessment.

Yes, i have read Letis. I love his work...especially "The Ecclesiastical Text..."

I don't necessarily agree with Letis that the loss of sacredness started with Erasmus. I would put it more in line with what happened with the Revised Version in the era of the 19th century.

I'm still waiting for the Letis paper...any idea where I'm at on the mailing list?

The last i heard it was with Ted Clore.
After Ted it's supposed to follow this order:
Nicholas Napier (Nicnap)
Seth Stark
Jason McIntyre
Then, finally, it is to be sent to the widow of Dr. Letis, Susan Letis.
 
I don't necessarily agree with Letis that the loss of sacredness started with Erasmus. I would put it more in line with what happened with the Revised Version in the era of the 19th century.
Me too. The RV was the first tiny hole in the dyke, the first brick pulled out of a hitherto solid wall. It began the shift towards the modern kind of relativistic thinking, with a Bible for every shade of opinion - no wonder the sacredness ebbed away!
 
There is another reason for Scripture's loss of authority that is not often discussed. And this one can be found among those holding Confessional Scriptural views as well as by those holding less than Confessional views.

That is the tendency to try to make Scripture say what we want it to say, rather than letting it say what it says.
Too often, one runs across people who cite a particular scripture in support of a given view when one cannot, by good and necessary consequence, derive that view from the text cited.

If we try to say Scripture says X in text Y where X cannot be legitimately derived from text Y then unbelieving onlookers can see that Scripture does not "say" what we say it says.
 
Even looking at Bibles you can see that they aren't considered sacred...

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I believe that the Scriptures lost their sense of sacredness before they lost their sense of authority. To get back to the authority of Scripture we must champion the sacredness of Scripture.

Agreed. BTW, I too thought Letis was very good. Sorry about his untimely death though.
 
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