bible

• Bible


  Christian holy book, made up of 66 books in Protestant Bibles and 73 books in Catholic Bibles, a key source of wisdom and authority for Christians
• Difference between Old and New Testament

  • Old Testament - Original Hebrew Bible, sacred scripture of Judaism
  • New Testament - Written after life and death of Jesus, about his life, death, resurrection and Ascension
• Saint Paul's teaching that all scripture is God-breathed


  Scripture is the word of God, infallible and inerrant, should be used to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness
• Evangelical Protestant view on authority of Bible

  Scripture alone (sola scriptura) is the sole source of authority, the infallible and inerrant word of God, the complete authoritative source for faith, practice and ethics
• Strengths of Evangelical Protestant sola scriptura view

  • Scripture is God-breathed and divinely inspired
  • Prevents human institutions/authorities from developing unbiblical teachings
  • Provides one authoritative source of moral guidance and authority
  • Prevents morality becoming personal preference
• The Bible itself does not explicitly teach sola scriptura
• The Bible was written 1500-1600 years ago, so may not provide guidance on modern issues
• Sola scriptura can lead to disagreements and divisions over interpretation of scripture
• Sola scriptura does not account for the role of church tradition and teaching
• Martin Luther: 'The true rule is this: God's word shall establish article for Faith and no one else, not even an angel can do so'
• The Bible does not explicitly teach sola scriptura (scripture alone)
• The Bible was written thousands of years ago and does not retain the contemporary scientific understandings of modern life
• The Bible does not address contemporary ethical issues such as those raised by new medical advances, artificial contraception, modern business practices, and social changes driven by social media
• The Bible was written by human authors in particular contexts, responding to culturally relative circumstances and issues
• Scripture was never supposed to be taken as literally true, it is not a scientific textbook or a historical document
• Neo-orthodox view


  The Bible is not the word of God, but it contains the word of God because it contains teachings about Jesus
• Magisterium


  The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, made up of the most senior Bishops who are the guardians and interpreters of both the Bible and tradition
• Sea of Faith Network

  They believe the Bible has no authority other than what an individual chooses to give it, and that individuals must take responsibility for their beliefs and actions
• Literalist understanding of Genesis

  • God created the world in 6 literal days followed by a day of rest
  • Rejects science like evolution and the Big Bang
• Liberal understanding of Genesis

  • Genesis is a metaphorical story to teach important theological messages
  • Science provides the best explanation for how the world was created
• Arthur S. Wood: 'Let us not change the word of God, we ourselves should be changed by the word through the word. It is by the standard of scripture that the believer is unable to measure all other teaching'
• Religion should not be changed by society, instead scripture should be used to critique society
• The Big Bang in evolution couldn't have started without God having started them up
• Arthur S. would: 'Let us not change the word of God, we ourselves should be changed by the word through the word'
• Standard of scripture


  The believer is unable to measure all other teaching against the standards set by scripture
• Scripture alone is the supremacy and infallibility
• Religion should not be changed by Society


  Scripture should be used to critique Society
• Human beings should not change scripture in order to benefit themselves or to adapt to cultural changes and trends
• Scripture is the final Revelation, there should be no updates or evolution
• Humans should be changed by scripture which is supposed to challenge us and hold us to particular values, teachings and standards