Sources of Wisdom and Authority

• 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, contains gospels, book of Acts, Pauline epistles, book of Revelation
• 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, should establish articles of faith and be the standard by which all else is measured
• Strengths of sola scriptura

  • 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 goes against Catholic belief that scripture and church tradition/teaching both have authority
• 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 address contemporary scientific understandings or ethical issues
• The Bible was written by human authors in particular contexts, responding to culturally relative circumstances and issues
• The Bible was not meant to be taken as literally true, it is not a scientific textbook or historical document
• Neo-orthodox view


  The Bible is not the word of God, but contains the word of God as it records the divine revelation of Jesus Christ
• Neo-orthodox view


  • The Bible is a human instrument and document, bound and conditioned by the temporal views of its authors
  • The Bible is not sinless or infallible like Jesus Christ or God
• Catholic view on the authority of the Bible


  The Bible and the Church together are the sources of wisdom and authority<|>The Bible is inspired by God but written by humans, containing important truths but not every word is literally true
• Catholic view


  • The Church's teaching authority (the Magisterium) interprets and applies the Bible
  • The Pope has papal infallibility as the successor to St. Peter appointed by Jesus
• Sea of Faith Network view


  The Bible only has authority if an individual chooses to give it authority, it is not an absolute or ultimate authority
• Sea of Faith Network


  • Individuals must take responsibility for their beliefs and actions, not just blindly follow what the Bible says
  • The interpretation of scripture is necessarily human, culturally conditioned and provisional
• Literalist understanding of Genesis


  • God created the world in 6 literal days followed by a day of rest
  • Science must be wrong as it contradicts this literal biblical account
• Liberal understanding of Genesis


  • Genesis is a metaphorical story teaching theological messages, not a literal historical account
  • Science provides the best explanation for how God created the world through the Big Bang and evolution
• 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. Wood: '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
• 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
• Apostolic succession


  The uninterrupted transmission of spiritual authority from the apostles through successive popes and bishops, taught by the Roman Catholic Church
• Apostolic succession is denied by most Protestants
• The Catholic Church says women cannot become priests because it was only men appointed by Jesus
• Saint Peter


  The first Bishop of Rome
• Pope


  The 266th successor to Saint Peter as Bishop of Rome, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics
• Catechism's teaching


  In the church the fullness of the means of salvation has been deposited
• There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church
• The church is the guardian of scripture and tradition, and the source of salvation
• The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s, resulting in the creation of Protestantism