Last week, a Catholic blogger Eamonn Clark responded to my blogpost titled “In Defense of Sola Scriptura”, which I wrote five years ago to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. At the end of his post, Clark wrote, “I remain unconvinced”. I can only smile and say that the feeling is mutual. Clark quoted my arguments at length and responded to them point by point. For that I’m grateful. However, he didn’t actually address my arguments directly. Instead, he redirected and rephrased the questions in dispute so that they would fit into his theological framework. In other words, he restated his own position rather than offering a critique of the merits and faults of my arguments on their own terms. It became obvious to me that we are starting from vastly different presuppositions, and it would take a Herculean effort to clear away the rubble, find some common ground upon which we can build a consensus and have a productive discussion.
On a purely intellectual level, my purpose in writing the original post is not to prove that sola scriptura is perfect [1], but that it is reasonable, and in my view, better than the alternatives. The target reader is a somewhat objective observer, who can judge the reasonableness of the doctrine using criteria that are accepted by all, in a way similar to how a jury would judge between the witnesses and arguments presented by both sides.
On a personal level, I chose to write about the Scripture because it has had, and I trust will continue to have, a tremendous impact on my life. If I’m not mistaken, this is a shared testimony of all Christians throughout history. To use an analogy, like a social creature who finds a life-saving food source and instinctively calls to his companions to share the feast, it is only natural that I should wish to share this great Good with as many people as possible.
In conclusion, instead of going down the rabbit hole of a Protestant-Catholic debate on sola scriptura, I would invite you, dear reader, to take up the Scripture, especially if you have never read it, or have not done so in a long time, read it not with a view to censure, but with a spirit of adventure and perhaps a little curiosity. If you do, you will not be the same. God knows, it might save your life.
Notes:
- ^1. John Calvin put forth the doctrine of sola scriptura in Book I of his Institutes of Christian Religion. I wrote a critique of the doctrine as part of a blog series on the Institutes
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