Should We Read the Bible Critically or Confessionally? Two New Resources
In the world of biblical scholarship, it has long been clear that there are two very different ways of approaching the biblical text. And these different approaches determine whether scholars find historical (or theological) value in the words of Scripture.
On the one side is the higher-critical approach. Generally speaking, this approach is marked by skepticism towards the claims of the biblical text. The stories contained in the Bible are not taken at face value. While they may contain a “historical core,” they have been embellished and expanded, and perhaps even fabricated. The Bible is a disparate collection of texts that have been cobbled together for various reasons, and not … Continue reading...
Is the “New Perspective on Paul” a Product of Our Current Cultural Moment?
Ever since Krister Stendahl’s seminal essay, “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West,” one of the foundational arguments for the New Perspective(s) on Paul (NPP) has been that the traditional protestant/reformed view of justification is largely due to the cultural influence of “the West” and its emphasis on individualism and subjectivism.
Paul is not really concerned with individual sin, guilt and forgiveness (we are told). Reformed folks are simply reading that issue into the text due to their cultural situation. Indeed, according to Stendahl, the Reformed view of justification is largely due to Luther’s individual struggle with his own conscience.
In place of the reformed view of … Continue reading...