This topic falls somewhat outside the normal purview of this blog, but I bring it up because my area of specialization can help to adjudicate disputes on the nature of biblical authority, and because some of you, presumably, wrestle with the same topic. (Even if you have no faith commitment to the Bible, you may still find it intriguing just how Christians can actually think of this book as "the word of God"!) Some views, like the fundamentalist view, are completely out of touch with the realities of the biblical text.
Anyway, if you’re interested, here are three articles on biblical authority written by serious scholars but for a general audience.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, The Inerrancy of Scripture.
N. T. Wright, How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?
Walter Brueggemann, Biblical Authority...
Though my own view is still somewhat undefined, my sympathies lie with the last two articles. I find that in these two, and especially the last, I can at least recognize as the topic of conversation the same texts I read and study. The first, while containing some good insights, ultimately fails to account for the profound humanity of the biblical texts.
(If you know of other online material, please leave a comment--but only if the author is a reputable scholar.)
2 comments:
I'm suprised to see how Vanhoozer addresses the topic of Inerrancy. Given all of his work in the po-mo theorists, I would have expected him to be less traditional (evangelically speaking) with inerrancy.
I wonder if part of the reason that you resonated most with the latter two rather than the first is partly because the first article is on a different subject. The latter two are on the topic of authority--the manner in which the text functions in a given community--whereas the first describes a (supposed) quality of the biblical text itself.
I think that one of the mistakes of Fundamentalism is to equate the doctrine of inerrancy with the Bible's authoritative function. I wonder if it could be possible to hold to inerrancy in such a way that would not at the same time force a particular view of authority?
Thanks Dustin: Perhaps the post was misnamed because the question which I primarily had in mind was the nature of inspiration/revelation. Even though the latter two articles address authority, my interest in them had as much if not more to do with the view of inspiration (the quality of the text) implicit in them. I think you’re right about fundamentalism: inerrancy is (socially speaking) a defensive doctrine which preserves a culture of biblicism. As to the last question: it seems possible, in theory anyway. Vanhoozer's view, for instance, might be made to cohere with Wright's discussion (though, I don't know), but I doubt that it could with Breuggemann's. (Do you care to expand on your thought?) I give little constructive thought to inerrancy since I cannot see how it can be a meaningful concept when applied to the biblical text. I’m more interested in the nature of the authority of a text which is not inerrant and in the nature or quality of revelation which does not produce inerrant texts.
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