One of the many things that has the Christian churches divided amongst themselves is their particular stance on the role of Scripture. Not only are there differences of biblical interpretation leading to different doctrinal conclusions, but also differences as to what role the Bible should play in the construction and formation of doctrine and practice.
One of the many elements that lead to the Church split in the sixteenth century (the Protestant Reformation) was the insistence that the Bible alone should be the rule for faith and practice. Up until that point (and still today), the Roman Catholic Church as well as the churches of Eastern Orthodoxy hold to the position that tradition plays an equal role as the Scripture for faith and practice. It should be noted that the position of "Sola Scriptura (the Scripture alone)" was not unique to the Protestant Reformation. At least two hundred years before, John Wycliffe had been known to adhere to this position which subsequently came to be associated with Protestant theology.
The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches believe that:
1. The traditions of the Church led to the writings of Scripture.
2. Experience (the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church) also played a role in the formation of the Scriptures.
3. The Bible itself is a tradition, birthed by the traditions of the first-century Church.
The Protestant churches are divided into the following two camps:
1. Sola Scriptura- This is the notion that the Bible stands by itself without the need for further commentary or explanation for faith and practice. Those who believe this are of the mindset that the Bible should be our only rule for faith and practice.
2. Prima Scriptura- This is the notion that the Bible is the primary authority in the life of the Church, and that experience, reason, and tradition play a secondary and subordinate role in the formation of doctrine and theology. In this model, experience, reason, and tradition are to be evaluated in the light of "what the Bible says."
This writer (yours truly) would like to humbly and respectfully submit an alternative model. Since the Holy Spirit was the primary agent in the formation of the Church (both Jewish and Christian), everything that came along with that formation, i.e. experience, reason, Scripture, and tradition, should carry equal authority. I believe that to put one against the other, or to place one in a subordinate position to the other, vitiates the work of the Holy Spirit, both in the life of the Church, and in the life of the individual believer. Since experience, reason, Scripture, and tradition all come from God, it does not make any logical sense (in my humble opinion) to ascribe levels of authority to either of these four components. All four components should carry equal weight in the formation of faith development.
I submit this proposal to you for your consideration, comments, and evaluation. Please feel free to openly and honestly critique this paradigm.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
(A technical aside--I get very frustrated--I forget that I have to "sign in" first, so I write my comment, and then I get prompted to sign in, and then my comment vanishes and I have to recreate it.)
ReplyDeleteI am a supporter of Prima Scriptura. I think in questions of faith and life we should start with the Bible as our primary guide but its important to add tradition, reason and experience. God is still at work in the world and in our midst. As I told our children a few Sundays ago in the children's message, WE are part of the story, the next chapter in God's book. Thanks for lifting up these distinctions Juan. A lot to think about!
Diane: Thank you for your reply. It is very cogent. The position of "Prima Scriptura" is one that I held on to until very recently. Even in my transition between the Pentecostal movement and the Reformed faith, I was already moving away from Sola Scriptura and leaning more towards Prima Scriptura. My transition to equal weight of the four legs of the theological stool (Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason) is based on God being the originator of all four simultaneously. I have to confess, however, that emotionally speaking, I still tend to favor Prima Scriptura. Thanks for your input. It is so very, very, valuable.
ReplyDeleteJuan