I really appreciate this from Dan Haseltine. And...I told you so. It really is about Sola Scriptura. Here's Dan:
"I care about what scripture says. It matters.
The second round of poorly chosen words surrounded the clarity of scripture. I was trying to communicate that although we often say, “Scripture is clear about this or that,” the very fact that so many people disagree or have alternate perspectives or interpretations of scripture, means that we have to move beyond simply quoting a scripture to prove our point. We have to dig into the scripture and help translate it and offer context. Simply quoting a scripture can stall out a good honest dialogue.
But what I wrote was:
“Never liked the phrase: “Scripture clearly says…(blank) about…”
Because most people read and interpret scripture wrong, I don’t think scripture “clearly” states much of anything regarding morality.”
Did you catch that? He might as well say, "The interpretive crisis caused by the allegedly perspicuous Scriptures is so deep, I don't know what to do." And he doesn't. I don't blame him. Do you really think Rachel Held Evans woke up yesterday and said, "I think I'll deny Christ today"? Tim Dukeman may think so; I don't. Rather, I think the center of this whole Protestant project relies on consensus, or the fabrication of one. When it breaks down, look out. Poor Dan found out at least a little that the conservative evangelical consensus is still strong enough to cause him problems. But it will go with the culture eventually. The Bible does not say what nations should do with people who practice homosexuality and want to imitate a family. (Nor what nation-states owe to Natural Law.) But the Natural Law does. The social doctrine does, though. Ditto for things like contraception, abortion, and a bunch of other things.
The only thing that makes Rachel Held Evans a pariah in the evangelical community is that she's reliably and predictably progressive politically. And with no binding social doctrine, she therefore fits and flows with the zeitgeist on most things. That makes her easy to dismiss. The other Protestant evangelicals can preen comfortably, because it's not immediately obvious (to them) that they can't distinguish between revelation and human opinion, either. (Or, aren't even trying.)
Come home now, before you don't even recognize yourself, and Christ within you!
"I care about what scripture says. It matters.
The second round of poorly chosen words surrounded the clarity of scripture. I was trying to communicate that although we often say, “Scripture is clear about this or that,” the very fact that so many people disagree or have alternate perspectives or interpretations of scripture, means that we have to move beyond simply quoting a scripture to prove our point. We have to dig into the scripture and help translate it and offer context. Simply quoting a scripture can stall out a good honest dialogue.
But what I wrote was:
“Never liked the phrase: “Scripture clearly says…(blank) about…”
Because most people read and interpret scripture wrong, I don’t think scripture “clearly” states much of anything regarding morality.”
Did you catch that? He might as well say, "The interpretive crisis caused by the allegedly perspicuous Scriptures is so deep, I don't know what to do." And he doesn't. I don't blame him. Do you really think Rachel Held Evans woke up yesterday and said, "I think I'll deny Christ today"? Tim Dukeman may think so; I don't. Rather, I think the center of this whole Protestant project relies on consensus, or the fabrication of one. When it breaks down, look out. Poor Dan found out at least a little that the conservative evangelical consensus is still strong enough to cause him problems. But it will go with the culture eventually. The Bible does not say what nations should do with people who practice homosexuality and want to imitate a family. (Nor what nation-states owe to Natural Law.) But the Natural Law does. The social doctrine does, though. Ditto for things like contraception, abortion, and a bunch of other things.
The only thing that makes Rachel Held Evans a pariah in the evangelical community is that she's reliably and predictably progressive politically. And with no binding social doctrine, she therefore fits and flows with the zeitgeist on most things. That makes her easy to dismiss. The other Protestant evangelicals can preen comfortably, because it's not immediately obvious (to them) that they can't distinguish between revelation and human opinion, either. (Or, aren't even trying.)
Come home now, before you don't even recognize yourself, and Christ within you!
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