• Scriptural Authority. This is such a comprehensive dimension of our present crisis in the church that one hardly knows where to begin. But one can hardly do better than St. Ambrose’s statement that “the whole of Holy Scripture be a feast for the soul.” How seldom one hears upon us who are bishops in Tec such glowing statements about the Bible. In my experience all too many of our bishops and priests seem to mine the scriptures for minerals to use in vain idolatries. There is too little confidence expressed in its trustworthiness; the authority and uniqueness of revelation. Indeed, as J.V. Langmead-Casserly once put it, “We have developed a method of studying the Word of God from which a Word of God never comes.” Too often supposed conundrums or difficulties are brought up, seemingly in order to detract from traditional understandings, never considering the damage to the faithful’s trust in God and his Word. Ridiculous arguments such as shellfish and mixed fabrics are dragged out (long reconciled by the Fathers of the Church, as well as the Anglican Reformers) in order to confuse the ill-taught or the untutored in theology. And those who are intellectually sophisticated, schooled in many academic disciplines, but dreadfully untaught in the Bible and theology, are, through little fault of their own, except for naively trusting generations of slothful priests and bishops, are led astray. We must be willing to speak out against this.

--South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence in his special clergy day address earlier this year

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Adult Education • Ministry of the Ordained • Preaching / Homiletics • * Theology • Theology: Scripture

1. New Reformation Advocate wrote: AMEN!  He’s right.  Thanks for posting that admirable statement by +Mark Lawrence.  Alas, the memorable lament by Langmead-Casserly is all too true, “We have developed a method of studying the Word of God from which a Word of God never comes.”  And I say that as someone with a Ph.D. in NT, who is deeply committed to the value of centrist, mainstream biblical scholarship (for which I’ve taken huge amounts of flak over at Stand Firm).  It’s absolutely essential that those of us who profess to be both priests and biblical scholars make it very clear that our primary and fundamental loyalty is to Christ and the Church, and not to academia. David Handy+ December 5, 12:04 pm | [comment link]

2. Br_er Rabbit wrote: We definitely need more bishops like Mark Lawrence. December 5, 1:47 pm | [comment link]

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