As I've grown older I've come to see that not all of the fruit of the Reformation is positive. The emphasis on sola scriptura, particularly has had serious effects. In 1994 Wayne Grudem published his systematic theology text book. It has been a standard text used in Bible colleges and seminaries across the US for decades. In this text he promotes a doctrine of the Trinity that is essentially Arian. Why did this not become a big deal until 2016? How could heresy have been taught in countless Bible colleges, seminaries, and churches with almost no one noticing? You can find isolated cases of push back earlier (like my teacher, Graham Cole back in 2010 - note while Evangelical he is also an Anglican) but no widespread outcry came until last year! It's easy to see how this can happen in the Evangelical movement because the sola scriptura principle has developed in such a way that the tradition has been ignored almost across the board. Over the past few years I've read a lot on the Trinity in Augustine, the Lombard, Aquinas, and others. After reading them and then going back and reading Grudem, the unorthodoxy of his views are obvious!
The whole situation is very ironic because Evangelicals see themselves as the bastion of orthodoxy in opposition to both the Catholic church and liberal Protestant denominations. But, on arguably the most central doctrine, it's the Evangelical movement that has a lot of unorthodox pastors and teachers, and they didn't even know it! More respect for the tradition (i.e., a more Catholic approach) would have stopped this much, much sooner.
Anyone who has read my blog knows that I take Scripture seriously, and that I really want to take it on its own terms and hear God speak through it. Certainly there is time for overthrowing tradition, and even a doctrine like the Trinity may legitimately need to be rethought. However, most times are not that time and the great tradition of the church can serve as guard rails to help us think rightly about God. We're not the first smart Christians in the history of the church, nor are we the first godly ones. Let's use our great heritage to our advantage! If nothing else we will know when we're deviating from what we has been handed down through the centuries and do so cautiously. I write this hoping that my Evangelical sisters and brothers can learn from this and get to know the richness and depth of the tradition of the church.
The whole situation is very ironic because Evangelicals see themselves as the bastion of orthodoxy in opposition to both the Catholic church and liberal Protestant denominations. But, on arguably the most central doctrine, it's the Evangelical movement that has a lot of unorthodox pastors and teachers, and they didn't even know it! More respect for the tradition (i.e., a more Catholic approach) would have stopped this much, much sooner.
Anyone who has read my blog knows that I take Scripture seriously, and that I really want to take it on its own terms and hear God speak through it. Certainly there is time for overthrowing tradition, and even a doctrine like the Trinity may legitimately need to be rethought. However, most times are not that time and the great tradition of the church can serve as guard rails to help us think rightly about God. We're not the first smart Christians in the history of the church, nor are we the first godly ones. Let's use our great heritage to our advantage! If nothing else we will know when we're deviating from what we has been handed down through the centuries and do so cautiously. I write this hoping that my Evangelical sisters and brothers can learn from this and get to know the richness and depth of the tradition of the church.
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