The Christian Vanguard

The following is a bible study I did for Newman. Feel free to use as you see fit. What Does The Bible Say About: Sola Scriptura? Definition: Sola Scriptura is the Protestant doctrine that the only infallible rule of faith (and practice) is Sacred Scripture. Biblical Data: 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.  Discussion: All scripture is what by God? Inspired. What does inspired mean? This means that God, although he uses man to write the scripture, is ultimately the author of scripture. What is it useful for? Teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. What is the point of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness? So that we as Christians can be proficient/equipped for every good work. Does this prove that scripture is therefore the only infalli...

I came across this quotation from Alexander Campbell, founder of the Church of Christ, from which the ICOC springs. It reads,  "I have endeavored to read the Scriptures as though no one had read them before me, and I am as much on my guard against reading them today, through the medium of my own views yesterday, or a week ago, as I am against being influenced by any foreign name, authority, or system whatever."  This is interesting because there seems to be a trend within the Evangelical world to disassociate with their historical roots. I know many Protestant Evangelicals, including the ICOC, who are squeamish when I call them "Protestants." 'We're not Protestants,' they'll object, 'We're just Christians.' This is to be completely ignorant of history. While I consider "Protestant" to be something of a bad word, I don't understand why it would be to a Protestant. I can use it in a value-neutral way, and it can easily i...

Sola Scriptura is a first world problem. Sure, it's nice if you have access to books, which many places cannot afford, and sure, it's nice if you know how to read, which 775 million people don't. If you need a bible to be saved, all the poor and illiterate people go to Hell I guess. Hooray Protestantism? The church, on the other hand, has oral tradition. Poor and illiterate people welcome. 

There's a popular saying in Protestantism about the bible that say it is a "fallible set of infallible books." This is not appealing. Consider two analogies.  There is a bridge. The bridge will take you to one end of a cliff, across a chasm, to another end of the cliff. It is made of boards and rope. Each board is indestructible. If you step on it, it will hold your weight. The rope, however, is not indestructible. The rope is what holds the boards together. To what degree are you willing to put your faith into this bridge? Will you bet your eternal soul to it?  I hand you a pill box. In this box, there are compartments, each labeled for a day of the week. I tell you, for every pill that works, you are guaranteed to live. But I tell you, these individual pills will give you a guarantee, but what I can't guarantee you is that the box set I am handing you actually does contain these pills. Because I can't guarantee you that, it may be possible that every pi...

Those that would have me leave the Roman Catholic Church have linked me several articles from James White, of Alpha and Omega Ministries. I am concerned for him. He seems to be very anti-philosophy. Or rather, he doesn't like it when Theology takes a backseat to Philosophy. Why this is so, I'm not sure. He might say because it's not Biblical, but there are problems.

I had written this on my Facebook May 1st, 2012. Names have been changed. Most of what follows is a discussion on Sola Scriptura. Since then, two of my friends, Devin and Brian, do not hold to Sola Scriptura, but now hold a similar position I adopted soon after I had this conversation. More on that in a later post. Adrian: ...This same priest presented me with this challenge, and frankly, I was stumped. He said something like, "The church did not come from the Bible. The Bible came from the church. The Church canonized the Bible. This implies the power of the church." Thoughts? This is obviously an attack of Sola Scriptura.

    Chapter Two discusses what is perhaps the sharpest dividing line (though not the most important one) between Catholics and non-Catholics, and it is that of authority. What do Catholics and non-Catholics consider authoritative?