Homiletics and pastoral theology by William G T Shedd (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 1 (Relation of sacred eloquence to Biblical exegesis).
Last week Shedd explained that originality is of vital importance to religious thinking and discourse.
This week Shedd gives us his second effect of the exegesis and apprehension of the Christian revelation: authority.
After showing the importance of authority, Shedd firstly suggests that 'close exegetical study of the Scriptures imparts a calm and conscious authority, by reducing the whole body of Holy Writ to harmony.'
Then, secondly, Shedd says another way to have authority is by 'a clear understanding of the dogmatic matter of revelation'.
The chapter then closes with some explanations of why originality and authority were particularly needed in Shedd's day.
I liked the encouragement to believe in the harmony of the Scriptures myself: 'No sacred orator can be bold and commanding in his tone, if he believes, or if he fears, that there are fatal contradictions and irreconcilable inconsistencies in the written revelation. It is for this reason, that infidelity is now applying its utmost acuteness and ingenuity, to detect intrinsic and absolute contradictions in the sacred records. The four Gospels, in particular, are the field of operations. If it can be shown, if it can be demonstrated, that these biographies of the God-man fatally conflict with each other, then the portraiture of that personage who fills all history as the sun fills the hemisphere, becomes a fancy sketch, and Christianity disappears with its founder.'
If you don't believe the word of God is inerrant, then all the authority in your preaching is lost.
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment