God reveals himself in the Bible

Chateau Les Halles, France (photo from trekearth.com)

I am working on revising my statistical chapter for my PhD. The chapter received a good review, and God willing, once I pass the dissertation, I would like to share the full results on this blog. Today, I will briefly touch upon the results of one of the questions and discuss some related theology.

For those of you that completed a questionnaire, you may remember that one of the propositions was God reveals himself in the Bible. With this question 97.7% agreed which was an overwhelming acceptance of the idea. As I attend a secular University, I made a strong effort to survey what would be understood as Christian Churches within a Western cultural context. This means that I emailed, mailed and dropped off questionnaires out to evangelical, conservative, and liberal churches. Some of the churches were moderately conservative (my position), some were fundamentalist, and some were liberal progressive churches. I contacted denominations within Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and non-denominational traditions.

From my findings which are of course limited, as I surveyed 213 persons mainly from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Australia, and Kenya. It can be deduced that although conservative and liberal Christians can disagree on the nature of Biblical revelation, they do agree that it exists. David A. Pailin explains that since the Enlightenment era the traditional propositional view of revelation has widely, but not completely, been replaced by the understanding that divine revelation comes through events. Pailin (1999: 505). The Bible records these events that are perceived through faith for significance. Pailin (1999: 505). Gene Edward Veith, Jr. explains that Enlightenment age of reason features scientific discovery and the rejection of much of revealed religion in favour of a reliance on reason. Veith (1994: 32-33). This term ‘Enlightenment’ refers to the philosophical movement among seventeenth and eighteenth century Western intellectuals. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling (1999: 44-45). Enlightenment thinkers tended to reject external sources of knowledge and elevated human reasoning. Biblical doctrines were therefore under suspicion. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling (1999: 44-45).

Harold Lindsell would support a traditional understanding of Biblical revelation as he states that through special supernatural revelation in Scripture, Jesus Christ is revealed to selected persons. Lindsell (1976: 17). The 97.7% agreement of God revealing himself in Scripture is not necessarily resounding intellectual support for either a traditional or Enlightenment view on revelation. Grenz and Olson explain that Christianity has been changed since the Enlightenment, and it will never be the same. Grenz and Olson (1992: 15-16). The Enlightenment has not only influenced liberal progressive theology, but has affected conservative theology as well. Grenz and Olson point out that the Enlightenment understanding of reason would no longer allow the Church to be the sole teacher of Bible and Christian doctrine. Grenz and Olson (1992: 21). An understanding by individuals of Scripture and theology is an integral part of modern conservative evangelical thought and this can be traced back to Enlightenment thinking, and to the Reformation. Individuals with the use of reason needed to question Church teaching. Grenz and Olson (1992: 21). Enlightenment thought from a Christian perspective has some historical merit, although I do not consider myself a theologian primarily influenced by Enlightenment era reasoning. Christianity and the Enlightenment are not completely antithetical as they are both modernist philosophies, which overlap at points in their pursuit of truth. Veith (1994: 43). Modernity was the dominant worldview of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, heavily influenced by the Enlightenment. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling (1999: 79-80). Veith writes that in the late twentieth century these views have been replaced by post-modernism, which has less emphasis on absolute truth. Veith (1994: 19). This is not to state that post-modernism completely sets aside the concept of truth, but post-modern philosophies are often less dogmatic in approach than ones from the modern era. Within traditional Christianity, it is believed that God has supernaturally revealed himself through Scripture and therefore what is stated as teaching and doctrine (in proper context) could be dogmatically held to as truth.

I reason that the original Biblical documents were inerrant meaning that were fully truthful in what was affirmed. Erickson (1994: 234) The original texts were inerrant and without error, but this does not extend to copies and to translations. Erickson (1994: 240). Therefore, it can be stated that God has allowed substantial amounts of copies from various regions in the ancient world to exist, in order that the number of Biblical passages where a reading is in doubt is relatively small. Erickson (1994: 240). Scripture is historically and theologically accurate, and the Biblical messages of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament gospel can be trusted as revealing God’s plans for humanity.

ERICKSON, MILLARD. (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

GRENZ, STANLEY J., DAVID GURETZKI AND CHERITH FEE NORDLING (1999) Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, Downers Grove, Ill., InterVarsity Press.

GRENZ, STANLEY J. AND ROGER E. OLSON (1992) Twentieth Century Theology, Downer’s Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press.

LINDSELL, HAROLD (1976) The Battle for the Bible, Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House.

PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Revelation’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

VEITH, GENE EDWARD, JR. (1994) Postmodern Times, Wheaton Illinois, Crossway Books.





I updated the following older article.

http://thekingpin68.blogspot.com/2006/05/arminianism-and-free-will.html