Shults' project to reform theology in the light of the late modern turn to relationality in philosophy interested me because he seemed to be trying to practice theology in a way that is seriously in line with current trends in philosophy. I was disappointed to discover that his conclusions are anything but evangelical and certainly not in harmony with the theology of the Reformers. Shults' work, the more I am convinced of the need for evangelical theologians to hold firmly to the fundamental faith of sola Scriptura, while at the same time addressing the problems and challenges posed by contemporary philosophy.
Wellum, thank you for challenging me to look deeper into contemporary issues related to evangelical theological method. Thank you for your patient guidance during the dissertation process and your helpful comments on multiple drafts of this work. Your contribution was invaluable in the process of my theological growth and especially in this project.
Second, to the leaders of the Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association and the Indiana State Convention of Baptists, thank you for patiently allowing me to attempt to complete this work as I worked with you in ministry to college students. To the Christian Student Fellowship student leaders at Indiana University Southeast who serve with me, thank you for helping me maintain an effective ministry as I took the time to complete this project.
INTRODUCTION
LeRon Shults
54 A more thorough description of the place of philosophy in Shults' theology will be available in ch. It is acknowledged that Shults' project of developing theology in the light of the postmodern environment is a. 62 The scope of the evaluation parts of this dissertation will be limited to an examination of Shults' use of Scripture and philosophy.
I also evaluate Shults' use of Scripture by comparing his treatment of selected Scripture texts with the most natural meaning of the text. Again the experience of God is central to the. development of the biblical writers' view of the created order. Shults' commentary and his use of Scripture reveal that the experience of the biblical writers and characters is the authoritative aspect of Scripture in his system.
Another potential reason for Shults's belief that the experiences of the biblical writers are authoritative is his view of the nature of language. The affirmative nature of Shults' use of Scripture is seen not only in the order of the discussion, but also in its lack of substance. In summary, he sees the reported experience of the biblical authors behind the biblical text as authoritative.
So the formative experience of the biblical writers is privileged over the linguistic testimony of their experience.
The Coincidence View
The Supplementary View
The teaching of the church was then equated with Scripture supplemented where necessary by tradition. 88 In this two-source view, tradition supplements the biblical text on matters on which it is silent. He writes that "Scripture has become materially and formally insufficient" in light of the fact that in this perspective tradition is a necessary addition to Scripture and not simply an authoritative interpreter of it as in the perspective of chance.89.
The Unfolding View
The Rejection of Tradition
Nor does Shults refer to the authoritative teaching of the RCC as in the revealed view. And in light of the philosophical transition, there should be a transformation of the concept of forgiveness. Shults' treatment of tradition is closely related to his view of the individual and the community.
Augustine's view of the relationship between philosophy and theology is similar to Clement's. Another view of the relationship between philosophy and theology is the view that philosophy judges theology. A final view of the relationship between philosophy and theology is that philosophy offers theology a substantive content.
Hegel serves as the Archimedean point of Shults' examination of the philosophical turn to relativity. Holding or not holding a strong view of the Bible is a turning point in the evangelical world. The Bible,” or Shults' use of the Bible shows that he is not part of the evangelical family.
Young, “The Authority of the Old Testament,” v The Infallible Word: A Symposium by the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary, ed. Stonehouse in Paul Woolley (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 1967) za popolnejšo obravnavo avtoritete Stare zaveze. Stonehouse, »The Authority of the New Testament«, v The Infallible Word: A Symposium by the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary, ur.
Stonehouse and Paul Woolley (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 1967) for a more extensive discussion of the authority of the New Testament. Stott closely links the authority of Scripture with the reign of Christ in the life of the believer. Preus, "The Church's View of the Bible: The Early Church Fathers through Luther," in Inerrancy, ed.
Gersner, "The Church's View of the Bible: Calvin and the Westminster Divines," in Inerrancy, ed. The authority of the church is real, but it should not be confused with the authority of God's Word in Scripture. He says contemporary Christians should be careful about acknowledging the authority of the church.
First, the experience of biblical authors and characters is the authoritative aspect of Scripture in Shults' theology.
