The scripture cannot be broken. (Jesus- John 10:35).
Phyllis Tickle and "The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why" details why she thinks sola scriptura is no longer valid. Her thesis basically is that the world is so much faster now, that it has left the old, outdated scripture behind. Her theory is that the idea of the Sabbath was left behind by the emergence of "the tin lizzie." So progress won over scripture. She goes on to say that scripture allowed for slavery, did not promote women's rights and women's ordination hard enough, and did not give an okay for divorce, and finally does not allow for gay sexual practices.
She is right in her observations that our culture has wandered far away from scripture. But she is wrong in her conclusion that therefore scripture is wrong. Progress does not necessarily mean that we cannot take a breath- or a rest- or a Sabbath. Instead, progress without Sabbath leads to too much unrestrained consumerism and therefore debt, stress, depression, and more.
She is right in saying that scripture allowed for slavery. But slavery is never commanded in scripture, and was seen mainly as something that could not be changed by a fledgling small group of followers of Christ. But they rightly saw that the message of love and grace would defeat slavery.
She is right in saying the scripture was written in a patriarchal time, that did not allow for women's rights or ordination. But certainly there are elements of scripture that allow and even encourage women's rights and ordination (such as baptism of women and men replacing male-only circumcision, Paul saying there is neither male nor female, Phoebe the deaconess, Lydia leading the church, Philip's daughters who were prophetesses, etc.).
She is confused about divorce and scripture, for certain scripture allows for divorce in certain situations (adultery, unbelieving spouse, etc.). She rightly says that scripture is "not so black and white on this issue" (p. 100). However, scripture seems to indicate (rightly I believe) that unrestrained divorce can be similar to unrestrained adultery.
She is right in saying scripture forbids adultery and gay sexuality, and that if gay ordination is approved then the idea of sola scriptura- the teaching about scripture for five centuries will be dead.
What she has missed is that if scripture is more than just something to restrain us- if it is a word from God to us- even sacramentally- then to leave scripture in love with our own expertise and speed is to leave God. What Tickle doesn't answer, because she cannot be sure, is whether leaving scripture behind also means we leave God behind forever- into the hell of our own uncertain expertise. Does anyone really doubt the authority of science which has sped us toward the destruction of the world, toward a global warming, toward a daily changing theory of what is good and what is bad for us? When we deny scripture's sole authority, we also deny the need to listen, to obey, or care about whatever God says- or even that God can speak today. But beside that, there is always another authority- usually in pride our own. Tickle implies that the culture is absolutely right all the time- especially about the Sabbath, divorce, and gay marriage. But there are times that a society can be wrong (Hitler and 1930s Germany, or the Hutus in Rwanda, or the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia). The scripture is a check on our own sin. If it is not the sole authority, I would contend, it really loses all its authority. Christians are always called to seek to listen to God than to listen to the selfish voices of life- even if those voices are loud and many.
Prayer: Help me to trust your Word and to trust you only Lord.
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