Prima Scriptura: Saving Sola Scriptura from Itself

Taking bearings from Walter Altmann's attempt to retrieve a proper understanding of sola Scriptura, this essay argues that the Latin ablative, “by way of the Scripture alone,” presupposes a nominative solus Christus whom the Spirit proclaims in turn “by way of the Scripture alone”—a dialectic of Word and Spirit, a virtuous circle. It clarifies this proper understanding of sola Scriptura over against modern biblicism, crude and sophisticated, by teasing out its implications for dogmatics as a critical discipline.     

Richard Hooker and the Principle of Sola Scriptura

The traditional view that Richard Hooker argued for the religiousauthority of Scripture, reason, and tradition, in that order,has come under sustained criticism in recent years, especiallyfrom those scholars who assert that Hooker was in fact an orthodoxReformed theologian. Although Hooker placed a distinctivelyhigh value on the role of reason in authenticating Holy Scripture,it is claimed that this is fully compatible with the Protestantprinciple of sola Scriptura, and reflects wider developmentsin the Reformed tradition on the role of reason in proving thatScripture is divine revelation. This article seeks to refutethese claims by examining Reformed thought on the religiousauthority of Scripture and reason in matters of Christian doctrine,looking at representatives from the Reformers, early orthodoxy,and high orthodoxy. This is then compared with Hooker's work,where, it is argued, the Reformed doctrine that Scripture isthe principium cognoscendi theologiae, with reason merely anancillary ‘handmaid’, is replaced by the radicalposition that Scripture and demonstrative reasoning are bothprincipial authorities in matters of Christian doctrine. Inpropounding his triple-source theory of religious authority,therefore, Hooker is concluded to have broken fundamentallywith the principle of sola Scriptura.     

Sola Scriptura: Strengths and Challenges

When Luther's notion of sola Scriptura is nuanced and properly understood, it is engaging and true in its assertions. However, in today's world, the use of the expression sola Scriptura may be more problematic than helpful. This point is argued for three reasons: Lutheran relationships with Catholics; the rise of American fundamentalism; and the parallel rise of “nones,” that largely young group of agnostics (sometimes atheists) not affiliated with any organized religion. By considering these issues, we can see how the notion still has relevance for theology and for the broader church, and how this notion helps us to preach, teach, and live the gospel in this time and place.     

“These Things Took Place as Examples for Us”: On the Theological and Ecumenical Significance of the Lutheran Sola Scriptura

The principle of sola Scriptura does not suggest a reading of the Bible in a room void of context, but points to the fact that the unity of church, canon, and confession defines the identity of the Christian church. The Lutheran Reformation was an attempt to retrieve this perspective at a time when it had become obscure. This retrieval corresponds to certain tendencies on the contemporary scene; it remains to be seen, however, how far convincing answers in this way can be provided for today's burning issues.     

Living Sola Fide: Features of Religious Recognition

This article discusses the life of faith and forensic justification as related to some new issues in social theory, especially Axel Honneth's notions of love, respect, and esteem. The article is critical of virtue ethics and recommends an ethics of vocation as a path toward equal respect and individual social esteem. The article also discusses why Lutherans consider faith (or even faith alone) rather than love as a proper starting‐point of this path.     

Inclusive Leadership: The Essential Leader-Follower Relationship

The Psychological Record -     

Sola Gratia as Divine Attribute: Resurrecting the God of the Gospel

Can we speak of sola gratia as a divine attribute so as to affirm that all that God does is grace? Traditionally, Western Christian theology has answered that question negatively, placing God's justice in opposition with God's grace and presenting a God whose love does not seem to be unconditional. This has been especially evident in the ways in which Scripture, the work of Christ, justification by faith, and the distinction between law and gospel commonly have been interpreted. By rethinking those traditional interpretations on the basis of an understanding of divine grace as unconditional love, we can indeed proclaim a God of sola gratia and a gospel capable of transforming human lives and responding effectively to the crisis of faith we face today.     

Diversity and Epistemic Marginalisation: The Case of Inclusive Education

Studies in Philosophy and Education - In the literature on inclusion and inclusive education there is a frequent conflation of (1) inclusion of diverse people, or people in all their diversity, (2)...     

Inclusive Leadership and Employee Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Person-Job Fit

This study explored the effects of inclusive leadership on employee well-being and innovative behavior. We also investigated the mediating role of person-job fit in these relationships. We tested these effects on a sample of 207 employees in five telecommunication companies in Vietnam, using a questionnaire survey. The results showed that inclusive leadership is positively related to employee well-being and innovative behavior, and that person-job fit mediates these relationships. The study makes theoretical contributions to the literature of leadership and organizational psychology, and suggests useful managerial implications for organizations to boost employee well-being and innovative behavior. Taking a cultural approach, this study provides empirical cross-cultural validity of the effect of inclusive leadership on employee well-being.     

The Translation Issues in the Gender Inclusive Controversy

Abstract

The recently published Today's New International Versionhas received some criticism, especially from The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, which argues that the TNIVhas gone beyond translation to interpretation in order to further feminist causes. The present author argues that the differences between the TNIVand NIVare standard translation issues, highlighting three key points with illustrations, establishing a case for the superiority of “gender inclusive” translations such as the TNIV. A bibliography for study on both sides is included.     

Inclusive first-order logic

Some authors have studied in an ad hoc fashion the inclusive logics, that is the logics which admit or include objects or sets without element. These logics have been recently brought into the limelight because of the use of arbitrary topoi for interpreting languages. (In topoi there are usually many objects without element.)The aim of the paper is to present, for some inclusive logics, an axiomatization as natural and as simple as possible. Because of the intended applications to category theory, the logics studied are many-sorted and intuitionistic.     

Inclusive Values and the Righteousness of Life: The Foundation of Global Solidarity

Many scholars have argued that unity of humankind can be established on the basis of some basic or core human values. Instead of engaging in a comparative empirical research, compiling lists of core values derived from different cultures, discuss their relevance for human fellowship, I examine the simple values of life that during the 1980s united people in Poland and made them to form the powerful civic movement, which was Solidarity. Today we live in a world that is fundamentally different from that before 1989. We are no longer divided by a global ideological struggle between communism and liberal democracy. The key issue today is not a bipolar division but globalization. My thesis is today we need a new Global Solidarity and that this movement can take lessons from Poland’s Solidarity. It should not be grounded in any ideology, but in inclusive values that do not divide but can potentially unite all human beings, and these can be derived from basic human needs. In short, Global Solidarity should be based on what I call the “righteousness of life.” It can be achieved if there is a growing recognition of what is right for life and a growing interest in protecting and enhancing life.