Excellent book review by Mark Thompson of a book of essays by Queenslanders on the Bible.
Read here
A commenter below points out this quote within the review which is Cranmer, writing in the Homily, "Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of Holy Scripture,":
"And if you be afraid to fall into error by reading of Holy Scripture, I shall shew you how you may read it without danger of error. Read it humbly, with meek and lowly heart, to the intent that you may glorify God, and not yourself, with the knowledge of it: and read it not without daily praying to God, that he would direct your reading to good effect; and take upon you to expound it no further than you can plainly understand it: for, as St. Augustine saith, the knowledge of Holy Scripture is a great, large and high place; but the door is very low, so that the high and arrogant man cannot run in; but he must stoop low, and humble himself, that shall enter into it. Presumption and arrogancy is the mother of all error; and humility needeth fear no error. For humility will only search to know the truth: it will search and will bring together one place with another; and where it cannot find out the meaning, it will pray, it will ask of others that know, and will not presumptuously and rashly define any thing which it knoweth not. Therefore, the humble man may search any truth boldly in the Scripture, without any danger of error."
This is a very detailed review that lays bear the assumptions of modern theological liberalism which, were it followed though with logical consistency (as it is by Borg and his aco-lite Spong) should lead to Unitarianism and deep scepticism about the Bible. Perhaps too many contemporary churchpeople lack the courage of the ex-Dean of Trim or Greg Dawes.
ReplyDeleteThompson's biggest complaint is over the intellectual parochialism (and datedness) of this collection. A great quote here via Cranmer of St Augustine is worth committing to heart.
Martin
'lays BARE'.
ReplyDelete- Exit pursued by a bare.
Martin