Dr. Stephen Nichols

And this has greatly affected the seminaries, and of course, the American seminaries, and seminaries in Great Britain, for that matter, and universities. And so as the seminary goes, so goes the pulpit. And as the pulpit goes, so goes the church.

And this has greatly affected the seminaries, and of course, the American seminaries, and seminaries in Great Britain, for that matter, and universities. And so as the seminary goes, so goes the pulpit. And as the pulpit goes, so goes the church.

And so we were seeing folks in all the denominations, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, moving away from the authority of Scripture and seeing Scripture as more of the human construct, more of the human expression of the divine encounter, rather than the very Word of God. And so people like J. Gresham Machen and the Princetonians B.B.

And so we were seeing folks in all the denominations, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, moving away from the authority of Scripture and seeing Scripture as more of the human construct, more of the human expression of the divine encounter, rather than the very Word of God. And so people like J. Gresham Machen and the Princetonians B.B.

Warfield took a very strong stand for inspiration and inerrancy in their day back in the early 20th century.

Warfield took a very strong stand for inspiration and inerrancy in their day back in the early 20th century.

Yeah, that's a popular thesis, and you'll hear it from time to time. It's a modern invention. It only came about because of the sort of scientific way we do things. You can find it in the Church Fathers. It's all through Augustine, speaking specifically of inerrancy. But you can even push back and find that Scripture itself expresses authority. Go back to Jesus and his temptation with the devil.

Yeah, that's a popular thesis, and you'll hear it from time to time. It's a modern invention. It only came about because of the sort of scientific way we do things. You can find it in the Church Fathers. It's all through Augustine, speaking specifically of inerrancy. But you can even push back and find that Scripture itself expresses authority. Go back to Jesus and his temptation with the devil.

And it's those words of Scripture that Jesus is holding on to. As he interacts with the Pharisees or the Sadducees, the religious leaders at different moments, he appeals to... actual words of Scripture, specific words of the Old Testament to make his case. Paul does the same thing as he appeals to the Old Testament.

And it's those words of Scripture that Jesus is holding on to. As he interacts with the Pharisees or the Sadducees, the religious leaders at different moments, he appeals to... actual words of Scripture, specific words of the Old Testament to make his case. Paul does the same thing as he appeals to the Old Testament.

Peter calls Paul's writings Scripture when he says there's hard stuff in Paul, things difficult to understand, as with the rest of Scripture. So how does Scripture view itself? is where we start. And then we have it in the Fathers, of course, we have it in the Reformation. So it is not accurate, this idea that the Princetonians created the doctrine of inerrancy.

Peter calls Paul's writings Scripture when he says there's hard stuff in Paul, things difficult to understand, as with the rest of Scripture. So how does Scripture view itself? is where we start. And then we have it in the Fathers, of course, we have it in the Reformation. So it is not accurate, this idea that the Princetonians created the doctrine of inerrancy.

Yeah, well, similar things happened with the doctrine of Scripture, but rather than coming through the quest for the historical Jesus, or did Moses write the Pentateuch, or was it a later expression again of the Israelite community of their encounter with God? Two key figures that had an influence on the evangelical church in America were Bultmann and Karl Barth.

Yeah, well, similar things happened with the doctrine of Scripture, but rather than coming through the quest for the historical Jesus, or did Moses write the Pentateuch, or was it a later expression again of the Israelite community of their encounter with God? Two key figures that had an influence on the evangelical church in America were Bultmann and Karl Barth.

And Bultmann introduced this idea of mythology and the idea that here we are in the 20th century, the scientific universe. We need to understand scripture differently. We need to demythologize it because scripture was written in a mythological age. And of course, they're going to speak of things like the resurrection. We know now in our moment that that doesn't happen.

And Bultmann introduced this idea of mythology and the idea that here we are in the 20th century, the scientific universe. We need to understand scripture differently. We need to demythologize it because scripture was written in a mythological age. And of course, they're going to speak of things like the resurrection. We know now in our moment that that doesn't happen.

People don't rise from the dead. So we demythologize the history of the text and we understand it as myth. Now, in a Table Talk article, Nathan, Dr. Sproul said this about Bultmann. He said, "...the historical character of Judeo-Christianity is what markedly distinguishes it from all forms of mythology. A myth finds its value in its moral or spiritual application."

People don't rise from the dead. So we demythologize the history of the text and we understand it as myth. Now, in a Table Talk article, Nathan, Dr. Sproul said this about Bultmann. He said, "...the historical character of Judeo-Christianity is what markedly distinguishes it from all forms of mythology. A myth finds its value in its moral or spiritual application."

That's what Bultmann was trying to do. while its historical reality remains insignificant. Again, that's what Bultmann was teaching. R.C. replies, fairy tales can help our mood swings, but they do little to give us confidence in ultimate reality. But at the seminary where R.C. studied, for instance, his professors were Boltmanian. They actually believed in this demythologization.

That's what Bultmann was trying to do. while its historical reality remains insignificant. Again, that's what Bultmann was teaching. R.C. replies, fairy tales can help our mood swings, but they do little to give us confidence in ultimate reality. But at the seminary where R.C. studied, for instance, his professors were Boltmanian. They actually believed in this demythologization.