Why I'm Still A Restorationist - Part 2

An Emphasis on the Bible is one of the main reasons I am still a restorationist. Please do not misunderstand. I want nothing of the biblicistic faith that borders on bibliolatry. I do not want a pre-modern, superstitious faith in the Bible that denies any need for interpretation (i.e., "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it."). I want nothing to do with proof-texting and scripture twisting.

That said, I do really want the Bible at the core of my faith. I take the Bible as God's Word, His message, spoken through men inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). Also, I take seriously the ongoing and confirming voice of the church through the ages which has pointed to the books of the Bible as authoritative for faith and practice. And, I find the "ring of truth" to sound throughout its pages. I have tested it and it has proven true in my experience.

This process of approaching Scripture through the lens of Tradition, reason and experience is how Christians have approached the Bible for as long as the church has had a Bible. It was formulated as the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral." That is, Christian faith is understood through Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience, and in that order. Tradition (with a capital T) may explain, develop or clarify Scripture, but it cannot over-rule it. Reason may help us understand the faith as well, but reason unguided by Scripture is useless. Experience may affirm and help us to realize the truth of Christian faith, but it may not contradict Scripture. Taken together, these four sources of knowledge help us understand and apply the Bible. But, the Bible is still primary--the norming norm (the standard).

Restorationists are serious about Biblical faith. And, by and large, restorationists have not gone the way of theological liberalism by allegoricalizing everything in Scripture and denying it's prescriptive authority. Whatever opinions you may hold on inerrancy, if you're a restorationist you believe the Bible is God's special revelation and we, as God's creatures, must respect and respond to it. As restorationists, we believe that the Bible gives us common ground with all believers, forming a basis for unity. Of course, saying it and doing it are two different things. And, we still have a long way to go in our efforts to promote the unity of believers in the churches. Nonetheless, I do believe that the Bible must be at the foundation of our efforts for unity.

Reading the Bible intelligently, we understand that it is not generally a blue-print, a constitution, or a law book. It is a story, a grand narrative of God's redemptive engagement with His creation [NOTE: I do not mean that the Bible is a fictional story or a fairytale. I am obviously referring to the prevailing genre of literature in the Bible, i.e., narrative]. In a sense, all of the Bible is gospel when read in the light of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate "Word of God." So, as we read Scripture rightly (2 Tim. 2:15) in the light of Jesus Christ, we have the "truth" as God has revealed it to us in the Bible.

Now, this depends on the orientation of our faith (i.e., Christ-centered) and our dependence on God's Spirit as the agent of wisdom in reading Scripture. But, perhaps, more important that my individual efforts, faith and dependence on the Spirit and His wisdom, is the place of the church in our reading of Scripture. Again, please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am not suggesting a new magisterium (teaching authority) in the church. I am suggesting that Scripture must be read by and together with the community of faith. This includes my local church, the larger visible church (i.e., the churches) and the church down through the ages. This is really what reading the Bible with the lens of Tradition (capital T) means--reading the Bible in community, and not in isolation. In addition, we restorationists must, therefore, acknowledge that the community of faith is larger than our 200 year history.

Also, the Bible plays an important role in discipleship and spiritual formation for restorationists. We believe that the Bible shapes the heart, soul, mind and strength (Romans 12:2), and empowers us to serve (2 Tim. 3:17) and fight temptation and evil (Ephesians 6:17). The emphasis on Bible teaching is seen in our churches as we preach Bible-based sermons, conduct Bible classes, host vacation Bible school and support Bible colleges and seminaries. We believe that these Bible focused ministries are central to the spiritual growth of church members, and vital to our goals for unity and evangelism.