The Authority of the Church

For most American Christians today, the idea that the church and those in positions of church leadership have real authority over the lives of individual Christians has to a large extent been forgotten.  If, as many Christians think, Christianity is about having a personal, individual relationship with Jesus, then the idea of the church having … Read more

Protestants and the Authority of Church Tradition

One of the major principles of Protestantism is sola scriptura, that is, “Scripture alone.”[1]The other two Protestant solas are sola fide (“faith alone”) and sola gratia (“grace alone”).  Many Protestants take this to mean that we can safely ignore and discard all church tradition.  After all, if Scripture “alone” is our theological authority, then doesn’t … Read more

Reason and the Authority of Tradition

It is common for post-Enlightenment modern Westerners to portray reason and tradition as two opposing forces, with the essence of reason being a repudiation of tradition in favor of thinking for oneself.  If someone believes something on the basis of the teaching of tradition, then, they are being unreasonable.  But is this really the correct … Read more

God’s Politics and American Politics

A Christian Nation? As American Christians consider the relationship of Christianity to American politics, one popular approach has been to identify the United States of America as a “Christian nation.”  According to this idea, America is founded on Christian principles, has a Christian heritage, and should continue to have Christianity be dominant in shaping its … Read more