Homepage | Theology Matters | Newfrontiers UK. Papers | Theology Matters | Newfrontiers UK. The Authority of Scripture | Papers | Theology Matters | Newfrontiers UK. The question of Authority has become an increasingly crucial issue to be faced today, since its absence, abandonment, or lack of clear basis, has thrown up huge intellectual and ethical problems both in the church and society in general. We live in an extremely anti¬authoritarian climate that has questioned the right and validity of all sorts of claims to truth and right to government over the lives and thoughts of free men. External authority is often refused recognition and obedience, in favour of accepting one’s own judgment as final.
We may define ‘authority’ simply in this way: Authority is a relational word. ‘It is the right to rule’, or more fully, ‘Authority is the right and power to command belief and/or action.’ Governing the actions and conduct of all of these authoritative agents, working as they are by God’s appointment, direction and final control, should be the authority of God himself speaking in his Word. Nor is it based upon human reason. 1. 2. I Corinthians 2:6-16 1. Theology Network. Athanasius. There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take a translation of Plato off the library shelf and read the Symposium.
He would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about "isms" and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said. The error is rather an amiable one, for it springs from humility. The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Every age has its own outlook.