What is the Authority of Scripture?

The problem with nearly all discussions of the authority of Scripture lies in the fact that participants fail to recognize that Scripture is simply not the sort of thing that CAN be an authority. An authority must be able to render judgments. Whatever else it may be, Scripture is a linguistic artifact, and hence it is incapable of rendering any judgment.

The yearning to establish Scripture as an objective, impersonal authority betrays the enlightenment-based suspicion of personal authority. No text can function as an impersonal authority, because any text depends for its life on an interpreter. Our interpretation of any text is a dialogue with that text, which is inseparable from our experience, our reason, and our tradition. At the same time, our interpretations of our experience, reason, and tradition are also tested by our interpretation of Scripture. There is no fixed point of reference when it comes to interpretation.

I suggest that each Christian must come to answer this question: What community of faith do I accept as an authority to help me interpret Scripture? There is no doubt that different Christians accept the authority of different communities of faith in which they participate.

This state of affairs does not make me anxious.