John Macquarrie writes concerning Matt. 16:18, etc.
" 'The powers of death shall not prevail against it.' But this is not to claim infallibility for the Church. It is indeed to assert a measure of authority for it and to declare its normal superiority over individual judgement. But since the Church is at any given time less than the kingdom, its authority is not absolute and, as has been shown already, must be counterbalanced by the authority of scripture and also that of reason. If the statement that General Councils 'may err and sometimes have erred' seems to be somewhat negative, it is not to be taken as implying in the slightest degree any disrespect for the Church, but is simply an acknowledgement that the Church, understood as process rather than fulfillment, and so less than Christ and less than the kingdom, does not have absolute authority 'even in the things pertaining to God.' " (Principles of Christian Theology, Page 390. 2nd Ed.)
And as one of my heroes from the 17th century said: "[it is] true and certain that the church can stray from the path and choose error instead of truth," thus the Bible's authority (AUCTORITAS) "is far superior to the authority of the church . . ." (Cyril Lucaris qt. in Jaroslav Pelikan's The Christian Tradition 2:284-285).
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Theologian John Macquarrie Differentiates Between the Ecclesia and Scriptura
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Malachi3:1-4NASB"Behold,I am going to send My messenger,and he will clear the way before Me.And the Lord,whom you seek,will suddenly come to his temple;and the messenger of the covenant,in whom you delight,behold,He is comong,"says the LORD of hosts."But who can endure the day of his coming?And who can stand when he appears?For He is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap.He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver,and He will purify the sons of levi and refine them like gold and silver,so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness."
Post a Comment