BUILDING YOUR THEOLOGY
STUDY GUIDE 4.3
Lesson 4: Authority in Theology
Section 3: Contemporary Protestantism
(Video Parts 9-13)

OUTLINE FOR TAKING NOTES

III. Contemporary Protestantism

A. Authority of Scripture

  1. Inspiration

  2. Meaning

  3. Clarity

B. Authority of the Church

  1. Past Authorities

  2. Contemporary Protestant Authorities

V. Summary

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Describe the three different views of inspiration explained in the lesson.

2. What is the contemporary Reformed view of inspiration?

3. Explain the meaning of "contemporary polyvalence," "simplistic univalence," and "multifaceted univalence," as explained in the lesson.

4. Describe the view of the Westminster Confession of Faith regarding the meaning of Scripture and regarding the clarity of Scripture. What guideline does the Confession give for resolving a question of interpretation of a passage?

5. Explain how contemporary Protestants understand the authority of the church in the past and our contemporary setting. What does Dr. Pratt mean by "biblicism," "traditionalism," and "semper reformanda"?

6. What does Dr. Pratt mean when he says that theological formulations should be considered in "analog" terms, and not in "binary" terms?

7. Explain Dr. Pratt's view of how many meanings a passage of Scripture has.

8. Explain Dr. Pratt's view of the authority of dogma approved by church councils.


APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. What are some practical ways we can observe the principle of “always reforming” in the modern church? What are some areas in your own church that need to be reformed?

2. How should the concept of complex univalence influence as we engage in modern theological discussions? What are some dangers of this approach to meaning? What are some of its benefits?

3. How can the model of the cone of certainty aide you in assigning priorities and levels of conviction to your understandings of scriptural passages that are not entirely clear?

4. What are the dangers of Traditionalism and Biblicism? Have you seen these extremes in the church today?

5. There were several “extreme” positions mentioned in this lesson. Did any of them describe your own approach to theology? Which ones? What practical steps might you take to adopt more responsible perspectives?

6. What is the most significant insight you have learned from this lesson? Why?
Last modified: Friday, 31 October 2014, 7:01 PM