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Not by Scripture Alone: A Latter-Day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura
This is perhaps the most sustained critique of the formal doctrine of Protestantism, Sola Scriptura, from a Latter-day Saint in print that I am aware of. All the "proof-texts" are exegeted carefully, including 1 Cor 4:6, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Rev 22:18-19, Rom 15:4, Acts 17:11, and Isa 8:20. There is also an appendix discussing important patristic-era authors and how they did not function in a way commensurate with the doctrine/practice of Sola Scriptura and the formal sufficiency of the bible (e.g., Irenaeus of Lyons). I also discuss texts and arguments one should *not* use against this doctrine, such as the (false) claim there are 30,000+ Protestant denominations.
When one is finished reading this volume, one will be equipped to be able to answer all possible biblical "proofs" for the formal sufficiency of the Bible as well as discuss the overwhelming exegetical problems with this doctrine. Furthermore, any Protestant reading this volume will, on the basis of biblical exegesis, be forced to reconsider their adherence to this man-made doctrine, though they will find the tone of this volume respectful and scholarly.
Robert Boylan
ScripturalMormonism.blogspot.com
When one is finished reading this volume, one will be equipped to be able to answer all possible biblical "proofs" for the formal sufficiency of the Bible as well as discuss the overwhelming exegetical problems with this doctrine. Furthermore, any Protestant reading this volume will, on the basis of biblical exegesis, be forced to reconsider their adherence to this man-made doctrine, though they will find the tone of this volume respectful and scholarly.
Robert Boylan
ScripturalMormonism.blogspot.com
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2017
12 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 23, 2023
Well, I’ll just come right out with it. This book just plainly sucks. The author is self-published and after reading it… well let’s just say it’s obvious why that is.
What the book has going for it:
- It’s amateurish compilation of source materials that most folk would not have readily available to them, can appear intimidating to the casual reader and would never bother checking the citations.
- It’s almost entertaining how the author cannot seem to stay on track to save his life. There’s no immersion or pull to keep turning the pages whatsoever. 😂 It also reads like the author only a very basic idea of how to take the reader along with them, and this is best highlighted in the first few pages but quickly degrades and becomes an incoherent rambling mess. (This is the sort of thing that any competent editor/publisher would have absolutely criticized and told him to fix)
- If you’re a Mormon, I can see how this seems like the best thing since sliced bread, especially if you know very little about the subject matter to begin with.
- He very briefly & reluctantly admits there *might* be some basis to the notion of Sola Scriptura when going over the passages commonly (and often erroneously) used in an attempt to proof text / prove it.
- *Some* of the presented arguments for Sola Scriptura are not good, and as expected some are noted here. Points for that.
Reasons why you shouldn’t bother buying, let alone reading this book:
- After checking some of the citations, it was evident that the author has little to no interest in fairly representing those with whom he disagrees. He frequently (though not always) mischaracterizes quotes by taking things out of context, and thereby abuses his sources; whom I am certain would vehemently disagree with his co-opting of their work to support his strange syncretic brand of Roman-Catholic-Mormonism.
- There seems to be a high school level (at best) approach to compiling research to write an essay about, and that’s what this work reads like. A Gish-galloped collection of various essays put together in a very ham-fisted manner. With I’d say probably half of them (conservatively) having very little substantive relevance to the book overall.
- The author has clear double standards with his selections of sources I know the author would criticize a work like the CES letter or any other “anti-Mormon” book if it used ex-LDS quotes or sources to make their arguments, then the author would surely label them ‘anti-Mormon hacks’ and dismiss it. So it’s funny how he uses many citations from “former Protestants” in a similar fashion. Rules for thee, not for me much eh?
- The Hugh Nibley-esque influence on the author is very clear via parallelisms/parallelomania that is rife throughout the book. Any parallel is a valid one, no matter how flimsy or shallow or irrational. That’s by no means a compliment either.
- As Boylan is a former Roman Catholic himself, it’s not at all surprising that he has a clear preference for using Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox works to disprove the need for the Protestant reformation; and more specifically to reject sola scriptura. Any serious and reasonably studied Protestant would recognize the hack job that this work truly is if they sat down & read it.
- Patristic sources are wildly abused here in this book, and I know I’m not the only one who has bothered to check them and found the author was deliberately dishonest, or is an incompetent researcher. I’ll leave it to you to decide which.
- The title of the book is suspect, as Roman Catholic apologist Robert A. Sugenis wrote a book in the 90s called Not By Scripture Alone. Interestingly, Boylan quotes Sugenis numerous times in this work. Not only does he co-opt some arguments from a C-list Roman Catholic apologist, but seems he did with the title as well!
- There is no novel argumentation from the author, just co-opted arguments packaged with some classic Mormon spin. Yet, this is supposedly a refutation? How?
- I did derive some accidental amusement from this self-appointed, self-published, pseudo-scholar that is obviously indistinguishable from your average long winded forums enjoyer angry about something.
- Lastly, the author recently got in a bit of hot water for being exposed as having created a fake online persona of a black Mormon apologist by the name of Richard Nygren and was trying to defend the laughably bad Book of Mormon geography. If you look up “Mormon discussions Richard Nygren” on YouTube give it a click, as it’s an entertaining look into the kind of person Boylan really is. Dishonesty is in his DNA, and any serious minded reader deserves to be warned about that before picking up this book, or any of his works.
What the book has going for it:
- It’s amateurish compilation of source materials that most folk would not have readily available to them, can appear intimidating to the casual reader and would never bother checking the citations.
- It’s almost entertaining how the author cannot seem to stay on track to save his life. There’s no immersion or pull to keep turning the pages whatsoever. 😂 It also reads like the author only a very basic idea of how to take the reader along with them, and this is best highlighted in the first few pages but quickly degrades and becomes an incoherent rambling mess. (This is the sort of thing that any competent editor/publisher would have absolutely criticized and told him to fix)
- If you’re a Mormon, I can see how this seems like the best thing since sliced bread, especially if you know very little about the subject matter to begin with.
- He very briefly & reluctantly admits there *might* be some basis to the notion of Sola Scriptura when going over the passages commonly (and often erroneously) used in an attempt to proof text / prove it.
- *Some* of the presented arguments for Sola Scriptura are not good, and as expected some are noted here. Points for that.
Reasons why you shouldn’t bother buying, let alone reading this book:
- After checking some of the citations, it was evident that the author has little to no interest in fairly representing those with whom he disagrees. He frequently (though not always) mischaracterizes quotes by taking things out of context, and thereby abuses his sources; whom I am certain would vehemently disagree with his co-opting of their work to support his strange syncretic brand of Roman-Catholic-Mormonism.
- There seems to be a high school level (at best) approach to compiling research to write an essay about, and that’s what this work reads like. A Gish-galloped collection of various essays put together in a very ham-fisted manner. With I’d say probably half of them (conservatively) having very little substantive relevance to the book overall.
- The author has clear double standards with his selections of sources I know the author would criticize a work like the CES letter or any other “anti-Mormon” book if it used ex-LDS quotes or sources to make their arguments, then the author would surely label them ‘anti-Mormon hacks’ and dismiss it. So it’s funny how he uses many citations from “former Protestants” in a similar fashion. Rules for thee, not for me much eh?
- The Hugh Nibley-esque influence on the author is very clear via parallelisms/parallelomania that is rife throughout the book. Any parallel is a valid one, no matter how flimsy or shallow or irrational. That’s by no means a compliment either.
- As Boylan is a former Roman Catholic himself, it’s not at all surprising that he has a clear preference for using Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox works to disprove the need for the Protestant reformation; and more specifically to reject sola scriptura. Any serious and reasonably studied Protestant would recognize the hack job that this work truly is if they sat down & read it.
- Patristic sources are wildly abused here in this book, and I know I’m not the only one who has bothered to check them and found the author was deliberately dishonest, or is an incompetent researcher. I’ll leave it to you to decide which.
- The title of the book is suspect, as Roman Catholic apologist Robert A. Sugenis wrote a book in the 90s called Not By Scripture Alone. Interestingly, Boylan quotes Sugenis numerous times in this work. Not only does he co-opt some arguments from a C-list Roman Catholic apologist, but seems he did with the title as well!
- There is no novel argumentation from the author, just co-opted arguments packaged with some classic Mormon spin. Yet, this is supposedly a refutation? How?
- I did derive some accidental amusement from this self-appointed, self-published, pseudo-scholar that is obviously indistinguishable from your average long winded forums enjoyer angry about something.
- Lastly, the author recently got in a bit of hot water for being exposed as having created a fake online persona of a black Mormon apologist by the name of Richard Nygren and was trying to defend the laughably bad Book of Mormon geography. If you look up “Mormon discussions Richard Nygren” on YouTube give it a click, as it’s an entertaining look into the kind of person Boylan really is. Dishonesty is in his DNA, and any serious minded reader deserves to be warned about that before picking up this book, or any of his works.
November 17, 2017
Was extremely pleased with how meticulous this book was argued. The arguments cited numerous scholars in the field of theology. My only complaint was how difficult it was to read, as some of the paragraphs seemed choppy. Still, filled with extremely profound and thought provoking answers to Sola Scriptura.
February 22, 2024
Let me start by saying I'm glad I got a copy of this for free from the author.
Had I had paid for it, I would've certainly asked for a refund and sent it back.
All you need to know about this book, is that it's primarily roman catholic & eastern orthodox lines of argumentation (which in and of themselves are quite problematic) and something that the author seems to deliberately have chosen to avoid engaging in any sort of internal critiques to show the internal coherency & consistency of their beliefs.
Of course, Mormonism has never had any real foundation to stand on and as is typical for Mormon apologetics they never give the reader the whole story or provide a balanced & clear presentation of both sides. That's part of church culture after all, the brethren lied to it's own members for over 150 years!
It's also a bit funny that looking at the titles of the author's other books its pretty clear that when he de-converted from roman catholicism... methinks he didn't leave all that much of it behind in actuality. He wrote a book about Mariology... as a Mormon, and was even on a cringy Mormon podcast advocating for more Mariology in Mormonism.
If he really believed in the infallible *Mormon* magisterium as he claimed to he wouldn't be engaging in this sort of silly syncretism that 60 years ago would've earned him Church discipline for militating against the brethren.
Anyways, this book isn't worth any serious Protestants time. If you want to know what EO or Catholics think about Sola Scriptura, you can find better written works on the subject, this is just a pale imitation at best with an overlay of lazy Mormon Spin.
Had I had paid for it, I would've certainly asked for a refund and sent it back.
All you need to know about this book, is that it's primarily roman catholic & eastern orthodox lines of argumentation (which in and of themselves are quite problematic) and something that the author seems to deliberately have chosen to avoid engaging in any sort of internal critiques to show the internal coherency & consistency of their beliefs.
Of course, Mormonism has never had any real foundation to stand on and as is typical for Mormon apologetics they never give the reader the whole story or provide a balanced & clear presentation of both sides. That's part of church culture after all, the brethren lied to it's own members for over 150 years!
It's also a bit funny that looking at the titles of the author's other books its pretty clear that when he de-converted from roman catholicism... methinks he didn't leave all that much of it behind in actuality. He wrote a book about Mariology... as a Mormon, and was even on a cringy Mormon podcast advocating for more Mariology in Mormonism.
If he really believed in the infallible *Mormon* magisterium as he claimed to he wouldn't be engaging in this sort of silly syncretism that 60 years ago would've earned him Church discipline for militating against the brethren.
Anyways, this book isn't worth any serious Protestants time. If you want to know what EO or Catholics think about Sola Scriptura, you can find better written works on the subject, this is just a pale imitation at best with an overlay of lazy Mormon Spin.
October 20, 2025
This book is a compilation of blog posts and it shows. Grammar and formatting errors abound. Large sections of the book are block quotes lifted from Catholic writers. Boylan's laziness is on full display as he spends less than one page on defining Sola Scriptura. In a 200 page book the author spending less than one page to define the topic of the book is one of the laziest things I have ever seen. Boylan bases his definition on a fragmented quote from the Westminster Confession. You read that correctly, in this "sustained criticism of Sola Scriptura" Boylan couldn't even be bothered to quote an entire section of the Westminster to define Sola Scriptura. Boylan insults his readers by publishing this low effort garbage in a pathetic attempt to grift Mormon people into giving him money.
The arguments in the book are taken straight from Roman Catholic polemics but Boylan replaces the Pope and magisterium with Mormon leadership. He offers nothing of value to the debate and the work is borderline plagiarism, he even stole the title from a Roman Catholic polemicist.
This book is trash and Boylan is a lazy grifter who leaves five star reviews on his own books on Amazon and gets his friends to mass report any negative reviews.
The arguments in the book are taken straight from Roman Catholic polemics but Boylan replaces the Pope and magisterium with Mormon leadership. He offers nothing of value to the debate and the work is borderline plagiarism, he even stole the title from a Roman Catholic polemicist.
This book is trash and Boylan is a lazy grifter who leaves five star reviews on his own books on Amazon and gets his friends to mass report any negative reviews.
March 5, 2018
For what it wants to do, it's quite good: it thorough explores the concept of Sola Scriptura and shows the areas where the doctrine is unsubstantiated. Formatting and typographical issues can get distracting, though. But if you're interested in the question of Sola Scriptura, this book will be of interest to you.
May 28, 2025
amazing content, awful formatting
February 18, 2018
Robert S. Boylan’s Not by Scripture Alone is helpful at discussing the many problems of sola scriptura (by scripture alone) from many angles including an LDS perspective. It is nice to see ancient Greek all over many pages in this work that are helpful in deeply analyzing this neglected topic. As a classicist I can vouch for his understanding of the Greek and Latin that he seems to know better than most of the so called "scholars" who supposedly do Biblical scholarship. He makes a strong case that the Bible itself is not authoritative. Boylan’s work would have greatly been improved by having gone through the rigorous editing and peer review process of a traditional academic publisher, especially in order to correct spacing issues.
Brent J. Schmidt
PhD classics
Brent J. Schmidt
PhD classics
February 3, 2024
As far as a critique of Sola Scriptura, this was a 5 star worthy book. Boylan does a great job looking at the common and some uncommon (ones I’ve never heard used) proof-texts Protestants use for Sola Scriptura and pointing out the flaws in their obvious eisegesis. The volume could have used some more editorial work as the author admits it was mainly a compilation of different blog posts and you could tell. The large/lengthy block quotes felt excessive but with someone as well read as Boylan, it makes sense that he used so many quotes from primary sources.
Overall great book and would highly recommend to Latter-day Saints interested in apologetics.
Overall great book and would highly recommend to Latter-day Saints interested in apologetics.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews