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And God Spoke: The Authority of the Bible for the Church Today
His reflections on some of the ways we might answer these questions in the church today became the twelve short chapters of this book. Here scripture scholar and Anglican priest Christopher Bryan looks at the nature of the Bible's authority and inspiration and how the Bible can inform our decision-making today. He explores common questions about scripture, such as: What do we mean when we say that the scriptures are revelatory, that they are inspired, that they are the Word of God? How do we define the Bible's authority for the past and the future? What does a church that takes the Bible's authority seriously actually look like? How does it read, study, and pray with the Bible? And God Spoke offers essential guidelines for everyone who wonders about the authority of the Bible, and who wants to read it with attentiveness and understanding.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 28, 2023
A very good book, and perhaps not long enough. Bryan had recently retired when I was at seminary in the School of Theology, and although I never had him in class, his wisdom permeated the place. Some small bit of that wisdom is in this book, and it is both a joy and a challenge to read.
The book only suffers, I think, from being too particular in its intended audience (or, the audience I think it is addressing). The book's subtitle is "The Authority of the Bible of the Church Today", though I would replace "the Church" with "Evangelicals." Bryan presents good, solid Christian wisdom, though too often it seems half-directed at countering evangelical views of the Bible. Sometimes Bryan comes right out and challenges these views, but more often they're a subtext of the argument. Bryan's chapter on the Bible as the Word of God, for example, is about metaphor. This is, of course, an important concept in explaining what the Word of God is in terms of Jesus and the Bible, and (for me) was certainly welcome. But that's where he stops. Bryan describes what metaphors are, but he does not go far enough into explaining why the Word of God is such a powerful metaphor. Or, rather, he does so quickly, while giving more space to defining metaphors.
Various parts of the book are like this and, again, the discussions are welcome, but I was left therefrom with an odd, unbalanced feel to the book. I don't come from an evangelical background, and so felt like I was (at times) missing part of the conversation.
That said, the book is wonderful and full of wisdom. I felt "built up" and deepened as a Christian and as a priest.
The book only suffers, I think, from being too particular in its intended audience (or, the audience I think it is addressing). The book's subtitle is "The Authority of the Bible of the Church Today", though I would replace "the Church" with "Evangelicals." Bryan presents good, solid Christian wisdom, though too often it seems half-directed at countering evangelical views of the Bible. Sometimes Bryan comes right out and challenges these views, but more often they're a subtext of the argument. Bryan's chapter on the Bible as the Word of God, for example, is about metaphor. This is, of course, an important concept in explaining what the Word of God is in terms of Jesus and the Bible, and (for me) was certainly welcome. But that's where he stops. Bryan describes what metaphors are, but he does not go far enough into explaining why the Word of God is such a powerful metaphor. Or, rather, he does so quickly, while giving more space to defining metaphors.
Various parts of the book are like this and, again, the discussions are welcome, but I was left therefrom with an odd, unbalanced feel to the book. I don't come from an evangelical background, and so felt like I was (at times) missing part of the conversation.
That said, the book is wonderful and full of wisdom. I felt "built up" and deepened as a Christian and as a priest.
November 26, 2013
OK book.
Ch. 1: Scripture is hard to interpret - often contradictory, but it can be summarized as the story of God's faithfulness - to Israel in the old testament, to the world in the New Testament.
Ch. 2: The Bible doesn't provide all the answers, but the resolution of issues that goes beyond the Bible must be based upon faithful interpretation of its contents that is as ecumenical (inclusive) as possible.
Ch. 3 The text of the Bible reflects beliefs that were already held, both Old and New Testaments. While interpretation of the text can change, there can be no change to the text itself.
Ch. 4 The Bible contains 4 modes of language: descriptive, conceptual, ideological, and visionary. In the Bible visionary language is most significant, carrying us to other worlds, and shaping our place in the "grand scheme of things."
Ch. 5 The Bible can mean different things to different people, although there are limits to those meanings.
Ch. 6 The Bible has much metaphor, and the dangers in metaphor are 1) they become dead, or 2) they are taken literally.
Ch. 7 The Bible is the result of inspired writings of its authors. It is inerrant not in its parts, but as a whole.
Ch. 8 Describes the development of the Canon (individual books of the bible).
Ch. 9 The authority of the Bible is not coercive, but persuasive, an appeal to us.
There are three additional chapters. The final take is that, in resolving church disputes, the "winners" need to be gracious and inclusive to the "losers."
Ch. 1: Scripture is hard to interpret - often contradictory, but it can be summarized as the story of God's faithfulness - to Israel in the old testament, to the world in the New Testament.
Ch. 2: The Bible doesn't provide all the answers, but the resolution of issues that goes beyond the Bible must be based upon faithful interpretation of its contents that is as ecumenical (inclusive) as possible.
Ch. 3 The text of the Bible reflects beliefs that were already held, both Old and New Testaments. While interpretation of the text can change, there can be no change to the text itself.
Ch. 4 The Bible contains 4 modes of language: descriptive, conceptual, ideological, and visionary. In the Bible visionary language is most significant, carrying us to other worlds, and shaping our place in the "grand scheme of things."
Ch. 5 The Bible can mean different things to different people, although there are limits to those meanings.
Ch. 6 The Bible has much metaphor, and the dangers in metaphor are 1) they become dead, or 2) they are taken literally.
Ch. 7 The Bible is the result of inspired writings of its authors. It is inerrant not in its parts, but as a whole.
Ch. 8 Describes the development of the Canon (individual books of the bible).
Ch. 9 The authority of the Bible is not coercive, but persuasive, an appeal to us.
There are three additional chapters. The final take is that, in resolving church disputes, the "winners" need to be gracious and inclusive to the "losers."
August 20, 2021
After his magnificent tome on the resurrection of Christ, I must say I expected a bit more from this book on biblical interpretation by Anglican scholar Christopher Bryan. But that may be more the fault of my expectations than his writing, since this little book was aimed at a general readership and thus avoids going too in-depth. Don't get me wrong -- it's still great! I just wish I could have twice as many pages of Bryan's thoughts on this challenging topic!
And God Spoke is a series of reflections on how the Bible ought to be approached as an inspired and authoritative text. As such, it covers much of the same ground as N. T. Wright's popular work on the same topic, Scripture and the Authority of God, though Bryan manages to be quite a bit more concise than Wright. This is a very short read -- brief and to the point, but also well-written enough to pack much food for thought into its short space.
Bryan's discussion of inerrancy, I thought, was excellent, as was his consistent call for humility and patience when it comes to disagreeing with people over matters of interpretation. Also fantastic was his opening chapter's treatment of the supposed "clarity" (or "perspicuity") of Scripture, and why we must be careful to distinguish that it is the overarching story of salvation Scripture gives that is clear, not the minute details of every passage. I did find his explanation of the mechanics (if you will) of inspiration to be perhaps a bit too broad and in need of a bit more explaining/defending, but it's still closer to the mark than supposed "dictation"-style theories given in some fundamentalist circles.
All in all, this is a good read for any Christian looking to think more deeply about their doctrine of Scripture, or to help others do so. Also serves as a decent primer on hermeneutics (the art of doing interpretation), and would lend itself well as a text for a discussion group.
And God Spoke is a series of reflections on how the Bible ought to be approached as an inspired and authoritative text. As such, it covers much of the same ground as N. T. Wright's popular work on the same topic, Scripture and the Authority of God, though Bryan manages to be quite a bit more concise than Wright. This is a very short read -- brief and to the point, but also well-written enough to pack much food for thought into its short space.
Bryan's discussion of inerrancy, I thought, was excellent, as was his consistent call for humility and patience when it comes to disagreeing with people over matters of interpretation. Also fantastic was his opening chapter's treatment of the supposed "clarity" (or "perspicuity") of Scripture, and why we must be careful to distinguish that it is the overarching story of salvation Scripture gives that is clear, not the minute details of every passage. I did find his explanation of the mechanics (if you will) of inspiration to be perhaps a bit too broad and in need of a bit more explaining/defending, but it's still closer to the mark than supposed "dictation"-style theories given in some fundamentalist circles.
All in all, this is a good read for any Christian looking to think more deeply about their doctrine of Scripture, or to help others do so. Also serves as a decent primer on hermeneutics (the art of doing interpretation), and would lend itself well as a text for a discussion group.
August 8, 2020
This was an excellent and nuanced book on the authority, inspiration, and inerrancy of Scripture. It was deep, informative, and clear. It is kind of short, which would usually be frustrating for me, but this text was very satisfying. I don't know that I learned a lot of new material, but this was really well laid out and made things clear that were fuzzy for me. I highly recommend it.
December 1, 2013
I recommend this book highly. It is a lovely, yet scholarly and theological, discussion of the authority of the Bible with advice on how to read it sincerely and prayerfully. Since Mr. Bryan is an Episcopalian priest and seminary teacher (I believe), his view of the Bible is definitely not that it is factually inerrant. Rather, he relates how it reveals a unified "story" or purpose through the several hundreds of years of inspiration, of the creation of the writings, their editing, their selection for the canon of Scripture, and their message today. Mr. Bryan does not fear to tread in controversial areas and to provide a moderating opinion. He plainly loves the Bible, the Church, and scholarship. I would say he loves people generally!
This is definitely not a polemical book. But I think that one of Mr. Bryan's purposes in writing it is to address a crisis within the Episcopal Church and its repercussions in the Anglican Communion (of which the Episcopal Church is a part) generally. In particular the crisis concerns the consecration of gay persons as bishops and the adoption of the blessing of same-sex unions. Mr. Bryan uses his last chapter, in my opinion, to address the church's tumult indirectly: He calls for what Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles would call sober thinking and gentleness (the Greek "sophrosune" and "prautes", respectively)in the interpretation of Scripture and in common discourse.
This is definitely not a polemical book. But I think that one of Mr. Bryan's purposes in writing it is to address a crisis within the Episcopal Church and its repercussions in the Anglican Communion (of which the Episcopal Church is a part) generally. In particular the crisis concerns the consecration of gay persons as bishops and the adoption of the blessing of same-sex unions. Mr. Bryan uses his last chapter, in my opinion, to address the church's tumult indirectly: He calls for what Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles would call sober thinking and gentleness (the Greek "sophrosune" and "prautes", respectively)in the interpretation of Scripture and in common discourse.
January 26, 2015
I liked Bryan's take on reading the Bible in light of the "Rule of Faith," which would, in my thinking, allow for evolution in how God's salvation is achieved. As the author puts it on page 103: "Paul's theology was not Isaiah's and Nicaea's theology was not Paul's and our theology is not theirs." Our understanding of what is in the Bible should grow; it's not a stagnant thing. The way I understand the author's rubric is that, when we do interpret, we must be faithful to the "Rule of Faith" but that not everything the Bible says is about that rule. This jives with what I've felt after reading "The Evolution of God"--it is not God that has evolved, but our understanding of God.
That all said, there are points that I would disagree with the author on, and the book is badly edited!
That all said, there are points that I would disagree with the author on, and the book is badly edited!
December 14, 2013
When we say that the Bible is the inspired word of God, what does this mean? This scripture scholar explores the nature of the Bible's authority and inspiration and how the Bible can influence our decision-making today.
January 13, 2014
Another book that is part of my seminary studies. A thoughtful and readable exploration of the challenges of reading scripture. We can take the Bible seriously without taking it literally. Many good foundations in a slim, accessibly volume.
January 13, 2014
I was glad to read this very accessible discussion of the authority and birth and growth of Christian Scripture. I have been interested to see the wide variety of responses to it among EfM mentors, not all positive.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews