Review Essay, Keeping the Balance
Handling critical questions Challenges to the Bible’s authority Of course, an essential part in achieving integration is learning how to respond to critical theories that challenge our high view of Scripture. Cupples believes it is “not dishonest to disregard critical questions in the ‘quiet time’ provided you are not disregarding them in the classroom”. And we do not need to “immediately suspend” an original belief or position just because we haven’t got “an instant solution”. Cupples goes on to consider how there is room for refinement and maturity of our doctrine of scripture without abandoning our original high view of inspiration. Many problems we can answer, some we will have to shelve, but we will not be able to clear up every problem in our lifetime—we are finite creatures who must learn to live with some uncertainties. We should seek help in our efforts, but even though there will be some things we cannot explain, as with the doctrine of the incarnation there are compelling reasons for believing in spite of all that. Belief still turns out to be more reasonable than unbelief, and there is the confirmation of experience of the power of scripture to add to our faith. Experience cannot stand on its own, but it can confirm or weaken beliefs. Seeing the Bible fulfil its claims in our lives is an important part of our conviction.
Doubt Cupples acknowledges that “the initial impact of religious studies can lead us to doubt many things—our beliefs, ourselves, our God”. But in all this, he reminds us, God has not forsaken us nor will he allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). We will come up again.
Challenges to the Bible’s clarity Another problem students may face is “a loss of confidence in the clarity of the Bible” as we become aware that “there are many more possible interpretations of some passages than we had thought previously”. We will also find that some of our previously held interpretations were wrong. Cupples doesn’t believe this is necessarily a bad thing. We ought to come to the Bible with humility, ready to be “taught, rebuked and corrected”, and we should learn to be “more rigorous and more cautious” in just how much we deduce from a certain passage. He also reassures the reader, from the Bible, that those who humbly and obediently seek God’s truth will not be disappointed and that getting into the author’s head and seeing with his eyes and feeling with his heart is ultimately the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Category: In Depth, Spring 2006
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