Despite the fact that the contours of the Christian canon were decided by the fourth century, vibrant and vigorous discussion about the authenticity of the books has persisted into our day. Indeed, for many years now, the New Testament canon has been a subject of research and dispute. When and how these 27 books became recognized as a new scriptural deposit has been a chief source of contention. More importantly, why did the new Christian sect perceive the need for a new canon at all? Does the New Testament exist because of some action done in the second or third century church, or did it arise more naturally from within the early Christian faith itself? Was it an extrinsic phenomenon, or an intrinsic one? Were the books written as Scripture, or did they become Scripture by a decision of the second-century church? These are the types of questions that led Michael J. Kruger to challenge modern scholarship’s dominant view that the New Testament is a late creation of the church imposed on books which were originally written for another purpose.

Michael J. Kruger is President and Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte.

Calling into question the commonly held extrinsic (or “from without”) view, which holds that the New Testament was an ecclesial product designed for ecclesial needs in the later Church, most directly to address the rise of Marcionism in the early church, Kruger tackles the five most prevalent objections to the classic understanding of a quickly emerging, self-authenticating collection of authoritative scriptures – he refers to his model as an “intrinsic” one. This framework recognizes the canon as the product of internal dynamics evolving out of the historical situation in which Christianity found itself, not a development retroactively imposed by the church upon books written hundreds of years before. He argues that the makeup of first-century Christianity created a favorable environment for the growth of a new revelational deposit. Kruger stipulates that the extrinsic model is correct as far as it goes, but that we should not rule out other definitions that bring more balance to our understanding of canon, and that therefore there is no sharp delineation between “Scripture” and “canon,” the latter of which only applies to the final, closed list of books. Moreover, he argues that there was a matrix of theological beliefs held by early Christians that would have resulted in a canon developing quite naturally, even if the early church did not recognize it formally. Third, he argues that while most Christians were illiterate, they were nonetheless characterized by a robust textuality – that is, the knowledge, use, and appreciation of written texts. Furthermore, he asserts that the New Testament authors, contrary to the interpretation of the extrinsic model, provide substantial indications that they understood their message as authoritative, showing this often quite plainly. If the extrinsic model were true, Kruger contends, we would expect that it would have taken quite a while for the New Testament writings to be attain Scriptural status, but in fact the Scriptures were deemed to be such at a much earlier time than commonly allowed by scholars.

While The Question of Canon scrutinizes today’s popular scholastic view, it also offers an alternative concept that is, in some respects, a better empirical foundation for canonical studies. He does not deal with the standard questions about the canon. For example, how do we know we have the right book? Instead, he asks more fundamental questions about where the canon comes from. I recommend this text to those who have interests in knowing how, when, and why the Scriptures became “the Scriptures.” Kruger has offered the church a service with this volume.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Publisher’s page: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4031

Companion website: http://michaeljkruger.com/tag/the-question-of-canon/

Preview The Question of Canon: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Question_of_Canon.html?id=eYgMAgAAQBAJ

Véroni Krüger’s work What Has Your Church Become is a look with historical insight at what the church was at its beginning, at Pentecost, compared to what it has become. Reverend Krüger uses a literary style with scripture as its own interpreter and his primary source of documentation. Believers young in the faith would benefit greatly reading it. What Has Your Church Become would serve to introduce to them some important spiritual Truths. It is an easy read and inspiring, not argumentative.

Reverend Krüger pastored a pentecostal church and holds a masters degree in Greek. This wide range of experience in ministry makes him amply qualified from a pentecostal perspective to discuss the changing church. In bold honesty Reverend Krüger encourages the church to face its realities from frenzied emotionalism to blind intellectualism. Yet he doesn’t dazzle us with Greek terms and syntax. His easy reading style encourages us to embrace the message.

What Has Your Church Become is an ecclesiological study (a study of the church). Krüger has brought the truth into our language with the clarity, simplicity and emphasis that honors it as a timely message from God’s Word.

What Has Your Church Become is written in 4 sections, the first was background information and brief which I summed above. In his second section Reverend Krüger offers scriptural evidence of the ideal church as God envisioned it at Pentecost after which in section 3 he outlines the Pentecost movement in church history. Lastly he provides a look ahead to the potential for tomorrow’s church.

The Ideal Church

Aside from the scriptures which he writes out for our immediate reference, there are very few quotations from other sources. One I must give you because for me its provides us with his overarching theme. The late Dr. Richard Halverson, US Senate chaplain from 1950 to 1995, provided us with a succinct history of the church:

In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centring on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.

Pastors who read his work with an honest heart will find themselves equipped with a month of messages and a driving burden to share them. Brother Krüger opens up the Psalms in the process. Sprinkled throughout are the davidic thoughts that undoubtedly were in themselves prophetic precursors of New Testament worship.

Worship requires liturgical expression. Brother Krüger sees this as a matter between the Holy Spirit’s opportunity to minister in contrast to a static and well-defined church culture developed to benefit the leadership’s personal corporate goals. Interpreting I Corinthians 14:26 he contrasts professional standards, impersonal large gatherings, leadership manipulation, spiritual weakness and an emphasis on numerical growth with the Biblically outlined work of the Spirit and our response to it. God’s people are to experience God when they gather together—intellectually (studying the Word), spiritually (worshipping God), and emotionally (participating in the service with a sense of belonging and community). Participating in the liturgy for Brother Krüger means becoming more aware of the Divine Presence with human leadership fading into the background. Liturgical worship is not an oxymoron but God’s opportunity to minister to His people. And Brother Krüger sees this as the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit among us.