Proclamation versus Explanation- David Fitch

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Proclamation versus Explanation: Refusing to Defend The Authority of Scripture for the Sake of Inviting The World into It

From our 2014 Ecclesia National Gathering.

Often we get caught up in apologetic concerns when it comes to the authority of Scripture. This sets into motion a dynamic, which not only undercuts the authority of Scripture in the world, but sets us over against those who have not yet believed. Instead, we need to see Scripture as an extension of the work of God in the world. It is God’s unfolding Narrative of His Mission. It has been given to us and extended an authority by Jesus Christ Himself by the Spirit through the church for the world. The authority of Scripture therefore is inextricable from the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is only as we live in His mission (the Story), under His authority as Lord, that we can then proclaim his message as witness to what God is doing to save the whole world. Only in embodied witness, is Scripture’s authority is made manifest to the world. Rather than defend it then and divide ourselves from the world, we only need proclaim it and invite in.