Lutheran - another Confederate Flag?

[knor (Kai)]

Thanks Gregory,

@Gregory

Yes, the “sola scriptura” approach to Christianity sadly often just turns into never-ending individualist interpretation of “He said, She said” in my experience. The difficulty with that is every Protestant becomes their own favorite and best interpreter, a very heavy and risky responsibility for both the highly educated and the barely literate! Novelty exegesis in such cases then almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, while all unity gets sacrificed for “autonomy” and “independence”.

‘Sola scriptura’ approach includes a risk of wild individualist interpretations. The ‘follow the leader’ alternative may be a safer option if the leader knows the right path. If the leader goes astray, the ‘follow the leader’ option is bad for the whole flock.

Science and ‘sola scriptura’ approach have a common feature. Scientific interpretations may be initially wrong but will be re-evaluated and corrected as scientific knowledge increases. Also interpretations of biblical texts may include errors but are likely to be challenged, re-evaluated and corrected as knowledge increases. Some stubborn individuals may stick to old mislead interpretations but they are likely to form diminishing groups.

The ‘follow the leader’ approach will probably also be challenged more and more by educated new generations. They will not settle for the opinions of the leaders, they want convincing justification. My guess is that this development will drive the ‘follow the leader’ approach closer to the ‘sola scriptura’ approach in the future. Both need to justify their claims.